Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1903-08-14
James J. Hill President of the Great North
ern Railroad, One of the Greatest Busi-
ness Organizers This Country
4 Has Ever Seen.
He Builds Railroads and Steamships and
Develops the Country and Spans
Lakes and Oceans in Quest Of
Worlds Commerce.

5 4 Il ~
a Worlds
The recent decision Of Judge Lochren.
Of the United States court, IN the case
Of Minnesota agsinst the so.called mer.
ger combination Of railroad interests. is
explicit and conclusive that no comb.
nation existed ii restraint Of trade. and
tha, the so.called merger u not nor can
not bein any sanse considered . rail-
road company because combination Of
capitalists own majority Of tho stock
Of the Northern Pacific and Great
Northern a. an investment. and no one
contends that the ownership Of Z msjor.
i,y Of the stock Of any railroad 4 : pur.
chase Of that railroad. In brief. Judge
Lochren decides that the Northern Sc
curities Company Il not . railroad com.
pany. but . company incorporated for
the purpose Of purchasing and holding
stock Of certain railroads and TINS e.
cure such roads against the danger
Of any future raid such q that organ.
lied against the Northern Pacific In
1901 by the Hartman interests OF the
Union Pacific, when Thousands Of legid-
mate owners Of railroad securities
stared ruin in the face and went down
in that terrific battle Of the giants. and
It was during that raid that ono Canton
bank management got mixed in the
whirlpool and went 70 the wall. The
Union Pacific wanted to control tho
Northern Pacific and IL was only
through the prompt action Of james J i
Hill and j. P. Morgan that this actuA
railroad merger was prevented. To
prevent such raids in the future against
the transcon.inentsl lines In the north
the Northern Securities Company vas
organized. Its purpose i to protect The
property Of the northern roads and their
seacoast terminals and the properly and
welfare Of the people Of the great
northwest.
We Of South Dakota have but . tribu'
tary interest In the matter, although .
branch Of the Great Northern passes
through this county. still We form part
Of 8 great commercial body that do
mands justice and fair play at the
hands Of ths.men who manage railroads
and are deeply interested IN the mutual
success Of the people and the railroads,
for one Il dependant on the other and
both must prosper 70 live.
Perhaps no railroad president IN the
world. certainly mono In the United
States. takes 90 deep IN interest in the
welfare and progress Of people 'ribu'
tary to any great railroad system. -
does James J. Hill. President OF the
Great Northern. Himself farmer, .
man Of the people who loves to mingle
With the farmers and attend their fairs
and institutes.
In the pioneer days of North Dakota
he furnished thousands of farmers with
blooded stock who were unable to pur'
chase them. He was helping the farm
ers and laying the foundation for the
present enormous traffic Of bis main
line and branches. 1t was only the
other day that the farmers of North
Dakota and the Red River Valley passed
resolutions thanking Mr.. Hill for his
many acts of kindness and assistance
rendered them.
This IL the man who built . great
,ranscontinental railroad without aid
from the government, who built the
magnificent freight and passenger
steamers for rapid transit on the lakes,
and is now about to connect bis railway
system on Puget Sound with China and
Japan by some of the largest and most
thoroughly equipped steamships equal
TO the best now sflost. and this is only .
small part Of what james J. Hill has
accomplished. And this mani farm
or, q friend Of the farmer. railroad and
steamship builder. great ananceer,
commercial giant and prophet. yet he is
Z plain every day sort of . man. plain
Jim Hill to his old time associates and
friends who knew him thirty years ago.
he il big enough to know and appre.
ciate that greatness comes from ability,