The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-26

by team. It is not strange that, with
a panic still fresh in the public mind,
with inadequate means of transporta-
ton, and st. Paul being unduly ia
vored by the railroads, Minneapolis
business men should complain of hard
dustry of the city, was not profitable,
and the future did not seem particu-
larly promising. ..-
AS far back as 1869, Mr.. Washburn
had conceived the idea of q line of
railway, the Minneapolis & st. Louis,
from Minneapolis to White Bear, to
connect there with what is now the
St. Paul & Duluth, furnishing an out
let for Minneapolis to the great lakes.
This line he subsequently built. This
was followed by a line, also promoted
by him, from Minneapolis to Merriam
Junction, to connect with the Sioux
City road. While the plans were un-
the st. Paul & Duluth road, a jay
Cooke line, which had been backing
the Washburn plans. was compelled to
withdraw its support. BY. 1877. how
ever, times had begun to improve, and
Mr.. Washburn, still determined that
Minneapolis should be independent of
the Chicago railway pool BEGAN the
in connection with the Burlington,
Cedar Rapids &; Northern, to give
Minneapolis an independent outlet to
Chicago and the east. This was the
first Independent railway Minneapolis
ever had, and it did much to neutral
ize the monopoly until then enjoyed
by the Milwaukee road, and, i'll fact,
was the key to future railway build
ing in the state, for all railroads after
that were compelled to extend their
lines from st. Paul to Minneapolis, and
to count this city as a commercial
factor in the northwest.
These several railway enterprises
were completed, or being completed
III 1878. Next year came the resump-
ton of specie payment, and from that
time until 1885 Minneapolis enjoyed
what was one of her most prosperous
periods,
Senator Washburn talked very en-
the other day about his pioneer rail-
way building, and outlined briefly the
projects alluded to above. He says
that the idea of the 500 road was
originated by him even earlier than
1878. He worked out the details of
the plan while in congress at about
that time, and declined further con-
might put the plan into operation.
II believed that I could be of more
benefit to Minneapolis and the north
west" he said, "by staging here and
building an important line Of railway
than by hanging around Washington"
Speaking of the effect of his rail-
way building, he added: THE Mime
even basis with st. Paul, and the 500
was our declaration of commercial in
dependence Of Chicago and the Chi
cago railways, which were then plan
ming to control the northwest in the
interest of that city. The 500 has
i,,~ /
at the time of it's building It has
made US a great distributing point,
and strong and independent COM
mercial center. instead of merely a
tail to the Chicago kite
These early railway plans We're be-
ing made, efforts We're being directed
towards interesting prominent local
Of the first experiments in independ-
ent lines We're being felt in Minne-
apolis, during the year when T II e
J ourna came into existence. At
the forefront of this movement, which
meant so much for the city and state.
was w. D. Washburn. The enthusiasm
which in1pelled him was not at all
times felt by the citizens whose help
he was compelled to have, and had he
beeen made of stuff less stern the OPP
portunity Of that day, upon which
nlnSeQ all subsequent minneapolis de-
velopment might have passed by I'M
improved.
There was a good deal Of politics in
the Minneapolis Of 1878. One of the
most exciting congressional campaigns
in the history Of the city. and of the
old third district. of which it was a
part, came Oh in that year. Mr..
Washburn was nominated by the re-
publicans. and Ignatius Donnelly,
altho not living in the district was
nominated by the democrats and the
greenbackers and other calamity
howlers of that day. The district was
very large, covering almost the whole
of the northern half of the state. It
included the twin cities, Saltwater and
Duluth, and all the country between.
There had been poor crops. Wheat
was nearer a failure than it had been
for a long time, and very little of it
graded higher than No. 8. Donnelly
tried to show that the Minneapolis