The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-09-04
BY f. B. TRACY

the time, and went right of to Washington TO see
about gettin' my bill through congress Yuh see
when anybody wants TO build a road through an
Indian reservation he has TO sit special act of
gress. Mebbe some of you member thatsOme fellers
and newspapers in this country said would cost us
$4,000 TO git that bill passed Well il was put
through and signed by the president in weeks time
and It didn't cost cent and them congressman
wouldn't let the farmer pay even for his own meals
On his way back home Minds visited the Carnegie
mills at Pttsburg and the Illinois Steel Works al
Joliet to the rails turned out and 10 get their
prices. When ne arrived at Brighton ne found many
circulars from Wall street firms and other capitalists
awaiting him. in which they complained because he
had not negotiated with them.
His campaign among the FARMERS now took on
notes OF power. inspiration and triumph. The meet
ings were very large and enthusiastic. and stock
taken up with avidity. Those who had called Minds
a mnatic now shOwered praise upon him and enter
tanned him aYishIy The leading men of every COM
munity became active in support of the project
Soon. however. nature conspred with many other
circumstances in attitude which seemed that OF
maleyolence to defeat the scheme First there came
a backward spring" The ice and snow remained on
the ground until late in April and in some sections
until May, and then melted in a few days causing
disastrous floods which prevented seeding Then.
after seeding, cold rains fell and much OF the wheat
was chilled and required replantng, and the result
was that the wheat came up than a month be
hind over the whole Red River valley. Then there
several terrific hail storms which almost wholly
wiped out the crops in several townships in one
county. The result was that farmers failed to pay
their subscriptions for stock in the railroad,
Upon the top of this came gigantic and crushing
blow TO Minds at the meeting OF the directors that
summer at Brighton, which his scheme for raising
the money rejected and outvoted and he himself
was practically removed from the position of chief
There had been during the early summer that
there in the directorate some jealousy of Minds
and it vas said that the inspiration came from St.
Paul. but no fear felt by Minds or any of his
nearest friends of any formidable revolt The action
of the directors must therefore, have been great
shock to his reason and hopes; but he gave no sign
He spent most of his time at Brighton. supervising
the surveys and the grading which had already be
gun. His hopes were high that when the annual
meeting Of the road held in January he would be
restored
Everything looked most suspicious for Minds when
the directors assembled at Brighton for the annual
meeting The plan which they had adopted had proved
failure, everywhere confidence in Minds and
the condition OF the farmers better than they had
anticipated. which with higher prices for their
wheat made the time an excellent one 70 revive inter
est in the railroad But when the meeting began his
enemies were to be in full control and he was
retired from the presidency and every vestige OF
power taken away from him.
Minds was silent and for the first time detected
after this overwhelming verdict. But he remained at
Brighton for the rest of that winter. and the last
heard from him that he had re-entered the
evangelist field, which he had tried when boy and
holding great and thrilling revival meetings near
Brighton, until few days ago the newspapers con-
tanned this dispatch:
Daniel Minds, the Farmers Railroad protector.
was today adjudged insane and removed 70 the state
hospital for the insane. Last Monday he announced
that Christ would in six DAYS and he had been
called to people of the event He is in a ter
ribie physical condition unable TO sleep and talks
necessarily almost every subject Unless he gets
relief soon he cannot live long"
And the Farmers Railroad was not built