The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-04-16
WIN OR SELLOUT
j. j. HILL SAYS HE is IN HIS
LAST FIGHT.
If Hartman Wins Suit Which Is
Virtually for Control of North
ern Pacific, the Great Northern
Will Also Be Disposed of--Means
Much to- Northwest.

St. Paul, April 11-President James
j. Hill, of the Great Northern, in an
interview, declared that if the suit
brought by the Hartman interests is
successful he will retire, and says that
if the Northern Pacific goes into the
hands of hostile interests he has fought
his last battle for the Northwest.
''If the Hartman interests win, !"
said Mr.. Hill ut means just what
said in my testimony in the Securities
suit, either to fight or to sell out to
them. l have fought my last fight for
the Northwest, and if l am brought
face to face with another conflict
shall sell out and retire.
people forget that am not com
PEELED to fight the Northwest's battles.
l am getting to an age when feel that
l am entitled to rest. What it will
mean if interests which have always
fought to secure grip on the country
we are trying to build up succeed in
their purpose anyone can figure out as
we'll as l.
1T would mean for US that we must
| fight another battle or sell ont What
l said l meant. We will sell.
Good Work Unlawful.
North Dakota and Washington and
other states have been friendly to us
because they realize what these lines
have done for them. They have cheap.
ened transportation and given facili-
ties to communities that have needed
them, yet, this, we now understand,
is in restraint of trade. If we applied
Union Pacific rates to the Great North
ern it would mean an increase Of 49,
900, 900 year in our earnings. 1t
would cost the Northwest, for instance,
$500, 900 a year to apply the same
rates, yet people are fighting US.
81 have prospered, of course, yet
have given my labor for no more than
any stakeholder has received. l want
ed to get these lines in such shape
that no hostile interest could touch
them, for the sake of the local invest
OTIS who have always aided me and re-
manned my friends. Hemmed in by
hostile interests on the north and south
all that will be left to do will be to
protect the stockholders and sell.
~ could sell, of course, if wished,
and could command good price for
the Great Northern, possibly two hun
dred and fifty The case is in the
hands of lawyers. believe we will
win, yet we are taking the usual
chances of lawsuit. We are fighting
for an equitable and just distribution
of the Northern Securities assets.
Has a Good Case.
"We will have good case and the
affidavits that will be filed Tuesday
will mnake remarkably good reading.
"We have battled for new mark cts
and wider opportunities for the North
west. Let some one else take up the
fight now. When the time comes that
the Northwest must have new markets
these people will realize that it would
have been good plan to have let us
alone in our attempt to get them. No
more -four gong to Asia. Why? Be-
cause of this same Embarrassment. We
must publish our rates and give the
French, English, German and other
interests chance merely to look at
them and get the business.
1.-The forty cent -four rate represent
ed no profits to US. 1t didn't make a
perceptible difference to our treasury,
yet the mills in our territory are ship
ping no more -four to the Orient, be-
cause the government was unreasona-
bly, exacting in its restrictions and
! g. he 20