The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-25

UOOu Will anu uuIldu hIuuueSS Weio
the dominant notes at the Minneapolis
club Saturday night, when local citi-
zens, numbering 100, joined in a testi-
monial dinner to President James j.
Hill Of the Great Northern railway.
The speeches which followed the feast
attempted few flights of oratory. They
were largely sincere tributes to: the
genius and human qualities Of the emf
nent railroad president. ~..f
Each speaker contributed some wise
thoughts suggested by the occasion, and
an interesting feature was the allusion
to Canadian reciprocity by J. G. Eliel
and John Lind, which plainly struck
responsive chord in the assemblage,
including the guest of, the evening
However, no one wandered far from
the central figure of Mr.. Hill, and a
happy elimination of the toasts came
in the brief speech of William G. Ed.
gar, the master Of ceremonies, who paid
tribute to the guest as q friend and
helper Of other men. With this he
presented to Mr.. Hill, on behalf Of the
givers of the feast, massive silver
loving cup. suitably inscribed. .:...
When all, rising, had drunk to Mr.
Hills health, President Cyrus North:
rop, as tOastmaster, called on the rail
way king for the final speech of the
evening. He acknowledged the spirit
of the occasion in the words already
quoted, and then plunged into remii.
niscences of Minneapolis in it's early
days; of its cooperation with him when
he was struggling for success, and then
emphasized the present identity Of in.
terests between the city and the rail
road. Mr.. Hill said in part: =
Memories Of Early Days.
IT remember when there was but
little commerce in the northwest. About
all you shipped from it was logs and
cranberries. :: The largest steamboat
loads coming up the river were, I be.
heve, those Of the lumbermen at the
Falls Of St. Anthony. began at that
time not only to know. but to have a
part in, your commerce. AS long as
live I will remember those old pioneers
those men who could get up at S O CLOCK
in the morning and stand ,waist-deeI
in the river, if necessary, with a hand
spike in their hands to turn the logs
oyer, and who really started the build
ing of your city-not only the building
of your city, but the building of YOU
state.
Later. when the flour interests com
menced in Minneapolis-and it ha.
grown to be the greatest -four center
in the world-I had the, honor to- cut
the, first stencil that marked the first
barrel of flour that was shipped from
Minneapolis, and it was branded, Mus
coma Valley Mills, Troy, Ohio. A youth
full friend Of mine, whose uncle Evet
at Troy, said, Put my name on it.,
and it was shipped. from here as fRount
Hoop Ohio They got the hoops owe
at Chaska. Within. ninety days, Ger
tainly within four. months, there wa
a brand of Round Hoop Ohio in tn
markets that outsold and was highe
and better than the state of Ohio eve
contributed. ..s 49,
The next step was to rectify tn
error that had been made in the frs
instance. So the next flour that wa
shipped was branded 'Nicollet Mills
Minneapolis, MIMI I cut the stencil
to brand that flour. .: $751;. -:s's....s = "
$50 I commenced with your indus
tries a long time ago, and from thos
early days to the present there has no
been a day or a week or a month tina
! ly allied to the interests that I repre-
sented. When [ took charge Of the oil,
st. Paul & Pacific, as it was 1eorganize,
into the Manitoba railway, twenty 81:
years ago, we carried 100000 bushel
Of wheat. This year we carry 100000
or possibly 90,0O0,0O0 bushels. Their
has not been year for the past fiftee1
years when we have not carried RICH
into your city about 40 per cent thin]
fully that-of all the wheat you grin
into flour. Any interest that represent
so large a portion Of our business mus
be close to US, must be important to us
and while it is important to us it is i'm