The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-12-21
]. ]. HILL HONORED.
Leading Citizens of st. Paul Banquet
Him at the Hotel Ryan on
December Fourteenth.
A Synopsis, of r1r. Hills Reply to
the Nice Things Said of Him
by His Friends.

Udy ulSuu VI 1doU W0eh ny GuIce Hull
dred representative citizens in honor
of Jas. J. Hill, the great railroad
builder of the northwest. Every word
spoken was eloquent of regard for Mr..
Hill and love of him as a citizen. c..
W. Ames was the POSTMASTER and the
principal speakers of the evening were
John G. Pyle, Joseph McKibbin and
Pierce Butler.
In his address Mr.. Hill eulogized
the citizens of St. Paul and dwelt
largely upon the progress of the
northwest, it's railroads and general
conditions, covering in SO doing a
period of some fifty years. Mr.. Hill's
speech is too voluminous for repro
duction, but few extracts therefrom
cannot fail to prove of interest. We
quote as follows from his address:
"It is nearly fifty years since I
came herewith be on the 21st of next
July [ have seen St. Paul grow.
have seen the northwest grow. And
whatever part I have had in it,
whether it was wise or unwise, whether
it was for good or for evil, the past is
gone and cannot be recalled. If
have been able to do anything for the
country, for the city, am glad. My
work has not been entirely a charit-
able one. At the same time, if any
business enterprise is honestly con-
ceived and honestly carried into ex-
ecution the business reward will fol-
low it. If to make money was the OBJ
ject of my life I could have been sat-
isfed long ago, because I hope I have
learned that for myself and those who
come after me it is not the most fortu-
nate or best thing that they should
have more money than their share.
There is one thing that young men feel
is a burden and a hardship, and I
want to tell them tonight that the spur
of necessity Of which many complain
is a rich heritage, and one that most
young men who miss fail in the race.
1.-THE spur of necessity of doing
what you have to do and doing it we'll,
because you feel you must do it we'll
or fail and be written down as a fail
ure, that really is of more value to
man who has to meet the conditions
that present themselves to all the
varied business affairs that are of
more value to him than anything that
I know of. A man must make up his
mind, If he is going to succeed, that
he must, as some one said; if he takes
the other man IS dollar he must give it
back to him with a fair and honest
return.
land why should blight extend
over this land? But it does, and it is
because the people of the state don't
know enough to stand up and help
themselves. That is the reason. II
know when we sold our land grant in
the Red river valley it was sold at
So or Sc or 81 an acre, and 40 per cent
of the price was rebated to every man
buying land so that it could not pass
into the hands of spectators. If he
plowed it and put it under cultivation
or drained it, he got 40 per cent re-
dnctiOn from the price. Because we
were not land company; we wanted
settlers, and we wanted them to be
prosperous. And it makes me sad-I|
pass through portions of it at night
rather than travel in the day time-to
see that as fair land as that should
fall behind what it was fifteen or
eighteen years ago through the want
OF intelligent cultivation. Maybe the
good gentlemen who occupy the land
in the course of time will die If so,
let us hope that some one else will
take their place.
"What makes it possible to reduce
rates? Rates with US, when we took
the road, were nearly three cents
ton a mile higher than they are today.
At this time our rates are about 80 per
cent of what they were twenty-six
years ago. The reduction, on the
business ending the Both of June last,
as compared with the rate of twenty
five years ago, was eighty-seven mil
lion dollars. Last years freight
would have paid us eighty seven mil
lion dollars more than we received if
we had received the rate of twenty-five
years ago.
"What made it possible? The bust
ness growth in Minnesota? Not by
any means. The volume of business
created between the twin cites and
the head of Lake Superior, and the
waters of the Pacific.
"Somebody has said, Keep your
eye on Pasco.' I want you to keep
your eye on the country west of the
Rocky mountains. It will not be long
until that is the big end of these trans
continental roads. You ought to be
the big end-the opportunity is here.