The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-11-29
A SQUARE DEAL FOR jim HILL.


A railroad magnate is frequently
accused of many things OF which he
may not be guilty, and these remarks
by the Yellowstone Journal should
suggest the propriety of giving a
'square deal" in matters about which
the critic may not know all the facts
in the case:
The Livingston Post in a recent
criticism of ''Jim" Hill and his meth.
ode is led to make this remark:
ut appears as it James j. Hill
came into the world with the dollar
hunger born in him and he will 60 out
of the world with that hunger still
nsatisfed. Money and the means OF
getting it appears to be the alpha and
omega of Hills existence. With one
foot in the grave the problem Of
money.getting is the only one that
appears greatly to concern him.
Dividends: the means Of satisfying
physical needs aud ENJOYING physical
luxuries are the cardinal principles of
life with James J. Hill and those like
him. His last thought will be OF money
and his idea of heaven is doubtless a
place that is g%ridironed with rail-
roads, Of which he will be the supreme
dictator. If there is anything in the
theory of the transmigration Of souls,
Hills will undoubtedly inhabit the
corpus Of a hog when it leaves its
present tenement"
This is a pretty scorching bit of
denunciation and will no doubt carry
a conviction of truth to many of its
readers, but it is no more true than
that the public. spirited editor Of the
Post is afraid to say what he thinks
about ''Jim'' Hill. This paper does
not approve Of Mr.. Hills business
methods any more than it does the
Post, but be assured that it is not the
love of money that energies his brain
to the attempt and many times the &C.
cOmplishment Of the most gigantic
and daring adventures ia the big
world Of III No, not money.
To size up Jim" Hill, study the ca.
reer of the great Napoleon and for
acquisition of territory and imperial
power substitute the control of the
tra transportation of a continent and you
have the COT" that "Jim" Hill has
been striving for all his life.
Possibly thirty or thirty-tive years
ago when he was just starting out On
the career that has since become so
world.famous, his ambitions were
limited to the control of the little
jerkwater line that supplied St. Paul
and Minneapolis with cordwood. That
was the "St. Paul and Pacific" q
high sounding title for a road that
was only forty miles long and hope.
lessly in debt, but that was Jim"
Hills beginning. He was on the
cordwood end of it and thereby got
an insight into the aft airs Of the COM
pany that set him to thinking and
planning, and afterwards to acquir.
ing the rights of the Dutch bondhold-
ers, giving him control of the road
and power to put in force his plans Of
extension.
It 10 not intended to 60 owe the
wonderful story OF the legal battle for
this great property; that has been
told often enough, but to say and as
sert that there is not q trace OF money
grabbing blood in "Jim" Hills veins;
that is, grabbing for the sake OF accu.
mulating. All his life he has spent
money like water and on worthy OBJ
jects, but he needs money in his bust
ness and he is after it for that pur.
pose, and his business is not n whit
more creditable than was Napoleon's.
Nothing will be permitted to stand in
the way of achievement with Mr.. Hill,
if he can remove it. Happily he is
not permitted to use Napoleonic meth
DDS, or perhaps If he was the crisis
would be ver sooner.
Accuse him of all the crimes amcna.
bic at the bar of the interstate com.
merce commission and We will not
dissent, but do not charge him with
the crime of mere money-worshipping,
for he is not guilty. The writer knew
him intimately in the ''cord.wood
days." aud has KEEP, tab or him NOR.
or less ever since, and he never care(
any more for u dollar than what /
would bring.
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