The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1906-03-01
In The Sunny South. /

New Orleans, La. Feb. 19, 1906.
To The Pioneer:
AS a pencil shower, | don't
think I would make a success,
but I will do the very best poss-
ible to give general idea of our
trip to New Orleans, and what
ws have seen and learned.
We left Hope on Feb. 3 morn
ing train south, arrived in Fargo
at 10 and made close connections
for ST. Paul. A heavy snow
storm followed us to st. Cloud
and could not see ten. feet from
the track. From St. Cloud
to st. Paul we had a good view
Of the country, which needs no
description to those who live in
the North, as it all looks alike.
We stopped three days in st.
Paul, which gave us a chance to
get rested. Visited the State
Capitol, a description of which is
beyond me, for I know little or
nothing Of architecture, and it's
beauties are here found blended
together in all Of the different
kinds of stone, marble and onyx,
rising in massive pillars, stair
cases, domes and halls of much
beauty, and the effect on one
who sees so little is very pleas
ing. Paintings representing the
early settlements and struggles
of the early settlers, industrial,
mechanical and artistic, and best
of all, the gallery of pine forests.
When you first enter, you see
nothing but a black wall, but as
you look and look you seem to be
standing at the edge of a pine
forest of unlimited depths. All
the rooms are beau tifully painted
and frescoed. The Governors s
room is finished in gold-the
real stuff, furniture Of mahogany
and leather and said to be the
finest in the World. The two
chambers Senate and House
are furnished in mahogany and
are simply immense. The build
ing, when completed, will cost
the state S5,OCO,0OO. and is cheap
at that, even as they say there
has been no graft. The archi-
tect was a resident of st. Paul,
! but his present address is New
York City.
We left st. Paul for Chicago
Feb. 6, at 7::20 P. M. over the
Minneapolis and St. Louis to
Albert Lea, where we connect
with the III. Central r. r. About
$50 it began to get light and |
went forward into the baggage
car, where I was entertained by
the genial baggage master with
a history of the country in gen
eral and the ups and downs OF
the Illinois Central r. r., how 1t
came into existence, etc. | will
give it to you as near as | can
remember: I'VE are now pass
ing through the best section o.
Illinois. That height of land you
see is the highest in the state
Not far from this town we are
passing through, is a monument
erected to the memory Of Abe
Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas
It is the place where they made
one Of their famous debates. By
the way, did you know tha'
StephenaA. Douglas drew tht
charter for the Ill. Central R. r
for the state and he is the maj
who said s'You must pay into th'
state treasury Z per cent OF you:
gross earnings for the land gran
which this charter gives you.
4 and the wise railroad man said
No, we will pay Z per cent. Q
our net earnings but Dougla
said mo, it's more than poss
ible that there will be none Whel
YOU get through with this. 3
today Illinois gets z per cent. 9
the gross earnings Of the lll
Central, just through the stat
Of Illinois, which amount t
something like 100000. yearly
re Nr~s..4l, sno]yoto had a = fny