The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-12-01
GREAT COMBINATION
Proposed TO MERGE ALL WEST.
ERN RAILROADS.
Management Offered to J.. j.
Hill, According to His Own
Testimony, But He Refused.
Wanted to Continue Develop
ing Northwest.

st. Paul, Num-, Nov. 28.-A colos-
sal com bination of all the railroads in
the West, between the Canadian bor-
der and the Mexican line, was the stu.
pendous railway movement indicated
by James J. Hill, and the movement
was checkmated only by the refusal
of one man to enter the combination.
That man was himself Mr.. Hill made
this remarkable disclosure while testi-
fying before the Minnesota railroad
and warehouse mission.
Wrought up to high pitch he as
serted and reiterated the honesty of
his purpose in his great transactions,
especially of the last few years, and
thereby he made another almost equal
" remarkable disclosure.
Stockholders of the Great Northern
railroad have received the equivalent
of 147 per cent in dividends during
the past year. made up of per cent
from operation of the road; 40 per
cent in the form of stock dividend,
and 100 per cent from the ore land
deal, the last being almost free gift
of Mr.. Hill to his stockholders, mas
much as he could have rightfully held
that profit for his personal account.
Says Lands Were His Own
When cross examined by Attorney
General E. T. Young, Mr.. Hill said:
1.-The Great Northern had nothing
to do with the purchase of the ore
lands. 1t was personal deal of my
own. I bought them, and honestly.
And when 1 obtained them, did not
have the right to Civ" '""~' - tha
Great Northern stock olders il I want
ed to? l could have helA 800. a.. 10y.
self, and my action never would have
been Questioned. We have not stolen
our property. We have come by ev.
erything honestly. Our duty to the
public is to give railroad service at
fair cost for the service. We are do.
ing this with rates averaging 20 pei
cent lower than other roads. Is this
abuse of the public?
81 hope some day that we will be
given credit for making our money
out of intelligent management of oul
road, as we have right, and not
through charging excessive rates "
In the intensity of his feeling he
hinted at plan for a com bination OF
all Western railroads, with himself al
its head, which plan had not matured
because of his refusal to take charge.
II could have accepted" he said,
1.-The management of all the railroad
lines in the West between the Cana
dian boundary and Mexico, but I re.
fused, that might continue in charge
of my interests in the Northwest and
the development of this part of the
country"
Mr.. Young then asked as to the rea
son for the Great Northern company
being made up of so many smaller
companies, some of which it leases
others of which it controls by owning
their stock.
"We find it more advantageous, u
said Mr.. Hill, ''to have different cor
porations in different states. States
/ have found, are sometimes very anx
ious to get railroads, and offer induce
ments for them to enter and build
lines, and then, as soon as they do
they do all in their power to tear theu
to pieces. Having different state cor
porations limits to a great degree the
influence of much undesirable action
in its effect on the whole Great North
ern company.