The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-09
II Railroads
HILL AWAKE FOR
BIG RAILROAD WAR
READY TO FIGHT INVASION OF
HIS TERRITORY.
Great Northern S President, Thru His
sleuths, FIas Kept Tab on Enemies
and Courts Battle on Coast Will
spend Great Sums in West Cana
II dian Pacific only Line He Fears.
6na;nl tn The journal.

Special to The Journal.
New York, Feb AT this time,
when the whole northwest is full OF ru-
mers and of positive statements with
regard to the invasion of so-called Hill
territory by rival lines, and when the
promoters of these roads are telling
b what they intend to do to Mr.. Hill, the
following statement from one OF Mr..
Hills closest friends will be Of inter
est:
&..'Mr. -Hill,' he says, "views these
developments without the slightest fear.
fOf course, he watches them very close
ly. There has never been time when
he had so many agents in the field to
3 Keep tab on rivals, or on roads that
may be rivals. The intelligence sys-
TEN of the Great Northern is second to
only one system on the continent. What
T. J. Hill does not know about the other
roads is known only to the most select
councils of the roads themselves. FL
ttThe Milwaukee extension worried
Mr.. Hill for a while. He knew of it
two years before it was announced, and
was ready for it. He did not believe
and does not now believe that the Mil
waukee, with it's capital stock and
bonds can compare with the Great
Northern as carrier Of thru freight
with proft-and thru freight is the
basis of all the transcontinental rail
road business.
Weapon in Short Hauls.
F ellis statement that he viii welcome
other lines into Seattle and Tacoma is
bona fide. He thinks that for one ton
of thru freight he may lose he will gain
five tons of short-haul traffic thru the
development Of business in local cen
tiers. The short-haul traffic, while in
bulk secondary consideration on the
long lines, is a heavy producer of
/, revenue, because it pays better rates
per mile.
ttEHe does not believe that the North
ECoast railroad is a. new independent
railway. He regards it as a link in a
bigger system, and thinks it is aimed at
the Great Northern and Northern Pa
eific He does not like the invasion of
Spokane by the Canadian Pacific, and it
may be stated that the Canadian Pacific
is not included in his invitation to come
unto Seattle. He does not like the Ca
madam Pacific, principally because it is
ted up with Tom Lowry in the 500 Line
he has found an unpleasant neighbor.
"He expects Hartman in Seattle.
That is the reason, or one Of the reasons,
for the Columbia River line being built
by the Hill roads. He expects that
this link in a new transcontinental
route from the east to Portland will do
things to the Hartman traffic that he
would not, like to nave done to his
Great Northern 49, g .s..<fxx r;7.er
Will Spend Money. : =:
Ii The Hill roads are going to spend a
Dot Of money west Of the Rocky Noun
tfsins. They, will spend within the next
-four Yeas more. money than all the So
rallied new lines in Washington put to-
.gether. "a ~ ,s.r. ,z.58
Hill recognizes that the milwaukee
and any other big road that comes to
Washington will be met with open arms.
He does not resent this enthusiasm in
the least. He thinks it natural; but he
knows thta down under it all The peo-
pie who welcome the new line do not
throw aside their allegiance to the old.
You can sayEfor both the people Of
the far west and for the people Of the
northwestern states, nearer home, that
the era Of Hill growth and power is not
yet over. J. J. Hill has not retired,
nor is he going to retire at time when
he would seem to retire under fire. 90.