The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-11-11
GOVERNMENT FORCES ALL SALOONS To CLOSE

Brooks glowing tribute for his
work in getting the new road and
then after having said he under
stood Mr.. Brooks had prepared
fancy speech for tonight" called
upon that gentleman.
Mr.. Brooks said:
l think our worthy POSTMASTER
has put it on pretty thick and that
I do not deserve the praise he gives
me. By the way, he's a liar when
he says have a speech prer ared." "
Mr.. Brooks traced the trials in
cident to securing the 500 right Of
way through BemidJ; paid a high
compliment to that road and said
that Bemidji failed to keep her
promise and that the, 500 line cut
the original bonus Of $4,000 to
$15,000. He continued:
The business men of the Twin
Cities tell me that the 500 officials
are the most capable. the best and
the most courteous officials Of any
road to do business with. I think
Bemidji il fortunate in having the
chance to do business with them.
There is one regret in the compile
ton of the 500 road, for it means
that we are to lose Mr.. Huss."
Mr.. Brooks said that Bemidji
was twenty-fifth in freight receipts
of all cities on the entire Great
Northern system. He then made
the announcement that James ].
Hill had told him that the Great
Northern was to build a new depot
in Bemidji.
George M. Huss, was the next
speaker and he said that the lncep-
ton of the Cass Lake-Bemidji line
took place in February of last year
when he received instructions to
survey the shortest, lowest grade
and best line between Moose Lake
and Plummer. On July IL, 1909,
the first sod of the new road was
turned and on August IL, 1910, the
the line had practically been COM
pleted, 100000 yards of material
having been excavated. He paid a
glowing tribute to the men who
with COMPASS and chain waded the
swamps and braved the wilderness
to make possible the new line.
Thomas ]. Burke, when he got up
to speak, was live wire from soup
to finger bowls. He began by say.
ing that Bemidji spends $1,OOO,OOO
annually for freight and passenger
service. He remarked, incidentally,
that the packing companies did
100000 worth of business here in a
year and paid the enormous sum OF
$16.75 in taxes. He then jumped
into the depot proposition and said
Bemidji was entitled to good freight
and passenger depots, the best in
fact, west of the city of Duluth"
A. H. Bright, the next speaker, ex,
pressed surprise and pleasure upon
this, his first visit, to Bemidji. He
referred to the city as being in the
Indian territory" but said the menu
wouldn't indicate that it was.
One of the most interesting talks
of the evening was made by w. H.
Gemmell, general manager of the
Minnesota & International, who had
been invited to the banquet as spe.
cial guest and as the only railroad
man not connected with the 500 line.
Il rise to express my appreciation
of the privilege so courteously &C.
corded me by the Bemidji Com.
mercial Club of being present on
this very pleasant OCCASION" said
Mr.. Gemmell.
Il must confess that at first I had
some misgivings as the propriety of
breaking in on a strictly 500 Line
love feast. -.
II fancy a very diligent search of
his records on the part of MI. Pen.
nington would fail to disclose any
invitation from US to build into this
territory. but when we found out
that he thought We had a good thing