The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-01-16
High Line Controversy
Gets Thorough Airing
LARGE AUDIENCE HEARS ARGU.
MENTS MADE BEFORE BOARD
"a OF RAILROAD coMMls.
SloNERs.

in the courts for more than three
years was given thorough airing yes
terday afternoon at the city hall.
That the keen interest of the city in
the railroad case has not abated one
whit was evidenced by the turnout
which faced the board of railroad
commissioners when they opened
their session with w. H. Stutsman
presiding. For more than four hours
they listened to the arguments of the
attorneys, and the evidence of local
residents as to their experience with
the road, and their ideas of the relief
needed for the city. '&
One surprising fact about the meet
ing was that nearly every prominent
business man in the city had some
thing to say on the subject, and the
second that with but one exception
they were in favor of no surrender
and no compromise but complete sat
isfaction to the city in the way Of ade-
quate train service and depot facili-
ties. Men who rarely speak on any
occasion in public waxed eloquent in
detailing the petty annoyances prac.
ticed by the railroad, and incident to
the change made from down town to
the High Line service. The fact was
brought out that Valley City has been
consistently ignored to large extent
by the railroad, in it's folders, on its
trains, and in every other way posi-
BILE.
Among others, John Tracy of the
First National bank declared that to
his positive knowledge, the railroad
had mapped out a plan which would
have resulted in pulling all of it's
trains out of the city and leaving the
tracks to be used for jerk line SER
vice between Alta and Berea. He
stated that the only thing which pre-
vented this move was the determined
fight made by the local business men.
Herman Winterer, who with Lee
Combs represented the plaintiffs, were
rigidly impartial in calling for an ex-
preston of sentiment regarding the
needs of the town. Many were called
upon who had previously made little
or no expression of their opinion, and
OF them all Mayor L. S. 'Platou was
the only speaker who defended the po-
sition of the road in any way.
The mayor made brief but earnest
address, stating his position very
clearly and forcibly, and urging the
desirability of having all of the trains
taken out of town to the High Line.
He believed that by the time this had
been done for a few weeks the travel
ing public would be more than salts
ed with the change, and that the town
would really benefit rather than be
injured from the new service.
Owing to the short notice upon
which the meeting had been called,
there were very few travelling men
called, but those who were there were
emphatic in their statements that the
city had been seriously injured by the
present condition of the railroad SER
vice. They said that at least twenty
five travelling men had been deferred
from coming here on that account,
and almost as many more had left the
city for the same reason.
The inconvenience of the service
was as much a factor in bringing this
about as the additional expense of be-
ing carried to the High Line.
For the Northern Pacific, Judge N.
C. Young of Fargo declared that any
settlement through the roads provid-
ing transportation to the High Line
was out of the question, as was a
settlement based on an agreement re-
garding the Cooperstown trains. He
said that so far as he was concern
ed, he, was as much in the air" as
when the case first came up three
years ago.
Lee Combs and Herman Winterer
for the plaintiffs went thoroughly into
the question of what was needed to
give the city adequate service, and
the vested rights of the property own
ers of the city which put them in po-
sition to demand this service.
For the railroad Geo. T. Slade ex-
pressed a desire to see the contro.
versy settled, but failed to offer any
solution SO far as the company was
concerned.
The men who have backed the fight
against the railroad express them
selves as very hopeful of the outlook
for a favorable decision from the rail
road commissioners. The testimony
given vestordav was 80 StrOng1v in