Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-12-27
THRU PASSENGER SERVICE
TO HEAD OF LAKES
flight is on For a Thru Train From
Duluth to Southwest.

Duluth to Southwest
One Of the straightest lines Of rail.
way in the United States is that of
the Great Northern from Duluth thru
St. Cloud and Willmar to Yankton. S.
d. Above Sioux Falls it swings east
and has a second terminus at Sioux
City, Iowa.
Duluthians will remember the local
rejoicing when this road was COM
pleted. There was quite a jubilee and
they were told what gerat things it
was to do for the city. 1t has never
done them. 1t has hardly done any
one OF them; certainly not as prOmis-
ed.
Above all there was to be through
passenger service. But not even 4
pretense has been made Of really CIV
ing this. In fact. so far as passenger
service to Duluth is concerned, the
road might as we'll never have been
quilt beyond Sandstone.
We doubt if there is anywhere a
more tlagrant example OF willful dis.
elimination against a city than this
Sioux Falls division in the treatment
OF Duluth. OF course, there are good
reasons given for this-"good" that
is as special pleading.
1t is said to be impossible to ar
range schedule: that there is not the
passenger traffic: that it would upset
the schedule for the entire system,
etc. ad nauseam. OF course. too. the
service could be given if the company
desired to give it. Equally. Of course.
it will not be given until Duluth
shows that it wants it enough to get
it,
= Nor will this ever be shown until
The people as a whole wake up to the
situation. The railroad itself can al
ways put the soft pedal on what it
usually rates the most powerful influ-
ences with railroads.
What the Great Northern entirely
overlooks in its treatment of Duluth
and its entrenchment behind its own
complacency as to the service this line
does not give Duluth is its obligations
as public service corporation. 1t
built this line-as it built all of it's
lines-for freight traffic. This has
been its historic policy and we have
no criticism Of it.
1t is a safe and conservative bust
ness policy. 1t saw the advantage of
tapping the rich country to the south
west and connecting it with this great
port. That was wise. 1t was con-
structive. 1t was good railroading.
But here are two sides to railroad
service, and an obligation beyond
freight traffic. to the communities
that furnish the freight. That other
side is passenger service. All get and
no give has passed out of vogue with
railroads. as with all other public SER
vice agencies.
Duluth is used as freight depot
for this line. and nothing else. Freight
depOts do not make cities. They are
minor factors. This use adds to the
enormous freight business the Great
Northern does in and out of Duluth
the largest of any stations or terminus
on it's system.
But so long as all the passenger
business of the line is diverted away
from Duluth-as it is-Duluth is
merely used. 1t gets just as little as
the company can give. 1t gets MOTH
ing that the use does not compel.
Duluth will never get the real ad-
vantage which belongs to it of right
from this line until it has through and
local passenger service. People do
not buy where they never 60. except
ito limited extent and at added ex-
fpense to the sellers. The railroad
does not make this buying and selling
easy; it makes it as hard as possible.
Neither Duluth nor the people of the
hundreds of miles of territory travers-
ed get more than the minor value Of
this road. To get the full value the
Great Northern must fulfill it's obliga-
tion to give full service to the COM
munities that provide the freights
that make the line profitable, and to
the port terminal tina, it uses as
warehousing and freight distributing
base.-Daily Duluth News Tribune.