The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-08-04
When the Merritts decided to

OF $25O,OOO it Duluth were made
the terminus and the docks were
located on the Minnesota side of
the Bay.
AS a bonus for the county
bonds, the Duluth, Missabe &
Northern Railway Company
agreed to give St. Louis county
stock in the sum of $250,O00.
The bond election was held May
26, 1893, and the vote was in
favor of the issue.
At that time, Charles G.. Miller,
Camille Poirier, w. w. Butchart,
Albert Swenson and w. G.. Bon
ham were county commissioners.
A meeting called by commission
ers Miller, Poirier and Butchart
was held October q, 1898, with
commissioners Poirier, Butchart
and Swenson present.
Joseph B. Cotton, as attorney,
presented an affidavit, signed by
Alfred Merritt, D. M. Philbin and
G. H. Martz, to effect that the
Duluth, Missabe & Northern
Railway had been duly and fully
completed to Duluth. A long and
formal certificate to similar ef-
feet, signed by w. M. Liggett,
George L. Becker and I. M. B.
Mills, state railway commission
ers, also was filed with the
board.
Alfred Merritt offered to ex-
change stock in the sum of $780,
600 for bonds in the same sum.
County attorney G. G. Teare and
assistant county attorney John E.
Davies delivered a written opinion
that liability would attach to the
county if the D. M. & N. Ry. stock
were accepted.
An opinion to the same effect
was offered by John G. Williams
with the additional opinion that
the board Of county commission
ers could waive issue and accept
ance of the railway stock if, in
their judgment, it was to the in
crest of the county not to have
the stock issued.
On motion of commissioner
Swenson, a resolution was passed,
waving the issue and acceptance
of the stock. Then, by proper
procedure, execution and delivery
of the bonds was passed upon.
They were placed in escrow with
the American Loan & Trust Com
pany until sufficient proof Of
compliance with conditions by the
railway company was furnished.
These bonds, by the way, were
retired last year by St. Louis
county. The right originally was
reserved to retire them at any
time after 1913.
These bonds were issued by st.
Louis county in appreciation OF
what pioneers had done and could
do for the county. Soon after
the bonds were delivered he
Merritt interests passed into the
control Of the John D. Rookie
Teller interests. There always was
soreness in St. Louis county
over having the big benefit from
those bonds 60 to those interests.
Later, Capt. Alexander Nc
Dougall wrote John D. Rookie
Teller, soliciting him to spend
$25O,0O0, the face value Of the
bonds, on Duluth's boulevard
system.
Through Frederick T. Gates,
his almoner, Mr.. Rockefeller re-
piled that the Merritts, not he,
got the bonds, therefore he was
not agreeable to the donation
asked. ~ ..:
The insulting inference was
that the Merritts got personal
benefit from the bonds. Mr..
Alfred Merritt, who received the
bonds as president Of the Com
pany, declares that every dollar
went for the benefit of the Du-
luth, Missabe & Northern Rail-
way Company.
Speaking of the waving Of the
issue of the stock in the sum of
$25O,OOO, Capt. G. c. Teare, then
county attorney, recently said:
cit was a mistake, but we did
not think so then. No liability
ever would have fallen on st.
Louis county. That stock would
have returned many fold Of its
face value to St. Louis county so
long as the D. NJ. & N. Ry. ex-
lists" "
Mr.. Merritt's personal story
ends in this issue Of the Rip-saw.
mrIr nnInND