Year: 1873




From the Philadelphia Press of De-
cember 10th we copy the following:


In recently accepting the Presidency
of the Northern Pacific Railway Com
pany, Gen. Geo. w. Cass, well known
to our citizens as one of the ablest rail-
road managers in the country, made the
following remarks to the Board OF Dl-
rectors. They constitute remarkably
explicit and influential endorsement OF
the great enterprise to which they refer:


1t is now about three months since
you expressed your confidence IN my
devotion to the best interest of this
corporation, and of my ability to serve
it, by electing me to the most RESPONSE
BILE position within your gift that OF
the Presidency, which will soon become
vacant. Fer this evidence of your appre-
citation feel most grateful; but the po-
si.ion cannot accept with an unmlxed
feeling of gratitude. l accept 1t with
doab. and hesitation, in view OF It's
great responsibilities.


When the Board made its selection OF
a successor to the gentleman who Great
ed this great enterprise as it stands be-
fore the public to- day, was by your
appointment on committee to go to
the Pacific Coast, and afterwards 10
Minnesota and Dakota, to make per-
sonal examination of the road, Its route
and its land grant, and to look INTO eve
rvthino which concerned the Company S
nresent and future. Before accepting
or declining the trust you offered to me,
1 thought it to be fit--to be due to my
self. to YOU, and to that small portion OF
the public that might place confidence
in the enterprise by reason OF my pre-
siding over it-that 1 should first make
this personal examination, and thereon
found MY judgment of the ultimate val
ne of the Northern Pacific Railroad and
of its land grant.


That examination has been made, and
my opinion of the property has oeen
formed ON the examination, and come
to-day to announce to you my accept
ance of the honor and the office you
have rendered to me. and to promise to
devote to this enterprise all OF my time
and whatever OF experience and Juds-
ment 1 have acquired in forty years OF
active business life, most of 1t spent IN
works of character similar to the con-
struction of the Northern Pacific Rail
road.


In making a personal examination OF
the road, the route and the land grant
to which have referred, was one OF a
committee of majority Of your Board,
and thus had the full advantage OF OBJ
seryation from the various standpoints
at which different minds and tempera-
ments would naturally view SO great
project, all aiding me- to reach more
sounder judgment.


In the journey We examined about
900 miles of the route Of your road and
of the lands contiguous. Of the line
and the lauds more than one-half was on
the Pacific coast. OF the constructed
portion of the road we first passed over
400 miles, examining the whole of the
property and the whole of the thousands
of miles of route by daylight, proposing
to rely on what we saw, and not on
what we heard, as to the route, the
land, and the property and the probable
future development of the enterprise.


Ii is not my purpose to so into an
elaborate recital OF all the facts and the
theories on which l base my opinion
that the Northern Pacific Railroad can
be constructed at reasonable cost-that
it can be operated and maintained at a
less cost than any other railroad across
the continent north of the parallel SO, for
very obvious reasons, and that it will
have when constructed, and at once, a
larger traffic than any other road can
have west of the one hundredth meridi-
an of longitude; but I will say to you
that such is my well-considered judg-
ment.


will also say that that the vast country
within the limits of your land is not
equalled by any similar extent OF country
west of the Mississippi r1ver in all the
elements necessary to support an in
telligent. enterprising population in the
comforts and luxuries of life.


There is no problem to solve as to the
success of the Northern Pacific Railroad
after it shall have been constructed.
The only question after that event will
be how intelligent men OF this age
should ever have had doubt about its
success.


With these views, gentlemen, I enter
upon the duties of the trust you have
committed to me.