The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-03-20

Debate on the Subject Of School Land.
in Minnesota.
We are compelled for want Of room, to
omit much Of this interesting debate. We
quote the following:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
THURSDAY, Feb. 6, 1851.
CLOSE OF DEBArE.--Mr. Fitch offered
the usual resolution to close the debate in
the Committee of the whole OH the state OF
the Union, in one half hour after the House
shall have again resolved itself into commit
tee on the bill TO authorize the Legislative
Assemblies of Oregon and Minnesota to
take charge of The school lands in said Ter
ritories, and for other purposes.
MIR. Sbley hoped that the bill would re-
ceive the full and careful attention of the
committee, for he was anxious that it should
be as nearly as possible perfected prior to
its passage, as it was bill of great iDpor-
tance to the frontier. He MIR. s. had un-
derstood the gentleman from Missouri, the
chairman of the committee on public Lands,
To say that the provisions of the bill under
consideration were not sanctioned by any
existing pre-emption laws. IL so happened
that the first and third sections of the pro-
posed bill were almost exact transcripts of
acts that had been already passen in rela-
ton to the Territories of Michigan aud
Wisconsin, and the second section was also
nearly an exact copy of n law passed au-
thorZing the settlement Of certain school
lands in Florida Iowa and Wisconsin. He
would send the law TO the Clerks desk that
il might he read.
The Clerk then read, as follows:
AN ACT to authorize tbe selection of GER
tain school lands in the Territories ot
Florida. Iowa and Wisconsin.
Be 1t enacted, &C., That wherever the
sixteenth sections in said Territories, either
in whole or in part, are now or may here
after be included in private claims held by
titles confirmed or legally decided to be val
id and sufficient, other lands equivalent
thereto, within any iand district in said Ter
ritOries most adjacent TO said lands so taken
up by private elailns, (which have been Of
fered at public sale, and remain unsoIi, -
may be srlec,ed in lieu thereof, under the
direction of the Secretary Of the Treasury;
and the lands SO selected shall he entered IN
the Office Of the register of the land districts
in which they may lie, and be l'y such reg1
ister reported 10 The Commissioned of thd
General Land Office as school lands select
ed under this act Provided, That before
making any entry of snch other lands, the
case shall Ire made out 10 the satisfaction of
the register aud receiver Of said dsirct,
agreeably tO the rules to be prescribed by
the Commissioner of the General Land Of
fee, for the purpose of showing that the
sixteenth section, or part thereof, has been
included in the manner above mentioned
June Is, 1S4i.
Mr.. Vinton (interposing, and Mr.. Sbley
yielding the flocr) asked if there were any
Spanish or French grants in Minnesota
for it was with reference to such thar the
act referred to was passed.
Mr.. Sibley in comtinuation) said that he
had anticipated that some such objection
would be urged. He would say to the gen.
tleinan from Ohio, in answer TO his 9ues-
ton, that although there were 10 such
grants as he spoke of in Minnesota, yet
there were claims quite as wei! founded as
these, and which were entitled to equal pro-
lection. He referred to those settlers who,
having made Improvements on the unsur-
vcycd public domain, had a right to expect
that Congress would respect their claims,
as had always previously heen done. The
principle involved in the second Sc :tion of
the bill was exactly that imbOdied in the
provisions Of tha, which bad been read by
the Clerk, and which law was passed in
1914. He could not see why persons living
on other sections of land should he entitled
to protection, any more than The man who
had settled upon aud improved land thai
happened TO he situated in The sixteenth and
thlriy-sixth sections that are set apar, for
school purposes. 1t appeared 10 him thai
the cases were exactly analogous, SO far as
any fear of injury to the interests Of the set.
tier and the Territory was concerned; and
if the second section were passed, he did
not see that il would be at all ini,nical &c
the interests of either party.
When the gentleman from Missouri Mr.
BowIin] bad yesterday addressed The com
mittee, ne had understood him to say that
the passage of the bill with the provisions
of the first section, would tend to decrease
the value OF the public lands. That if the
proposition to lease certain lands for linn
tied term were 10 prevail, the timber wonlt
| be cut from off il, AM, that it would he q
no further value whatever. He T Mr.. S.
thought that the gentleman from Missouri
could have but little confidence in the Leg
isIatiye Assembly of Minnesota, to suppose
that the public shoOl lands in that Terriro
nv were not as safe under the care Of thu
Territorial authorities, as in the keeping o
the gentleman himself, or Of the Genera
Government. He Mr.. 81 could tell th'
gentleman from Missouri, that there wa
not man in the Territory Of Mnnesot;
who was no; most anxious, and who woul,
not strain every nerve to preserve the pub
lie lands set apart for school purposes from
deterioration; and the people, he believed
were perfectly willing TO confide this trus
to the Territorial Legislature.
He need not say anything further in rela
ton to that point; but as respected the frs
section of the bill, he would read an extrac
from an act in relation to the Territory @
Michigan, as follows:
AN ACT authorizing the Legislative Coun
Gil of the Territory Of Michigan, to taxi
charge Of school lands in said Territory
BE 1T enacted, &C., That the Governo
and Legislative Council of the Territory O
Michigan he, and they are hereby, author
led to make such laws and needful regula
tions as they shall deem most expedent
protect from injury and W as,e, section mum
bered sixteen, in said Territory, reserved j
each township for the support Of school