The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-04-10

The orortety Of u pusf settler. because be has I'M
knowingly made tsis home upon laiiis setf part
far III. use of schools The Sections reserved FOR
thai purpose should, after hasing been ASCERTAIN
| ed III survey, be guarded Us sacred and hvalu-
abs trust, 10 beshpphedto nosolher than Pnrpases
of education, but whether they are the particular
tracts designated by The organic law or others q
I equal value Is comparatively nlinipmtant he
land laws in operation in Oregon, place all settlers
upon an equal footing, as they should be. whether
they are found after survey upon the 10th or other
sections.
I lie munifcent donation ct two townships OF
LAID for the supper, 81 University, we hpd but
I little right 10 e. pect, inasmuch as there had al
tready been reserved the organic art, twice the
quantity of land heretofore allowed The Terrific
ries for The use Of schools. Let us hope that they
vii! be SO disposed Of most certainly and eliec-
tually to sub,ere the sublime object for which
| they were bestowed.
! Ii gives me pleasure 10 be able to say that the
bill granting ten millions OF acres Of tie public
lands to the States, for the support Of the INDECENT
insane, which passed the Senate, has failed IN the
House We all have as much sympathy for the
wfeteileI beings for whose beuetit the grant was
intended, as can be fell BY my community, bat 1t
was too much to expect OF us, That we should be
] willing to fix such curse Minnesota as this
I bill would have been if successful, because the
proceeds Of the donation were to be applied TO al
ieviatc the dis,resses CT an afflicted class. The
| III provided that the lands should be apportoned
among the States in the compound ratio of their
area ard Representation; that such had sua-
| BILE public lands within their cwn limits, should
receive their allotted portion therefroni td no
State should be oN6ued 10 select land withia
another STATE, tut must go to the Territories for
! that purpose; that such lands should be sold un-
der The nlanp CEMENT and direction OF the State
owning it, but rot Cor a less sum than The mini
mum price of the public lands, and as much more
as the State could secure. ] here was provision
to be sure, that the right of prescription should
euureto the settlers thereon, but this so tram
melted by other stpulalions Of the bill as TO rem
! der it OF little real value. The whole scheme
was 50 Objectionable, that determined, in con-
necion with re Oregon delegate, TO adept every
! proper means 10 defeat it in The House We Ia
bored without ceasns 10 bring about this result,
| and we owe it TO the nnyie!ding support Of gall
! liant MINORITY who refused their assent to such
pian cf spoI;ation that the measure was delayed
III critical period near the close Of the session,
when TO defer action upon II was equivalent to ITS
defeat: and in this manner were the eforis Of a
decided majority thwarted and rendered nugatcry.
If the bill had passed, some five or six of TIE
States only, would have been content TO take
lands Of suifabie quality within their own boun-
udFleS, ana WntIc WOujU tiIc ViUSis HdNS UAeu
upon 10 locate The Tracts allo;ted TO then? Ger
,ainly not in New MeAi.o, nor in Utah, nor hard
| ly in Oregon, bnt the fertile plains of our own
Minnesota, would have been absorbed Ey this
abominabie system Of land distributions and we
should have been subjected TO the caprice and con-
hictirg legislation Of more than twenty owners Of
| oGr soil not only but 10 all the evils which would
inevitably have been eniaiied upon us, in the
shape Of li,iga,ed land iliies, inseparable from
such an nBotua ous state of lhings. I hat you may
satisfy yourselves that these fears not ground
less, appeal the three first sections of The bill TO
this address for your perusa .l .H
/ Fellow citizens /! / haze dweh upon this subject
at length, because regard ii to b, Of the almost
importance TO Ctr Territory, and 10 those who are
seeking home in mist. And as il cannot
be said Of this bill, that she that dies this ear l.
quit for the next,'' | warn you that there is dan
ger which mus, be met and overcome. It's warn,
advocates have hoasted, that the next session ol
Congress will witness The enactment Of this sd me
measure into law OF the land; and as ppon a
call for d suspension Of the rules requiring two
third vote in the House, there appeared one hun
dred ard Twelve for, and only s,xiy-eight asains,
it, you will learn the strength Of the majority in
lis favor, and how narrow MAS the escape we have
had from Ibis outrageous scheme. The Leg sla-
tive Assembly should demonstrate, and the people
also. against a renewal OF The attempt to victim
ize Minnesota IN this cruel manner. They hive
a rgh, to do so, for when Congress organized our
Territorial government, and invited Immigration
thiiher bound itself !aciy. but strongly, TO
cure 10 the people, all and singular, tbs benefits
and privileges bestowed upon Other Territories
heretofore existing That obligation viii be set al
nanght, if We are 10 be subjected 10 The operation
Of measure, which VIII carry i'll It's train, ruin
TO our present bright prospects.
Minnesota already labors under Disadvantages,
3 from which Oregon, Utah and NV MeAico
free. While IN those Territories, settlements aie
allowed TO be made at any md every point, with
out regard to- the Possessory rights Of the ndiun
tribes, our people are prohibited from taking pos
session Of lands 10 which The Indian lille renal
lunexinguisheG, and u,ey thus confined 10 an
area utterly insufficient ia extent 10 meet their
wishes and their wants. 1t is fact HAT TO this
day, there is not a single acre of ceaeJ land IN
81 her Of the two first mentioned Territories.
" bile is alike creditabe 10 the goy ernrnent aud
to the reoplc Of Minnesota, that tle inai tribes
therein have been left in the undi,uted enjoy
mcnt Of their usafruct rights, we may reasonably
hope that the day ls.near at hand when the pur-
chase of those rights by the Government viii take
place, ana the Interests Of the aboriginal posses
sors at the same time amply secured The delay
inrfFecling these negoiatons has greatly retarded
The prosperity cf the Territory. Thousands of
people III all paris Oh tiS country are awaiting me
contamination Of treaty with much anxiety, in
order to become citizens of Minnesota. SCI
The result Of The late census has had an unla-
vorabc effect in Congress. | have never conced-
ed the correctness of that enumeration, for DO
not believe that the Territory contained bnt
population little exceeding SIX thousand souls,
in the month Of June last. However tha, may
be, the official returns show but that number,
and macy members Of Congress have expressed
to NE their surprise, that after having received
appropriations at the previous session, equal in
the aggregate 10 nearly twenty dollars for each
man, wuman, and child Of our population, I should
lie found soon thereafter i;nportuniag that tod,
for much more. uHiaatfs - ~ d..
b, will state for the information Of those among
you, who are applicants for the benefits of The
boqnty land law Of the 2Sth Septen,ber last, that
some weeks or months viii necessarily eapse
before The warrants all be prepared and is
sued The act making these warrants assignabe,
having been passed by the House, was sent 10
the Senate and passed by that body also, hut
with some slight amendment, Which was fatal to
I the bill, for il was not reached by the House in
the regular order Of business, the Senate having
retained il until the lust day Of the session.