Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1851-01-16


the Treasurer. Attorney General and Secreta-
~ If Sta 2. who are authorised TO sell them,
and loan the money to the people OF the coun-
ties in which the School Lands are sold, at
/ the very moderate interest Of seven per cent.
i here is no view which can be taken of
hat act hut il must appear dangerous and i'm
polite. The Legislature have created tri-
uinviate, and placed under their control what
viii in time amount TO a vast sum of money,
and as money Is power. they have laid the
foundation, on which will be built up polit-
/ ical oligarchy to control The State. This seems
TO have been the design, why should those
men be authorized TO loan the school fund, at
the moderate interest of seven per cent. if it
was not to buy political partizans If some
political sche ners did not concoct that law to
subserve some such end, why was not the
/ best interes of the education fund consulted
and the money loaned to those who would pay
the highest interest for it Even this would
have been bad policy; for in that case, none
would be benefited by lis disbursement but
the borrower. On the other hand, if loaned
to incorporate companies undoubted secur-
/ ity, and at a fair interest, 10 be applied by
them to works of internal improvement, the
J whole people Of the State would be benefited
thereby: Therefore, sound Legislation would
! point out such a disposition of the school
Z fund, and the repeal of the present law.
( 1t may be that there are some members of
the Legislature who consider interpretations
/ as soulless and Intangible bodies, aud for that
4 reason would be opposed to loaning the school
fund to the railroad company Should there
1 be such, their seruples might be got over by
/ the passage of a law loanng to the several
! counties through which the road would pass
the money for which the school lands in those
counties were sold, to be invested by them as
stock in the railroad. This would not only be
a safe way to invest the money, but 1t would
be good policy; for it must be apparent, that
IN the western counties, where the school
+ lands have not yet been sold, their value would
be enhanced when it is known that their pro-
ceeds are TO be invested in a railroad that
may in some instances run directly through
or near the land. If 1t was the intention of
he Legislature In the first instance to benefit
the people by requiring the commissioners to
loan the money received for the school lands
TO the people of the counties in which it was
received how could that object be effected
more benefcialy for the whole people Of the
county than by lending it to them to be in
vested in the completion of public work
which their necessities and the spirit of the
age requires
/ l have here pointed out resource within
ourselves which may be made available to
assist in the completion of the road through
our State TO the Mississippi; at the same time
it will be the means of crushing an olegarchy
that must in time become dangerous enable
US 10 ship our produce from our own ports,
and 10 throw off that vassalage we have so
long been under to Galena.
To do this, however, we must put our
shoulders to the WI eeI-be up and doing for
I ourselves-and at once take measures to in
struct our Senator and Representatives. IN the
Stale Legislature to introduce and support a
bill repeating so much of the law as author
ICES the commissioners Of the school lands TO
loan the school fund to individuals, and that
the same be loaned, on proper guarantees and
fair interest, TO companies incorporated to
construct works of internal Improvement
within the State; or. to the board Of super
visors of the several counties of the State
through which such works of internal i'm
provement may run, to be vested by them as
stock in said works. Should, however, our
Representatives fail in procuring the passage
OF such law, would then suggest that they
procure the passage of an act authorizing the
board of supervisors of the respective coun-
ties through which the Milwaukee and Mis-
sissippi Railroad would run to submit to
vote Of the people the propriety Of levying
tax in those counties to assist in the compile
ton Of the road.
There IS still another resource from which
we may obtain assistance to complete the road.
During the last session Of Congress, Gov.
Dodge had bill passed through the Senate
granting a large quantity OF the public land
for the construction Of the railroad This
Bill might have been passed in the House Of
Representatives and become a law, if our
Representatives, Messrs. Doty, Durkee, and
Cole, had insisted on it. Doty, however, was
hostile TO it, because il was Dodge measure,
and because it initiated against the interest of
his section of the State Residing in the
north part of State, his interest is identified
with the Improvement now being made on the
Fox and Wisconsin rivers He knows shat
the construction of a railroad from Milwaukee
to any point on the Mississippi within our
State would dive much Of the trade and
travelling which would otherwise take the Fox
river route from the Lakes 10 the Mississippi,
and all Interested in the Fox river improve
ment make strong calculations on turning the
lead trade to that route. In no public capaci-
~ that Governor Doty has been placed has he
failed TO render the public interest subservient
To his own. On this point he Is subject to no
change, although subject to sudden and start
ling changes as politician: " caring orig
inally political coat Of true blue Wing, he
has patched it with cloth of both Democratic
Free Soil and Abolition colors, and is now the
pie-bald candidate for the United States
Senate. At the ensuing session of the Leg
islature he expects to be suppo ted by the pie
bald politicians in that BODY, and if he should
be electeG-Whlch heaven forbid we may
expect his open or secret opposition to any
appropriation from Congress to assist US in
the construction Of our road, because it would
eventually injure the business on the Fox riv-
e- Improvement, with which his personal in
tere>ts are identified, and because, ever since
the settlement of the lead mines, the people
OF this section. who best know him, have
been hostile to him; therefore, they expect
nothing from him.
In the west, Governor Dodge, Judge Dunn,
and Moses NJ. Strong, are also named as can
dldates for United States Senator Being a
whig, and there Is no probability Of elect
ing true man Of our party, | would, under
other circumstances. feel, with regard to the
election of Senator by the Democracy, (al-
ways excepting Doty,) like the woman whose
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