The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-09-09
THURSDAY MORNING, SEPT. Z, 1854.
John Wilson.

JOnn "1lSOns
Any one who has visited Washington, and
had transactions at the General Land Office at
any time within the past twenty years, has
always been made aware of the fact that joins
WHSoN--the former chief clerk, and the pres
ent chief of that important bureau--was the
man to whom all questions touching the details
or the legal points of business, must he refer
red for final adjustment. Any man convers-
ant with this fact. and particularly any IVES
tern man, would never have written such trash
as has appeared in some of the journals print
ed at ST. Paul, within the past six weeks.
In the mutations of parties and during all
the proscriptive fierceness attendant upon these
mutations, commencing with Gen. Jackson's
administration, men have striven for his place;
but ne was an indispensable, and could not be
displaced. ''John Wilson, chief clerk of the
Land Office is Wing. and should be turned
out says the office-begging pauper to Mr. Van
Buren,. Notwithstanding his Whggery, SIR"
replies the President, 1--WE can't spare him."
He of course, could not be dispensed with by
Gen. Harrison, or Mr. Tyler, or Mr. Polk, or
Gen. Taylor; and when Mr.. Butterfeld resign
ed the Commissionershp during Mr.. Fillmores
administration. that sagacious Chief Magistrate
at once elevated John Wilson to the head of
department whose perplexing and intricate bu-
siness he had so long, in fact, adjusted and con-
! trolled. Gen. Pierce assumed the Presidential
chair, and Willis a. German clamored for John
Wilson's place, without success. :.IIe is a
Wing. it is true no doubt thought the new
Democratic President "but fmy predecessors.
| Wing and Democratic, including old Hicko-
ry' himself, considered him such an indispensa
BILE part ofthe executive machinery, why should
attempt the experiment of Diminishing him ?
might appoint German Commissioner and ask
Wilson to go back to the chief clerks desk, but
would he do it? Probably not-even were his
own party the successful party, and more
prominent Wing than he-a Wing politician
which he is ot,-placed at the head of the Bu-
reau much less willingly would he bear the
insult from Democratic administration, and
more particularly were | to attempt to place
over him such an incompetent, Facilitating
and send German [woful day for the North
West j to Minnesota
Something like this must have passed through
the mind of the President at the time he made
his decision to retain John Wilson. Neverthe-
less, the Times, an obscure paper printed in st.
Paul, but daily advocating measures diametri-
cally adverse to her interests. chose few days
since to pronounce its dctum that } ohm Wilson
ought to he expelled from Office" for writ
ing letter" defending himself from personal
attack and wording it 4" in such a way as to
mislead honest men into the belief that they
could go on lands after they had been reserv-
cd for railroad purposes, settle, and get pre-
cmption right and that at the time of writing,
John Wilson well knew "what he wrote was
faise.'
| The position of the Minnesotian, in sustain.
ing Mr.. Wilson's views, embodied in his unofi-
cial letter to Ben. Eastman, is not forgotten
| Now let us see what the President, throu Oh
John Wilson. has to say. Perhaps the Times
will now overlook all the Presidents great
sins-Ncbra>ka, Grcytown and all-and go in
for having lam turned our for sustaining John
Wilson. We shall see. But let us read the
o6icial document upon the subject, which is as
follows. We find it in the Pioneer of ycster-
day:
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
18th August, 1854.
SIR In reply to yours of the goth ult..
have to state. that all lands embraced in the
Notice of Withdrawal, No. 5l9.- dated 18th
ult.. are liable to "valid prescriptions AS
we'll those which may be predicatcd upon set
Elements made since. as before, such withdraw
al it not being the intention Of the Executive,
in thus withdrawing lands for proposed rail
roads, to prevent settlements upon the public
domain, with a view to pre-emption.
Respectfully your obd't scrvt
JOHN WILSON, Commissioner.
Register, Minneapolis, MT.
For he NinDesotian.