The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-09-30
THE MINI YES TIA N
WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPT. p, 1854
ISLANDERS Refuted.

ISLANDERS Refuted.
The men who some six months ago, here and
at Washin gton, laid what to their superficial
minds appeared certain and sure scheme to
break down the influence off NJ Rice in Con
gress, and ruin his reputation at home, arc now
about to commence rcaping the fruits of their
labors. Two newspapers of st. Paul and one
of St. Anthony-all three of which are publicly !
known TO be under the influence OF Mr.. Rice !
personal enemies, and the friends and members
Of the secret Railroad Company, formed last
spring to get possession OF the lands granted to
the Territory, and afterwards procure modi-
ticat;on of the act so TO divert the road from
St. Paul-have expended their force in endcav-
oring to make the people believe that an cnor-
nous fraud had been committed upon the Ter
ritory, and that Mr. Rice was responsible for
the act, and also for the repeal Of the grant.
The Secretary of the Territory, who was at
Washington when the grant was repealed, and
who, by lis onicous mcddling with the invcsti
cation, and his associations and schemings with
his particular friends Of the Virginia delcga-
ton-all firm and invcterate enemies of the
grant-diI more to bring about the repeal
than any other man. has also been very anxious
to cover up his own tracks, by charging the
blame upon Mr.. Rice. So.that taking them all
together, Mr.. Rice has had very noisy, if not
a very formidable faction of personal enemies,
selfish money seekers, and INSCRIPTIONS dcma-
gogues, pursuing him in regard to this great
question of the Railroad.
His friends here have defended him by saying
nothing until such time as they could bring
forward the testimony of disinterested witness
bes in his behalf. No considerable portion of
the people have ever put the least confidence
In the truth of the charges. for the reason that
they were only drawn from improbable deduc-
tions, or made upon the mere assertions of the
authors and instigators of this unholy war upon
afathful Representative. The rebutting tcstimo-
ny,owing to this fact alone. must now come with
ten-fold greater force than it would, had there
been any reasonable grounds of adjudgng Mr.
Rice guilty.
We copy from an article headed " Cores
pondeace relative to the charges against Hon.
II. NJ. Rice; which we find in the Democrat of
Monday:
soon after the commencement Of the publica-
tion of attacks upon the official, and personal
character and conduct of the delegate to Con-
Sress, from this Territory, in the columns ofthe
st. Paul Pioneer and Times and the ST. Antho-
ny Express, a few of his friends, without dis
tincton of party, acting under conviction
that gross injustice had been done TO an up
right and cnterprising citizen, and a faithful
public officer, then absent, addressed to mem.
beers Of Congress, known to them or Their
friends, letter, copy whereof we publish in
this connection.
The object of that letter was to elicit the
truth. 1t was written and sent without con.
sultatiOn with Mr.. Rice and without his know
ledge. 1t was addressed to gentlemen whose
position enabled them to testify inteliigently
and positively, respecting the conduct of the
party assailed, without any ntimatiOn TO the
writers. what that testimony would be. 1t was
addressed to gentlemen whose word was wortl,
thousands OF the oaths of such persons as do not
hesitate to vilify their neighbors in the most
aggravated and unjustifable manner in order
TO accomplish selfish and personal ends
We now begin publishing the correspondence
thus provoked. and will continue it from time
to time. as we have space, until the whole shall
be laid before the public. After this rcfutation
Of the calumnies heaped upon our abe, indie
fatigable and successful representative shall
have been trumphantly accomplished. we will
take up the testimony brought out by the in
vestigating committee os the National House
OF Representatives about the alteration of the
bill granting lands to our Territory fer the
construction OF Railroad, together with the
charter Of the Minnesota and North Western
Railroad Company. passed and approved last
spring, and other facts recorded and not re-
corded and show clearly and ihdsputaby.
"nat are the motres OF the authors of this most
lniquitous outrage upon one who has done as
much as any other man for the advancement of
Minnesota and her people.
on the 2ist August. 1851. the following let
ter was addressed and mailed to certain mem
oers OF the Senate and House of Representa-
hyes OF the United States, to which, together
WIN ,he responses thereto. we now respectfully
call the attention of our fcllow-citizcns
Sr P,rr N,xxrsor, T,,n,,ron
August 2Ist, 1854.
DEAR SIR Certain newspapers published
R erw na.e oHal ssa .ne non. Henry N. Rice, our
III !" SohSies Win altering Inc