The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-09-09
MONDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER 4, 1854.
A Railroad Letter from superior.

VIC WIlsCI vi Tue lOiAO"ihk ACtbCI Ou UuSlueSe,
in which we took the opportunity to call his
attention to the war that was being waged up
on our young city by those of the Territory
and elsewhere, who are jealous of her growth
and envious of the high destiny that appeared
just about to dawn upon her at the time we
wrote. We publish the reply as giving the
candid views of one we'll known in this commu-
nifty. and one,-however much many of us may
have differed with him in by gone days upon 9TH
er matters,-whose zeal and sincerity in labor
ing for the building up of St. Paul has never
been questioned. From the tone IF his letter.
| it is evident Col Robertson had not heard of
the repeal of our land grant when he wrote:
SUPERIOR, WIS.,, Aug. Is. 1854.
| JNo. p. Owens, Eso.-DEAR SIR Your ia
vor of the 9Th was received few days ago and
ought to have been answered by last mail, but
Lake amusements interfered.
You have the thanks of our people for the
interest you take in the progress of this new
and euterprising locality. Between this place
and st. Paul there is a natural unity o inter-
ests which may be disturbed but cannot he de-
stroyed The railroad interests of Minnesota,
to which you call my attention, are unques-
tionably of great Importance to the Territory,
the North West, and especially St. Paul and
being property holder in your city, am pc
cuniarily interested, but at the same time have
become so much pleased with quiet life that
will not be induced to take a hand in the
'free fight you have got up in Minnesota on
the railroad question.
AS you remark, it has become ga sclf-inter-
est fight" 1t is, in fact, the most mired fight
ever witnessed, and will furnish a curious
chapter in your territorial history. The mag
nificent gift Uncle Sam has so literally be-
slowed upon you Minnesotians, seems to have
been transformed into an apple of dscord, for
which variety of interests and localities are
contendng; and although the melee exhibits
confusion COMPOUNDED, it is plain to be seen that
almost every town in the Tcrritory-they are
oil enterpriSing-claimsa big slice of the ap-
ple-MankatO st. Peters, Traverse DIES Sioux
Shakopee. Mendoza. st. Anthony, Minneapolis,
Sank Rapids, and Eureka! must each have a
big slice. All Of them arc pitted against St.
Paul, while the people of st. Paul are divided,
! anu tuclciOlC diuSt tuculS ives.
Now your true interests are to an enlghten-
ed outsider selfevident that is, to get as soon
as you can, the surcst way you can, great
trunk railroad from Dubuque, via St. Paul. by
as direct route as possible, to this place but
| apprehend that great deal of your Mnneso-
ia " selfinterest," even St. Paul " selfiater-
est" will be too short-sighted to see so direct a
line, or a northern terminus outside of Mime
sofa so that your Legislature will. think, re-
fuse to permit your road to come here till con-
WINGED by an expensive experience that you
cannot go any where else without paying alto
gether too dear for the steam whistle
1t may take two or three years. think not
longer, for your voters to learn that there is
only one point at the head of Lake Superior,
where, in the progress of human events" a
great commercial city can be made, and that
point is here. where write, at SUPERIOR in
Wisconsin--thc embryo Chicago of the Lake +;
and that it is out of the power of Minnesota.
backed by all the money of its territorial bank
ers, and Wall street railroad capitalists and
home politicians, and what is more potent than
them all combined-the press of Minnesota
that all these combined cannot find, or make a
rial point rithin your Territory.
Between St. Paul and this place there is a
attraction. Each place is immediately inter
estcd in the prosperity of the other--they are
help-matcs; and the sooner the people Of St.
Paul fully comprehend this fact, the better for
both places.
| At the same time. you must not expect the
denizens of Superior to adopt any one-eyed. or
green-eycd policy. Weowe fealty to the State
of Wisconsin, which fosters our interests and
promotes our welfare with parental care. Our
| policy is, however. commercial, that is to say
liberal. Our motto, free trade with every
point OF the compass.
One railroad route has already been survey
ed from Hudson to this place. Don't smile in
dersion. for it will be built. Mark the predic-
tion-it will be built as soon, within one year
| at least, as your Minnesota road and if you
spend much time lighting over your land grant,
| sooner.
1t is better route than any you can find to
ST. Paul from the Lake, or from the Falls of ST.
Louis, or old village of Fond du Lac, Or from
the Minnesota sand slip opposite Superior, or
the conceived but not yet perceived, city of
Terminus on tother side above, or from even
Superior. See the report Of the Chief Engineer
Of the st. Croix and Lake Superior Railroad
Company as soon as published. Gov. Barstow
is President of the Company. This is a part Of
line of direct railroad communication be-
| tween this point and Chicago--thence on to
Lafayette and Indianapolis, Indiana, and to
Cincinnati. It will be the direct route East
South East, and a vast amount of railroad cap
ital is interested in the early completion Of the
line. When completed it will be your most
direct route to the East. Interest will compel
you to run a track from St. Paul and hitch on
to this road at Hudson ; and il you don't come
with your big road straight to this place, inter
est will compel your business men to receive
their Lake transported goods by tCoy of the