The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-08-12


may he sold under the direction Of the legisla
ture oil that Territory. If this is not so. where
fore the necessity of Withdrawing the land sale
But dissent from your vie ws of this matter
a. expressed in the proclamation above allud
ed to. in toto. and for the following reasons:
Because neither of my colleagues in tn,
House Of Representatives were consulted.
Because no land lying in Wisconsin has beer
granted tot any such purpose as that stated it
the proclamation.
Because, in the event Of any grant being
made for road in Iowa. Congress has no pow
er. nor, if it had, would it exercise it. to gram
land in one State to be disposed Of by another
State to aid in the construction of railroad in
State in which the land is not situated.
Because no reservation of land should bo
made until grants are absolutely made by Con
gress.
For tie reasons above stated. l respectfully
request that the order of withdrawal may be
rescinded, and that the lands be sold, as in or
binary cases.
Respectfully, your obedient servant.
BEN. e. EASTMAN.
To the Hon. Benjamin C. Eastman, Represent
alive In Congress from wisconsin.
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
July 26, 1854.
SIR,-My attention has been called to an ar
tcle published in the Washington Sentinel, Of
this morning, purpOrting to bc letter Of the
2lst instant, signed by you, and addressed to
this office. As no such letter has been received
at this office, it is presumed that you desire an
answer through the same channel; and with
the permission of the editors of the Sentinel, l
will so respond.
The notice Of the withdrawal of railroad
lands. TO which you refer, was prepared with
| special reference to the object contemplated by
| it-that is, correct description of the lands
withdrawn from market. and not for the pur-
pose OF designating the particular individuals
at whose instance they were withdrawn. Hence
the mistake in using the plural delegates. y
instead OF the singular, If, indeed, it be not a
typographical error. The term "delegate." !"
however, is now generally. if not uniformly,
applied to the representative Of a Territory.
and therefore it could not have been inferred
that You. q - representative" of a State, signed
the application without forced and tortuous
construction of the notice of withdrawal the
term representative" not being used in it.
This would seem to be your own view of the
matter, for you only suggest that "it might be
supposed" you joined in the earnest solicita-
tion."
You further state -" 1t is new to me, and l
believe in the history of the transactions in the
General Land Office, that lands can be proper
ly reserved from sale in anticipation of an act
of Congress upon the bare request of any gen.
tlemen, whether they be in or out of on gress -
This belief has no foundation in fact. and you
must have paid but little attention to the trans
actions of the General Land Office. if you have
overlooked the numerous notices OF snca with
drawals that have for years been published to
the country. But you have not. however over
looked them all, Tor you specially refer in the
last part of your letter to another and previ-
GUS notice of the same character, which will be
considered in its place. How, then could this
course of action be new to you: In the para
graph referred to, you state that such course
is pregnant with mischief, and may be made
tue means of oppression against the bona fde
settler. and of speculation for those who have
the ear OF the Commissioner or the President at
the expense of men Of limited means, who de-
sire to purchase land for actual settlement and
cultivation, &C." My dear sir. your anxieties
in this connection are entirely groundless, for
if you had read the "notce of withdrawal, -
you could not have overlooked the fact that
valid pre- -emption claims are excepted from
its operation, and hence that the bona fidc
settler" and the g men of limited means who
desire to purchase land for actual settlement
and cultivation can enter by pre-emption now
as well as formerly; and, hereafter. till the
route of the road is fixed, and the grant attach
es under the law, any of the lands embraced in
such withdrawal, which may not be reserved
for public uses. | say, if you had read the no.
tice. you could not have overlooked this fact,
for cannot for a moment suppose that the re-
preventative from Wisconsin would wlfully
misrcpresent the action of this Office.
The only persons. then, who have a right to
complain of this Withdrawal! arc the speculat-
Ors, or as they are sometimes termed. the heart
less SPECTATORS. who enter lands with a hope
Of extorting any increased price for them from
the bona fde settlers and men of limited
means, who desire to purchase for actual settle
ment and cultivation Ifyou were not a re-
preventative of a land State should certainly
suppose from your letter, and the facts in the
case, that you were cOntending in behalf of
"these speculators." and against "squatters'
rights" With this explanation you will per-
ceive that the rest of this paragraph in your
your views. If it have any point or force.
You state that 1.-The language of the Mime
sofa act confines the grant and limits all its
benefits and it's operations to the boundaries of
that territory" This is true, as you were ad-
viscd in personal conference before your let
ter was published, when the whole subject was
explained to you and yet you know there is
not single individual SO silly as to suppose
that it is not intended to connect that road with
the Mississippi on the south. and Lake Superior
on the north and that without such cOnnec-
stion than the construction of that road. Let
me ask you, sir. did you not vote for that bill
And if yea. was it your intention to squander
uselessly that much Of the public domain. for
the construction of road, the commencement
and termination of which are inaccessible! l
cannot believe that you would be thus reckless
Of the public domain. but that you supposed
with every other reasonable man that the ne
cessary and proper extensions would be made
in due time, connecting the waters of the Mir
sissippi with those of Lake Superior. With
these connections, facilities will be furnished to
the trade and travel of that whole region, OF
which it is now entirely deprived, as am ad-
viscd that the only safe route to Fond-du-Lac
is some one thousand five hundred miles, round
by way of Sault Ste. Marie, in summer. with all
the dangers Of navigating the entire length Of
Lake Superior. and by the slow, suffering and
dangerous process Of the snow-shoe line, in
winter 1t is worse than useless. then. to sug.
gest that no bill has been introduced for these
extensions. as they must be made to render
that part ofthe road valuable for which landt
have been appropriated.
You state that you were surprised and NOR.