Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-08-21
rae E,rayei,ssent schooa Landslide.

The La Cross Democrat, published by Judge
/. ord, Eodolph and Ladue friends OF the State
administration, publishes their statement Of the
Ludington purchase Of the School Lands -
There IS no telling the extent Of loss the State
School Fund has suffered by the fraud of the
Commissioners elected by the people to see to
this land Here is what the La Crosse Demo-
crat says, preceded by some explanations from
another PAPER:
We invite attention TO the following article
from the La Crosse National Democrat. This
paper as edited by three old line democrats
who held prominent positions in the party IN
this State. They speak advisedly Oh this sub
iect. It will be observed that they state, from
positive knowledge, that during the two months
time which the commissioners claim TO have
spent in ascertaining the amount ofthe School
Lands the agents Of the purchasers were Sc
lecting the choice tracts in that portion Of the
State. They publish an article from the Mad
ison Patriot on the subject, and follow it wit
the attempted explanation Of heArgus, adding
az follows:
In offering the public the statemeat Of the Ma
dlsonPatr.ot, andAlgus and Democrat, as given
above,We cannot say that we are satisfied with
the explanation given bytheArgus to the first no.
tee published by that paper Of this sale of The
schooiLands,to rs II is not satisfactory IN estab
fishing fair business transaction on the part of
the school commissioners, nor do we believe
it satisfactory to those who are able to read it.
II ls not necessary for us 10 charge fraud up on
she commissioners, nor have we The disposition
70 90 II 6ist me mast sag they haze GAolv8G the
.2rgus to make for them MIsERABLY SHABBY
APOLOGY. When James Ludington appear ed
at the counter OF the school commissioners
with an application to purchase seventy thou
sand acres OF school lands,'' he should have
appeared as the humble settler upon that
school land is required to appear, or as any
poor man is required to appear, as the labor
ing lrishman, German and Norwegian is re-
qnired to appear. How is that? Simply in
furnishing the description Of the tract sought
to be purclaSed-the lot, the section, town
and range, such town such lot is in nothing
short OF this compliance entities any man to
arrest from sale one rood or foot Of the school
lands Nor can any man appear at the coun-
ter OF the commissioners of the school lands,
and make this wholesale application, and have
it ct any force with description of the land,
IS OF no force, and should have no weight with
the commissioners. Ii they gave il weight it
was not pursuant to law, and became oa'y
personal affair. The answer of the commits
sioners, as given by the Argus, is as unsatis-
factory as IS the application Of Ludington.
That such an amount would probably com
prise nearly or quite al that there was in mar
ket.o
Had the commissioners required Of Mr..
Ludington what they require of poor men, OF
the actual settler, and what they sho uld re-
qulre--a description of the tract sought to be
purchased--they would have known, and Lud-
lngton would have known, yes, what every
man in the State had right to know, what |
lands We're sold and what were for sale. Then
aoo"td not haze driven 5nclc to their homes the |
poor men tcto had travelled days and an hundred
or more mites 10 make the trip 10 MADISON to
Dc disappointed a! great expense. The Com
ntSstoneTs 1c0uld not hare spent too months
time in 0ScertG1ling the amount Of these lands,
achlch Mr. Ludingfon 2cdH'ed.
Now we 90 KNOW tina. this time which
the Argus says was taken to make the exam
NATION was net taken to make the eXaIuina-
ton OF books only, fer up through this coun-
try, where most OF the school lands are, this
examination was going on by the agents of
this Mr.. Ludngton, or his contederates se,ec- |
ting all the best lands.
Ihe whole answer amounts to this Mr.. |
Huntington applied to purchase 10000 acres. |
ana that not III form nor as regarded by Law; !
The school commissioners gave him time 10 Sc
iect from the 1865 900 acres on hand such as
he chose. They gave him nearly two months
to do this, and they forbid or denied any on
else the right to purchase until Mr.. Tudington
had made his examination. Now there is left
on hand 90, 900 acres ofschool lands made ,e-
tnse to the settler by being cul'ed of TO-
300.