The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-10-28

Illinois, that the Territory had granted a char
ter which would take all the lands which Con-
gress might grant. 4
Question. Did you learn this from any other
source? t
Answer..I saw it in the papers.
Question. Have you ever seen q copy of the
charter, or the bill to incorporate the Mime
sofa and Northwestern Railroad Co.?
Answer. have.
Question. Do you know whether the Com
pany has been organized?
Answer. l have understood so.
Question. Who are the directors?
Answer. have heard that committee was
appointed.
Question. Do you know of your own knowl-
edge that the company is organized?
Answer. A committee was appointed, as
have been told, who reported to the governor
the fact of the acceptance of the charter, and
have heard of no further action have heard
of two or three companies being inc0rpora-
ted.
Question. Did you have copy of the bill
made by the clerk?
Answer. did, after its introduction, and
sent it to one of the papers in Minnesota for
publication.
Question. Did you as delegate representing
the Territory of Minnesota, at any time sug-
gest to General Stevens, of Michigan, or any
other person, whilst this bill was before the
Committee on Public Lands, or since, that the
word " future" in the third section, should be
erased, or that the word and should be sub
sttuted for the word "or?"
Answer did not, nor did know that the
words were in the bill.
We suggest to our honorable Delegate,
that on the face of it, the foregoing testi-
mony wears look of studied concealment
of facts, and argues either guilty collision
with the fraud perpetrated, or an indiffer-
ence to the condition and fate of measure
of the highest possible consequence to bis
constituency, hardly less criminal either of
which initiates against his character as
man and representative.
Will HENRY Nj. RICE state to the people
of Minnesota, why, after Mr.. BILLINGS had
informed him of alterations made in the bill,
he did not, as the representative from the
Territory peculiarly interested in the grant,
ascertain, for his own credit, and the safety
of the people, whether or not such altera-
tons were legally made, aud whether their
effect would prove beneficial or injurious to
Minnesota?
Will Mr.. RICE inform the people how it
happened that, if he had no consultation
with Mr. BILLINGS relative to the Minneso-
ia Land Bill, the latter gentleman should
have told him of the alterations made there
in. BY what process did Mr. BILLINGS con-
vey this intelligence, if no consultation was
had? Was it by occult signs, or spiritual
or magnetic media or did the Honorable
Delegate unwittingIy convict himself Of per-
Jury within the limits of three consecutive
answers !?
Will the Hon. HENRY NJ RICE account
to the people for this most singular condi-
ton of things, to wit &: That while MFR.
BILLINGS was in Washington during the
whole of the last session Of Congress, as the
accredited agent Of the Northwestern Rail
road Company, wherein he was a heavy
stockholder, and, as he himself testiies, was
lobbying among the members to obtain the
passage of the Minnesota Land Bill; while,
too, the Hon. HENRY NJ RICE, was the only
person in Washington representing the in
terests of the Territory affected by that bill +;
while, further, Messrs RICE and BILLINGS
were ON terms Of personal friendship and
intimacy, and in daily public and private
communication with each other-both la
boring before the same public body to Sc
cure the success of the same public measure
the one representing chartered compa-
ny, and the other nominally his constituent
cy-with all these circumstances to induce
consultations between them, how was it,
that upon this subject of the greatest pecu
mary interest to both they should yet have
maintained, for SO long period, this most
unaccountable reserve and silence! Does
Mr.. RICE wish the people to credit his
sworn testimony, and thus belle all their
knowledge of his former shrewdness and
cunning, and believe him suddenly trans
formed into utter imbecility and witless-
ness-or would he have them retain their
faith in his tact and intelligence, and regard
him as bold and wilful perjurer! On which
horn Of the dilemma doeshe prefer to hang!
Will the Hon. HENRY NJ RICE explain