Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-12-05
TUESDAY,, DEC. 5, 1854.
THE PIONEER

OF Saturday morning last has an elaborate and
well written article condemnatory of the New
Railroad dodge. The article does justice to the
subject, but not to the authors of the suit, as the
latter would come more properly under the juris-
diction of sheriff. Were it not that its great
length precludes it, We would gladly transfer the
article entire to our columns.
After ably summing up the case and exposing
the villany of its instigators. The Pioneer
says:
II is no pleasing task for the journalist to ar
raipn before the bar of public opinion, officers of
government, for either incompetency or cOrrup-
ton in Office. But ignorance or malfeasance is so
apparent in this action, the part of the -Attor-
ney who has thus far conducted its proceedings
the subject involved is of so great magnitude to
the government, whose interests he is sworn to
protect, and to the people, whose interests he has
no right to disregard, that we are compelled in
duty to expose him, and the consequences of his
acts. We have no shadow of hesitation, in aver
ring, that the judicial records of the country
present no parallel to this ease of - The United
States VS.. The Minnesota and Northwestern hail
road Company" in the unaccountabie STUPIDITY,
or still more unaccountable corruption, revealed
in the pleadings of the Attorney who represented
the government.
Pain talk that, but not whit more so than
truth requires it should be. When public officers
become spectators in public lands, and partners
in fraudulent railroad experimentation they
connve at the alteration of the public records,
and thereby become parties to base forgery,
it is time the people should look well to their
rights but when acting under the solemn oath of
Office they openly avow and attempt to take adj
vantage of the forgery to swindle the people of
the territory, public Indignation should be reused
to scourge them to their duty or to ingorious re-
TRACY.
We have faith to believe that if this case was
presented to oar Supreme Court in a proper
shape the Company should he annhated rs their
whole proceedings from the day they were frs
constituted have been fraudulent. But the hands
of the court are to be tied by presenting false
issue and Withholding the true; and this is to be
done by sworn officers Of the government.
This is public matter-one in which the peo-
Piles rights are involved, and the people have a
right to speak-they wish to know before the
trial whether their attorney is for them or for the
Railroad Company that they may know what ac-
ton to take in the premises.
We did think when read the Report of the
Investigating Committee on the fraud that ras
caity could 20 no furthcr-that the gigantic for
yerv by which million acres of land was sought
to be filched from the people was the achme Of
villany in the nineteenth century-but were
mistaken. This last resort of the Company
far surpasses the forgery, that honest men stand
amazed at the mons.rous audacitv of the attempt
The records of Jurisprudence cannot furnish a
parallel case. Forgers pleading their own crime
as title to lands is something that Solomon did
not dream of when h. said g there is nothing new
under the sum-