Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-12-19
M(in>>esota Tiu1&s.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER Is, 1854,
THE RAILROAD CHARTER-THE DUTY OF
CONGRESS-.


THE RAILROAD CHARTER-THE DUTY OF
CONGRESS-.
The Railroad Charter passed at the last session
of our Territorial Legislature will doubtless come
before Congress during its present session, 10 DC
acted upon by that body under the authority vested
in it by section of the Organic Act, which says:
ssAll the laws passed by the Legislative Assem-
bly and Governor shall be submitted to the Con,
gress of the United States, and if disapproved
shall be null and of no effect" .....
Congress by this clause is made fourth party
as it were, in the Legislative system OF our Ter
ritory, and is invested with supervisory power
over all the enactments of our Legislative AS
sembly, and no act disapproved by them can be-
come a law. This is not power to repeal, Tor
the act does not in the perview OF the Organic
Act become a valid law until submitted to the su-
pervison of Congress.
The question then arises, what is the duty OF
Congress as regards the Charter Of the Minnesota
and North Western Railroad Company? To an
unintcrested person who was posted in the origin
and the subsequent acts of the Company above
named, this question would seem to admit OF but
one answer, aad that would be-let Congress put
the seal of disapprobation upon this Charter, and
thereby destroy the foul bantling it has created.
There are many features in this Charter that are
highly Objectionable which have at various times
been set forth, such as the want of consideration
for the lands granted, in the shape of a resulting
interest-the power given to the Company to hold
the lands free of taxes-the want of a provision
whereby the Company can be compelled to build
the road in the time agreed upon, or indeed to
{ba In Of ri
proper protection of settlers on land that may
be taken by the road.
But great as these objections are, and they are
sufficient to justify Congress in putting its mega
ton upon the Charter, they sink into insgnifcance
when compared with objections arising from the
acts of the irresponsible company created by that
Charter. From the day they conceived the idea
of robbing the government under the false plea
of building road, up to the present time, their
history has been one of unredeemed and steadily
progressing villany. A Charter is drawn in New
York and an agent dispatched TO Minnesota to lay
it before our Legislature, which was only consid-
cred necessary as a matter OF form, as they re-
ouired the passage of the bill in 48 hours after it
arrived in the Territory. But the Charter was so
palpablc swindle, that they were compelled to
submit to some amendments, though we could
never perceive that the thing was made any better
for the tinkeIng of its friends here. Finally the
Charter was passed, by dnt of log-rolling, BRIDE
nv and all the other appliances familiar to men
who fatten on spoils wrung from the people by
tampering with the integrity of their Represen-
tatives.
In the meantime Congress got an inkling of the
true state of things and the bllto grant the lands
was tabled by small majority. AS more light
dawncd upon matters the swindle became so evil
dent that majority of Congress determined that
no grant of lands should pass which could inure
to the Company created by that Charter; this
was we'll understood at Washington and led to the
introduction of bill by which the Company were
expressly excluded from any participation in that
grant. This was supposed to settle the matter,
and ordinary swindlers would have attempted
nothing more but not so with this Railroad Co.;
fertile in cxpedient and reckless of crime they
resorted to forgery to make void the clause by
which they were debarred from acquiring the
lands. The Justification of the record was dis
covered, but nothing daunted they attempted to
cover their forgery from the eyes of Congress and
"a
no avail-the crime was fastened upon them .
honest men stood aghast at the enormity of the
attempt, and from end Of the land to the other
wondered why the door of the Penitcntiary was
not made to close on the already convicted feons,
and Congress repealed the act in utter disgust at
their base fraud.
But the end was not yet. Two legislative bod
les had been tempered with-forgery had been
committed-pergury had been made common talk
but nothing had been gained. There yet re-
manned the Judiciary department, and unfortu-
nately for the country the Attorney General of the
U. S., man stepped in fraud, peculatOn and viz
lany was a partner in the swnde. BY the aid and
conniyance of his miniOns sham suit was brought,
that the company might obtain the lands, the re-
suit of which we have seen. BY that suit a court
has been compelled to endorse and defend crime
against its own convictions of right. Justice has
been made mock-and the sanctity of the law
by-word and a scorn. If this state of things is to
continue we had better at once hang out the black
flag of piracy from the dome of the capitol and
invite the base Of all lands to flock to for pro-
tection for to this court they need not come with
clean hands-but laden with the spoil of their
robberics-aye, or soiled with the blood of their
Victims may they come for here the officers of the
government are lcagucd with the robber, and the
arm of the court is powerlcss to punish. This
would be no more, nor scarce different from what
we have already seen.
What then is the duty Of Congress? We an
swer to put its negation upon the charter that
warmed this company into life and by that act de-
stroy its further power for evil; and to this end
We would appeal to them in behalf of a wronged
and betrayed people-of defrauded government
an outraged congress and degraded judiciary.
We would point them to their mutilatcd record
their insulted honor and invoke them in the name
Of law, truth and justice to crush the hateful mon
ster, like the tabled upas tree its shadow shall
cover and desolate our beautiful Territory.
3 There is an immense tide of emigration
now setting toward Texas, mainly from Tcnnes-
see and Alabama.-Er.
An immense emigration to Texas! This has
been the case from our early boyhood. From the
day that Austin established his colony, there has
been constant stream of human life pouring
from the Southern States into that country, and
yet the population of Texas is not to-day as large
rs Wisconsin. What becomes of all those neo
pie? Many. we know return to their old homes.
disheartened by sickness or other hardships in