The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-09-07

yiic diItuullicNtS lciSliCu w, anu 'ho0 III
never consulted with Mr.. BILLINGS in 1ela-
ton to this bill. A more shameful admission
cannot be conceived, On the part of rep
than we have quoted above A
measure of the last consequence to Mime
sofa, is allowed by the Delegate from that
Territory, to be altered or amended with
out any expression Of surprise or solicitation
on his part without taking the trouble, as
he himself states to ascertain what those
changes were, and all because he was told
Mr.. WAsHBURxE, of Illinois, had con-
sented to have them made. Was MIR.
WAsuBrRNE sent to watch over the inter-
ests of this Territory, or was Mr.. RICE =
Mr. WAsHBURNE had the interests of his
own constituents to look after, which it is
proved he did, on this as well as Oh all 9th
er occasions. If it had been advantageous
to the people Of the Galcna District to
have those changes made in the bill-J
they could he nude before ITS passage, and if
these changes would operate more Or
less to the dctriment of Minnesota, who
would blame Mr. WAsIIBURNE for pressing
those changes? His first duty was to his
own constituents. We charge, therefore,
that Mr. RICE has convicted himself, by his
own evidence, of outrageous official neg-
gence, or something worse, in allowing alte-
rations to be made in bill which had, in
its original shape, received the avowed as
sent of all the citizens Of Minnesota then in
Washington, and which Mr. RICE was
pledged to do all in his power to have passed
In that particular form, and no other
We charge, also, that it can be proved
that Mr.. RICE was in daily communication
with Mr. Billings when the Land Bill was
pending before the House, in May last, and
yet Mr.. RICE deliberately testified that he
had had no consultation with Mr.. BILLINGS
in relation to this BILL
Again, when questioned as to his knowl-
edge of the charter granted by the Legis-
lature last winter, Mr. RICE replies, not in
an open, manly manner, that he knew all
about it, and was the principal mover in its
inception and ultimate adoption, but he leads
the Committee to suppose that he had mere
ly heard of such a charter being passed,
from Mr.. WAsHBURNE, and that he had
seen it in the papers. Now, everybody in
Minnesota knows, OF ought to know, that,
when the charter was first presented to the
Legislature, by certain Dubuque men, act
ing for the Wall street stockholders, and
their agents in Washington and St. Paul,
prominent men in the latter city wore writ
ten to by Mr.. RICE, and urged to assist in
getting through the charter at an early day,
while Messrs. HoII1NsHEAD, RICE and BECK
Err, were most active and unrcmitting in
carrying out the known wishes Of Mr. RICE
in the matter as were others of his known
personal friends. But for the unceasing cf-
forts of these parties, seconded by means
and appliances Of suspected efficacy in par
ticular cases, Minnesota would have been
saved the modification of having her name
coupled with the villanous transactions
which have been brought to light, and which
have rung throughout the land, leaving on
the public mind the impression that the Ter
ritory was justly served for sending trick
stertO represent her, by being turned neck
and heels, from the Halls of Congress. And
yet, Mr. RICE testifies boldly that he knew
nothing of the charter but what he had
learned from Mr.. WAsHBURNE and the pa
pers 80 shame, where is thy blush !"
Mr. RICE was also guilty of the suppress
$40 reri when he intimated that he was not
cognizant of the movements of the charter
ed company, for his connection with the
agents and tools of that defunct concern,
was known and talked of not only in Wash
ington, but in Galena, Dubuque, and in
Minnesota. Neither he nor his friends can
convince the pcople that he was not privy to
all the operations Of these land sharks, from
the time they sprung their trap upon us in
Minnesota, up to the period of their sham
organization in New York, in July last
when directors were elected resident in St
Paul, and elsewhere.
: In reply to the question, whether he knew
5 Of the erasure Of the word land" for cor,
in the bill, he promptly replies 81 did not
nor did l know that the words were in thu