The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-10-20
TUESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER le, 1856.
The Minnesota and n. w.R. Go. :,

i No..
The Minnesota and N. w. r. Co.
To THE EDITORS OF THE MIsSEsor1AS -
In your leading editorial of Saturday morn
ing l notice the following paragraph, which
respectfully desire to correct:
The Minnesota and North Western Rail.
road Company, we had been induced to be,
lieve previous to now, was not disposed to
enter into the support of polaicalipaatizar
candidate for any Office in Minnesota. AS
one of the original and continued fast friends
of that Company, we had been led to suppose
that its members were not particularly inter
ested as to whether the question of Slavery
or Freedom should triumph in Minnesota at
the late election. But it appears we were
mistaken even here. At late dav in the
canvass, not only the money but the influence
OF the Company was arrayed to strike down
certain original and material friends of the
enterprise, merely because they wished Min
nesota represented in Congress by a back
bone Freeman instead Of consummate
Doughface Z! We wish to know, before going
farther, whether the leading men of the Com
pany endorse this action of their employees
and agents here in Minnesota The fact is
clearly susceptible of being sustained. Is
the NJ. and N. w. r. r. Co. a political {" in
stitution or not !? We have alwass con-
tended for the negative side till now.5' s<
AS the only Agent of the Company in this
Territory, claim to be familiar with its af-
fairs here and do know that there has not
been dollar Of its money expended or
promised for any purpose except the legit:-
mate surveys now going forward. No one in
the Territory but myself has contsol of its
funds or access to them, and neither used
them nor one farthing of my own, or that Of
any other person, to influence the hte cleo
ton in any respect.
As to the politics of the engineers and en-
ployees of the Company, have no .knowl-
edge OF information, and none as to how or
for whom any one Of them voted or whether
they voted at all or attended the polls even.
Myinstructions from the Company were to
organize two parties of competent Engineers,
one of which should survey the route of tie
road from St. Paul to St. Anthony, thence
to Saltwater through the village of Taylor's
Falls to the falls of the St. Croix, and have
the survey completed by the 18th of Nov.
To effect this, no time was to be lost. The
other party surveys the road south. Neither
OF them was charged with any political mis-
sion; and in their organization no reference
has been made to politics, but merely to
qualifications. Nor have 1 attempted in any
way to use the influence of the Company to
effect the election
1t is we'll known to the public that Mr..
Marshall, the Republican candidate for Con-
gress, has ever been a warm and efficient
advocate of the great enterprise undertaken
by the Company and, had I been thus dis
posed, should have been at loss to con-
ccive single reason why he was not as much
entitled to support on that question as Mr..
Rice, the Democratic candidate And pre-
sumo that, if the question was raised at the
polls, it was urged as strongly for him, and
he derived as much benefit from it as Mr.
Rice. Considering the road of far more i'm
portance to the Territory than all the parties
and politicians in the late canvass, the candi-
dates included, I should have felt it Grim
inal to hazard its success, knowingly, by at
tempting to give to it a partizan influence.
Thus far, although the object of jealousy and
most bitter hostility, it has received the cor
dial su, port of the people and most of the
leading men cf all parties without any view
to political favor. trust that it may always
be in that position. AS your journal was
the first to espouse its cause and the fore
most in its support, hope it may be the last
to abandon it.
Believing that you would not knowingly
do injustice in the premises, but have been
greatly misinformed, deem it due to you,
as well as the public and the employees of
the Company, to lay the facts before you.
With great respect,
Your ob't servant,
EDMUND RICE,