The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-01-20

railroad transaction should be given fairly
that you, as their representatives. may be able
so to act. as to secure the confidence of the
Congress of the United States that they may
re-grant to our Territory that which they took
back from us. To do this, it will be necessary,
in my Judgment, to vindicate Minnesota from
any participation or sympathy in the act which
caused the repeal of the law making the grant.
1t was evidently the intention of Congress to
give us this grant of lands, and it is believed,
they still intend so to do ; yet it could hardly
have been expected that they would have done
less than repeal it in order to rebuke an i'm
proper act, seriously affecting the purity of their
legislation. Now that they have vindicated
themselves, there seems to be no fair reason
why the same members who voted for the grant
should not repeal the repeating act, and rein
state the act approved the goth of June, and
reinstate the Sd section as it passed the House
of Representatives. 1t is now manifest that an
overwhelming majority of the people Of Mime
sofa have in their late elections, expressed their
decided condemnation of the act for which Con-
gress felt so indignant, and have thereby given
abundant proof to our national representatives,
that such censurable conduct receives no SYM
pathy from them. 1t is also manifest by the
result of our late electiOnsin this Territory, that
the charter granted the Minnesota and North
western Railroad Company last session meets
nary powers and privileges conferred upon the
Corporation. 1t is therefore evidently the will
of the people that it should be disapprOved by
Congress at it's present session.
Congress in the act organizing this Territory
reserved the right to dsapprOve any law passed
by the Legislature. And in the Sd section of
the Organic Act makes it the duty of the Sec
rotary of the Territory to transmit a copy of the
laws passed, to the Congress of the U. S., on or
before the LIST OF December in each year. This
charter was passed on the 4th of March last
and as Congress has not yet had the law pre-
sented for their action, it will be laid before
them officially for the first time during this
present session. 1t is important that you take
such action in the premises as you deem best
suited to the feelings and interests of your con-
stituents This should be accompanied with a
respectful resolution instructing our Delegate
in Congress to urge your views upon the appro-
pirate Committees, and upon both branches of
Congress. This course is believed to be the
surest guarantees to secure the favorable action
of the National Legislature in repeating their
repeating act, and restoring the law Of the 29th
June and reinstating the third section of the act
as it passed the House of Representatives.
feel the utmost confidence that the individ-
ual members of Congress will see that we are
not wronged for the acts of others. Minnesota
has no favorite Company whatever to whom she
desires to grant a new charter. But her citi-
zens feel that extraordinary powers and privi-
leges have been given said Corporation, which
must materially affect her welfare hereafter. 1t
is most important to the welfare of the future
State of Minnesota that if she comes in pos
session of lands, or other means to be invested
in Railroads, that she should have secured a just
share in the dividends Or income in proportion
to the amount of money or lands by her thus APP
propriated or invested.
The State of Illinois received like grant to
aid her in constructing a Railroad, and she re-
quired the Company who proposed to build the
road to pay annually seven per cent upon the
gross proceeds thereof, and it would seem that
Minnesota should also secure a fair resulting
interest before she parts with her title to these
lands. There is no reason to doubt that we can
have the road built readily upon such terms by
any Company who may have the means, and the
enterprise to engage in the work. Thus secur-
ing a sufficient interest to pay all the taxes of
the Territory, Or future State, if that direction
be advisable, for a half century or more to come.
The question now naturally arises, will Con-
gress give us back these lands? / assure you
that feel the utmost confidence in the justice
aud liberality of the present Congress. 1t is
believed that a truthful statement of the facts
laid before them, cannot fail to procure their
favorable action. Minnesota is the only Terri
tory, and can be the only State, owing to her
peculiar geographical position in the confcdc-
racy, where the people without q Railroad must
be ice-bound and virtually imprisoned four
months in the year. Shut up, and shut out from
the great marts of Commerce and markets. eX-
cept by land travel of $50 miles through ice
and snow, while if the climate was temperate,
the obstacle would be greatly lessened 1t is
therefore triumphantly submitted whether any
other part of our great Republic can call with
so much propriety aud justice for the fostering
care and aid of the parent government. Here
we have at least thirty thousand souls, and three
frontier posts-Fort Smelling, Fort Ripley, and
Fort Ridgely-with five hundred troops, and the
necessary arms and munitions all ice-locked
and comparatively buried, so far as external
commerce, trade, travel, navigation, or trans
portation is concerned, during this period
In national point of view, if the enterprise
and social comfort of thirty thousand American
citizens do not reach the nations attention,
and demand their sympathy, we may ask, of
what service can the troops be to the Govern
'ment, if needed elsewhere, in the months of
December, January, February, and March p
How can they be used except where they are :?
To march out to where the channels of commu-
nications are uninterrupted, requires almost
superhuman powers of endurance, unless
avoided by an expense more than equal to the
actual cost to the Government of 100000 acres
of land, heretofore given US for Railroad.
By recent report of the Commissioner of
the General Land Office. it will be seen that the
cost of public land to the government. includ-
ing the original purchase and extinguishment
of Indian title, cost of survey, selling and man.
aging the same, is about 20 cents per acre.
Therefore, supposng the late grant to be about
100000 acres, it would only take from the
Treasury of the United States 100000. The
late grant provided that the other 900 re-
naming to the government for sale, should not
be sold for less than $3.50 per acre, by which
the United States Treasury would receive two
millions Of dollars the same as if the whole had
been retained, and sold at 5 .25 per acre; and
include in this transportation of troops and
other property of the United States, which 60
free of charge over a railroad to be built from
the proceeds of the lands and the item of $780,
900 would be materially diminished, and access
given the commercial world, to our copper
mines, vast pineries, fertile soil, and thriving
commercial and manufacturing towns, and
frontier posts. Not only does it put the same
amount into the Treasury, but the advantages
of railroad through these lands leading to
the best markets in the West will so greatly
facilitate the sale and settlement of the re-
naming sections that the proceeds thereof will
come into the Treasury in far less time than if
the whole remained without such o road
therefore, we again appeal to the justice of our
national representatives as they have given
the Territories of Iowa and Wisconsin thous-
ands of acres for local improvements and mil
lions of acres to Oregon, Washington and New
Mexico territories to aid their growth and
wealth, to give us the key to unlock our ice
bound winter home, and then we will at an
early day relieve the National Treasury OF
the burthen of our support from year to year.
hAn T CHI oil ha