The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-01-29

OF IerrltOr1al amlfS, inc local
Legislature should have fall power to act, un-
controlled by any supervision on the part OF
Congress. -. ~ se,l "a
But it, as your COMMITTEES sincerely believe
q company has been chartered BY q Legislature
not elected with reference to particular
question of great magnitude, which involves
the interests of the Territory and future State
for all time to come, and if there
had been granted to the said company
rights and privileges of an almost unlimited
character, and without any power on the part
of a future Legislature to alter or amend in the
least particular, and when the voice OF the peo-
pie has declared their dissent to such action on
the part of their legislators then has occur
red case, in the opinion of your committee,
when it is not only justi6able, but strictly in
cumbent upon those to whom has been cOnhded
the trust Of regulating the affairs of our tenn
porary Government, to use every proper en-
deavor to apply remedy to evils Of SO great
and menacing character. Congress has re-
served to itself the right, in our Organic Act,
to disapprove any act of our Legislature, and
surely, ii the power is ever to be exercised it
should be in such an instance as we have
cited. 9.... -
I 1t cannot be properly asserted that the Min
nesota and North Western Rail Road Com
pany have vested rights under their charter
The act of the Legislature of last session was
inchOatc and imperfect until it received the
sanction Of Congress. No rights whatever
can vest in the Company until that sanction is
obtained, nor is the charter worth the paper
upon which it is written, until Congress shall
decide that it shall remain upon your statute
books. Neither is the doctrine OF "squatter
%x,Ds ID nd hx, fha ctor
which your committee recommend. This Le-
gislature merely prays Congress to perform for
the Territory, what we would do ourselves had
we the power. The people demand this action
on the part of the National Government, &C
ton, which if opposed to their wishes, would
be highly unrighteous and improper. ! l.'..'
1t has also put forward as an objection, that
by memorializing Congress for the disapprov-
al of the charter, the plighted faith Of the Ter
ritory would be violated. .eri~,,e ....
| Your committee can see no force in such
reasoning. Both the Legislature and the COM
pany we'll know that the contract made the
charter would be binding upon neither party
if Congress should subsequently disapproye
and .annul it. 1t is not pretended that any ex-
penditures- have been made upon the line of
the road or that any of the active and ener-
getic operations so profusely promised when
the charter was under consideration by the leg
islature have been performed The telegraph
line from Dubuque to St. Paul, stipulated to
be completed and ready for the transportation
of dispatches within 20 months after the for
nation of the first Board of Directors under
the act, has not as yet been commenced, nor
has any step been taken, so far as your COM
mittee is informed, to comply with that pro-
vision of the charter. Notice of memorial
has been given in the House, praying amend
ments to that instrument. Your committee
is not aware of the nature of these proposed
alterations, except that an extension of time
will be asked for wherein to construct the tel
egraph, together with the SO miles of road re-
quired to be furnished within three years from
the date of the acceptance of the charter by
the company. The avowed object for pressing
the act of incorporation through the Legisla-
ture in advance of the grant Of land by Con-
gress, was, that II months of time would
thereby be gained in advancing the railroad
towards completion Yet year has elapsed,
and according to the sworn statement of the
presiding officer of the Company to the Gov
ernor, not dollar has been expended for any
purpose on the line of the road Minnesota is
this day no farther advanced in her railroad
improvements than she was when the charter
was granted, and the Company or its agents
now come forward and demand that more time
shall be afforded to enable them to comply
with the requirements of what they deem to
be the existing contract between the Territory
and themselves, thus ignoring and abandoning
the very grounds upon which the advocates of
the charter based their protest against any de-
lay on the part of the last Legislature.
The nrOcpndinrc Of tho COpnpopv no time
far been shrOuded in mystery. The first named
incorporation in the act, whose ample means it
was asserted were to be invested in the stock
of the contemplated railway, has long since be-
come refugee from the justice of the commune
ty he had basely swindled. We are now told
that the charter has passed into the hands OF
responsible and honorable men, most of whom
are not comprised in the original list of incor-
pOratOrs. Your committee are utterly unable
to state whether such is. or is not the case, for
neither they, nor the rest of the people of Min
nesota, unless it be a few privileged exceptions,
know the names Of these individuals, - where
they reside, or what are their standing and
character. No explanations have been vouch-
safed on these points, or upon the plan of OPP
eratiOns which this association have marked
out for themselves. 1t is boldly affirmed that
unless the Company build the road, no other
can, but such reservations must pass as of lit
tie worth, unsustained as they are by any show
of facts.
The interests of this Territory imperatively
require railway communication from its south
ern boundary to Lake Superior, at the earliest
practicable period, but your committee are
satisfied that SO desirable an end can be achiev-
ed in more speedy manner, and with greater
advantages to Minnesota than under the exist
ing charter. The present depressed state of
financial matters in the United States and in
Europe, precludes indeed any reasonable hope,
that this chartered company, or any other, can
now procure the necessary funds for building
the railroad. We must wait patiently un