Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-08-21

a no THR PUDLIC.
The esnsrh osvsrh1nsnt RsaAs Of the Terrissry.
ssRsndsr therefore, to all their dues; tribute to
whom tribute II due custom to whom custom |;
fear TO whom fear honor to whom honor"
Such are the iniunctions Of Holy Writ, and in
the article which follows, the undersigned will
endeayor to obey them.
A great deal has been said and written with re-
gard to the appropriations which have been made
By Congress for the roads IN the Territory; and
a great deal of injustice have been done to par
ties, doubtless unwittingly, in the matter, have
citizen, that the public who are most interested
in the information, should have the facts laid be-
fore them just as they exist.
The first appropriations which were obtained
for tho roads, were got through the agency of
Hon. H. H. Sibley, July l8, 1850, during the
second year OF his delegateship. The law grant
ing these appropriations, provided as follows:
''For the construction Of road from Point
Douglas, on the Miss. river, via Cottage Grove,
Saltwater, Marine Mills, and Falls of ST. Croix,
to the Falls or Rapids of the st. Louis River,
$4,000"
"For the construction of road from Point
Douglas, via Cottage Grove, Red Rock, St. Paul,
and Falls of St. Anthony, to Fort Gaines (now
Fort Ripley $4,000.
ssFor the construction Of a road from the mouth
of Swan River, or the most available point
between it and the Sank Rapids, to the Winnebago
agency at Long Pralr1e, $0,UUU.>|
ssFor the construction of a road from Waba-
shaw to Mendoza, 81, 0O0."
'sFor the survey and laying out a military road
from Mendoza to the mouth of the Big Sioux
River on the Missouri, $5000."
Such is the exact phraseology of the law grant,
ing the appropriations Of 1850, and have thus
given it in order to do justice to the Hon. Dele
gate, Mr.. Sibley, who with wise forecast so
worded the law, as to cOnstrain the general Gov
hv ofS nd fho Ia
take under its and supervision the corsstruc-
ton Of all these roads. The constructions it will
be noticed, was fer a road and not for the road,
existing between given points, thus requiring the
General Government surveys and estimates of the
roads before they could be built: and enabling it
to possess itself of facts from disnterested quar-
tiers (the War Department. which facts the Gov
eminent could furnish to Congress as a reliable
and strong basis upon which Congress would be
called upon from year to year to do its coordinate
duty:-farnish the necessary appropriations.
Such is the history Of the incipiency and germ
OF the roads in the Territory under the supervis-
ion of the War Department, for which at the pres
ent time Congress has appropriated in the aggre-
gate the muniicient sum of 1881 500: and which
constitute all the roads for which Congress has
made provision, except the road from the Falls
of st. Anthony, to Fort Ridgely; that from Fort
Ripley to the main road leading to the Red River
of the North; that from Grow Wing to Leech
projection of which due credit must be given to
Mr.. Rice, and for which he obtained appropria-
tions, respectively amounting to SIS 900, 5000,
$4,000, and $1,000; in all, 49,, 900.
So much for the roads in their encipiency and
GERM and for the credit which is to be attached to
individuals for the share they have hadin putting
motion the stream of General Government bounty.
shall present some further facts which will show
the public how such generous appropriations
have been continued and will leave it your read
to determine the credit that is to be attached
to parties who have been instrumental in this OBJ
ject.
On the 1st of September of every year, am
required by the Typographical Department to
make an annual report of all the operations which
have occurred on the roads under my charge du-
ring the year previous; and to present estimates
of the amounts that would be required during
the succeeding year.
These reports are the basis OF the action and
recommendation Of the General Government to
Congress- in respect to appropriations for the roads.
In my first annual report, 1851, the surveys not
having been completed, and therefore, the maps
and estimates not prepared, no further allusion
was made to them than that they would be for
warded as soon as they could be furnished. They
were furnished March Is, 1852. In the annual
report the Importance of the immediate construc-
was capable of. Succeedings.these reports the
appropriations obtained by the Department
through the cooperation of the then Delegate.
Hon. Mr.. Sbcy, were,-
For Point Douglas and st. Louis
River Road, $40 600
&c Point Douglas and Fort Rip
ley Road, 10 600
&c Wabashaw and Mendoza road 600
&c Swan River and Long Prairie
road, 5 600
i" Mendoza and Big Sioux road, 10 COO COO
In my annual report of 1858, remarked =
I" For each of these roads | would recommend
for the coming year the appropriations of at least
the amounts which were made by Congress at its
last session, except the amount appropriated for
the road from Wabasha to Mendoza, and this
should not be less than Sis 900, on account of the
bridging which is absolutely required on the road
to make it passable." The appropriations fol-
lowing this report and obtained through the CO.
operation of the Hon. ii. M. Rice, were precisely
those had recommended, namely =
For the Pt. Douglas and st. Louis
River Road, $50 900
Pt. Douglas and Fort Rip
ley Road, = 10 900
&c Wabasha and Mendoza, Is 600
s" Swan River and Long Prai-
RE, 900
Mendoza and Big Sioux
(This last road was not under my charge at the
time; but the appropriation was based on the re-
port OF capt. Keno OF the Army, ana the estl-
mates which he had furnished to the War De-
partment.)
Such had been the appropriations previous to
my Annual Report of the last year, 1854; and
they were as great as probably could have been
obtained from Congress under any influence
which the writer of this article in his official ca
pacity or Delegate might have brought to bear
upon the matter. But feeling that the War De-
partment was under the guidance of head which
infused energy and promptitude in all its branch
es. and spurred on by the Importance of having
the roads finished at the earliest possible mo-
ment, in that report urged the completion of the
roads with all the augmentation l could master,
and made an estimate Of the amounts which would
be required to complete the roads, as follows =
For the Pt. Douglas and st. Louis
River Road, 80 $50 $50
&c !" I" Fort Ripley road Is 100
{" Wabashaw and Mendoza, 10 434
+" SSan River and Long
Prairie, ~ 653
(see my report in doc. accompanying Sec.
Wars report, Of 1854, ana The Hon. Secretary's
allusion to it, PIP. 23.)
made no estimate for the completion Of the
Mendoza and Big Sioux River Road, for the reas
on that the Department had already been furnish
ed it by Capt. Reno. e1e ,6g,
Under these estimates, and by the CO. cooperation
l. IT.. n 2