The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-04-28

his Epart of his report will not be held suf-
cient to make out case OF hsgh treason
Igainst any of our citizens!
Mr.. Charles L. Emerson admitted to this spe-
ial agent shat the bidders had clubsw He
night have admitted also, and with equal force
,pon his introduction to Mr.. Browne, that the
minds Of certain persons were strangely affect
ID by certain phases of the moon.
1.-TWO wagon loads of clubs were found upon
he ground" Perhaps they were cut upon gov
,rnment land! If so. he should have reported
his fact to the timber agent! 1t seems to have
been unfortunate that those settlers did not in
ute Messrs. Dayton q Packard to pay into the
United States Treasury $40 per acre for the
lands. LIS being for the land and the balance
ior the hard labor and righteous earnings be-
slowed upon it by the enterprise, and industry
Of American citizens.
Mr.. Browne further says that civilian X
the principal purchaser is merchant
and q speculator."
Now, Mr.. Marshall is simply merchant. and
his character for integrity will compare favora
bly, with that Of any man. either east or west
He is universally respected; and for that rea
son, poor men solicited him to 60 and bid OF
the lands upon which they had settled. TO save
them from the expense Of attending the sale
Not one foot of land was purchased for himself
sole purpose of accommodating the poor. Ant
had MIR. Browne examined the records. will
the same care he seems to have bestowed upol
advertisements in newspapers, and notice
stuck upon trees" or with the willingness b
gave ear 10 the idle gossip OF idle persons. 81
would have found that Mr.. Marshall had tru'
to his trust, conveyed to each individual set
tier, the lands he had improved. Nor did ht
even charge the settlers one farthing for tn
services be rendered them.
Alpheus G. Fuller is not. nor has he been en-
gagged in the Indian trade for several years-h
Is one of the oldest residents of the Territory
and instead of being speculator is truly en-
ergetic and industrious contractor and manu-
factursr. George L. Becker is also an old res
ident and had made large improvements upoI
the land he purchased.
Henry NJ. Rice was the Delegate in Congress
and J. Ross Browne was sent to Minnesota q
Special Agent"-neither of them were in tn
Territory at the time OF the sale, and neithe
of them it is believed had any interest in it
certainly the former had none.
&c l.. Emerson obtains FIVE acresV Fiv'
acres!! almost enough for vegetable garden
He is Editor of the Democrat known as tn
= Rics organ" A dangerous man indeed =
Edits paper in Minnesota, and is the owne
of five acres of land!l The welfare of tn
Republic requires that his enormous aud grow
ing aspirations should be checked-his posses
sions reduced. This should be looked to
George W. Biddle is dentist and--"a liant
speculator." He would scarcely be convicted
Of the latter charge; to the former he will p;eat
guilty; for he is q deutist--a poor but homes
mana mcdaniel
William S. Combs is Bookseller, and thu
special agent says "a land speculatOr."
owning few acres of land makes q man "lsnt
speculator," then Mr.. Browne is right. and W
S. Combe must be "land speculator."
Mr.. Brown asserts that they all reside in st
Paul; ii he means to restrict this expression Il
those named, it is perhaps true. with the ex
ception of DR.. Biddle; but if he means to EN-
brace in it, all the purchasers at the land sale
it is equally of piece with the balance OF hi
report; as certainly not one-6fth Of the pur
chasers OF the lands in question do now, or dlt
at the time Of the sale, reside in st. Paul.
DR.. Biddle built house, plowed. planted
sowed, reaped. and resided upon the land b
purchased. He resided on it for months prio
to the sale, and continued to reside upon II
until the winter had set in, when he removed
with his family to town to remain until Spring
H. NJ. Rice, the Delegate, did write that tn
sales were VIRTUALLY confirmed" and did icon
graduate the hardy pioneers of Minnesota up
on the result" and justice and truth will sus
tain him in writing that letter, Mr.. Browne t
the contrary Notwithstanding; and the only re
greet Mr. Rice has in regard to the matter II
that the citizens OF Minnesota should be mad
to suffer. through the ignorance or corruption
OF others.
The Special Agent again says, "during hi
stay in Minnesota he conversed freely wit
many persons ON the subject, and none denie'
that there was a combination" This is yer.
6ory to- cn6 Ua
freely' upon other subjects which they did no
deem it important to deny. Suppose they dit
not. What does that amount to? Certainl.
not that combination existed" or that tn
other subjects were proper ones for investiga
ton by Special Agent. He says further .'tha
by the act of 1852. the town of Mendoza is Sc
cured to the proprietors, and that Mr.. Slbley
the late Delegate in Congress, is the principa
owner of this town and there are others, prom
inent spectators and politicians whose name
are not material" Now cannot see why it i
not important that Mr.. Browne should maxi
known the names of all the prominent specula
tors and politicians in Minnesota; such inform
ation--the result of his valuable researches
might become vastly important hereafter, al
historical reference. In respect. however. tt
Mendoza, It was a county seat in l849--abou
one hundred voters reside there. Mr.. Sibley
has resided there about twenty years, and resi-
ded there under the authority OF the Govern
ment. He, with others, went there when The
entire country was wilderness, and he and
others have expended probably over one hun
drsd thousand dollars upon the land. And had
Mr.. Browne looked at the law of 1874, Cor got
some one to explain it to him.) he would have
seen the folly of making the allusion to MendO
ia he did; and aga q, delicacy should have re-
strained him--a special government agent
from commenting in such manner upon any
law passed by the Congress OF the United
States.
He says, "the Government was defrauded
ont of at least three hundred thousand dollars
by this sale" In the entire Territory there
was not in the hands of all the citizens. one
half of that sum. Where then was the three
hundred thousand dollars to come from!
cannot believe that this administration will
use its power to deprive men Of the money. Ia
Dor and time they have expehded--to say moth
ing Of the hardships they have had to encoun-
ter in settling tie great West; neither am
willing to believe that this administration will
countenance the report of . Special Agent who
has evidently travelled outside the common
courtesies Of life, for the purpose of injuring
citizens Of the country either pecuniarily or in
reputation.
Public notice was given in the papers three
months in advance, that on the 18th OF Sep
tember, 1854, this tract of land weuld be Of
Fered at public sale, at the Land Oflee in Still,
water. and sold to the highest bidder-notice
sufficient to have enabled hundreds Of thousands
Of persons to have been present had they de-
street.-The sale took place in accordance with
The Presidents Proclamation. The Land OH
GERS report. that the utmost harmony pre-
vailed during the sale, "--the purchasers paid
hair monev-reeeiyed evidences of title, and
returned to their homes. This Is the second
lime obstacles have been interposed to the con-
irmation Of this sale, and it is due to those in