Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-08-28
For the Times.

For the nmes.
Nh. EDroa ~ observe the Democrat pitches
into my Last, in : very determined manner.
The editor seems decidedly j" iced" he Is 20
&c COOP in bis review Of my points. had sup
posed that the principal use Of the road for the
present, would be to carry the government sup
plies to Fort Ridgely, and the Sioux Agency, but
see that am wrong, the /" road is designed ex-
pressly to accommodate the immigrants through,
and the settlements in certain portion of our
Territory road designed to add to the value of
Government land (Italics mine) by afording ia
cities for reaching that land, road upon which
the mail may be carried &C." swell did you
ever" Mr.. Democrat, you appear good in sta
tistics, will you please look your documents.
(for suppose Mr. Rice has furnished you, andI
am sorry he did not supply meg and see how much
freight is carried to Fl. Ridgely and the Sioux
Agency2 then look over the returns and see how
many white settlers there are, between Fl. Ridge
ly and the Big Woods, on the line of the road,
how many there likely to be in Eve years time?
See if the transportation of Military and Indian
stores is not the greatest freight the road would
have to carry?
readily admit that the object Of the road is to
6 raise the value of government land in GER
tain portion of the country, to wit that
porti known and described as Henderson, and
| that known as Minneapolis, and that known as.
Minnetonka Mill. have not had the slightest
doubt, of this being one of the great objects of
| the road, and another one is to obtain votes and:
Influence for Mr.. Rice. This gentleman knowing
| that Hennepin Co., has a large population, and
that settlers were coming into the Big Woods,
between Minneapolis and the Fort, used his inHu--
ence to have a road laid to &c every mans door,
SO that this influence might be used in connection
with that already acquired, by his efforts to OBJ
tain titles for squatters on the Reserve. Mr..
Brown, the present editor of the Democrat, is the
proprietor of Henderson, and has considerable
influence, so that he must be secured if possible.
| Col. Stevens was interested at the time the road
was proposed, in Minnetonka Mill, and had done
much for the settlement Of the Mnnetonka coup-
try, and also resident of Minneapolis, SO doub-
lie portion of his interest would probably be Sc
cured. So Mr.. Rice could reward bis friends for
past favors, and secure their influence for the flu
ture, throw sand in uncle Sans eyes, by making
him think the road was going to Fl. Rdgely.
Following the suggestion of the editor of the
Democrat, have resumed my geographical stud
les. find that Minnetonka Mill is four miles
north of Straight line from Minneapolis to the
Fort, and Henderson is fifteen miles south of it.
The Democrat says, the road ''is designed to
accommodate immgrants.o
According to the best of our information. tho
immigrants going up to the Minnesota Valley,
come to St. Paul by boat, and thence up, via Fl.
smelling, Gibsons, Shokapee, &C., if they wish to
go on the south side of the river or by the same
route to Gibsons, if they wish to 60 on the north
side. Fit. Smelling is located at the junction of
the two principal rivers of the Territory, and is
therefore made So pOint'' by nature, to which
roads will tend.
Immigrants do not make Minneapolis their stop
ping point, when they leave the river it is at
least eight miles from the landings.
&c road on which the mail may be carried
&C." Is Minneapolis a distributing Office as ST.
Paul is? would its business suffer greatly if
their letters had to be carried eight long miles
over a smooth prairie road? ought every immi-
grant, every government teamster, and every
mail coach to be compelled to take the road from
st. Paul to St. Anthony, and there cross the
bridge ard go by this road, for all the business
hat would be done on it by Minneapolis p
SWELL did YOU ever''
Again, for postal arrangements would it not
nc us well for the Commits loners, to crook their
road twenty mics north of direct line, and give
Il post road to a settlement that has none, as to
take it fifteen miles south, to give it to Hender-
son that is already supplied with a route. Is the
government land in that portion of the Territory
not worth improving? Truly, Mr.. Democrat.
you are getting into the doctrine you used to
charge on the wings, "to make the rich, richer,
and the poor, poorer
The gentleman speaks of the reconnaissance of
Capt. Monroe, being fruitlcss. l can inform him
that lately convcrsed with Lieut.. Bond of Fl.
Ridgey, and was informed by him that he was en-
gagged in looking, and expected to find tolcrablv
straight road between the forts, and to pass the
Glencoe settlement on Crow river, he also said
he had no faith in the road undor discussion. II
was by his remark that my attention was called
to the Crow river settlement.
L" exult over the defeat of the appropriation,
just as every patriot rejoices to see the downfall
of schemes, having for their end the plumber of
the Treasury.
The editor of the Democrat shows strong
marks of being as sleepy, as his antideuvian Re-
publican, when he talks of gentleman of nv DO.
litical stamp being opposed TO internal improve
ment. have yet to learn that the Douglas,
Atchison, Bright, Mason, and Pierce party are at
all Improvement men. Mr.. Rice, himself, charges
them with Sc imbecility."
If the editor will examine, he will find that
throughout the land, the thoroughfares that do
the greatest good, to the greatest number, are
those that connect important points by straight
lines. The &c air line road" is universally prefer.
red. then ask of those obtaining the appropri.
atoms, to give US road as direct as possible be-
tween Fl. Smelling and Fl. Ridgcly. 1t would be
crossed by roads from Minneapolis to Shakpoee,
Shakopee to Excelsior, Chaska to Greenwood.
Carver to Lake Minnetonka, and other Highway
Roads branching from it would bring trade and
travel from Henderson, Glencoe, Lacquiparle.
Swamp Lake, and other places, to the centre Of
| travel for northern Minnesota at ST. Paul.
would call the attention Of the Democrat to
the fact brought out in the recent letter Of Can't
Smpson that Mr. Rice advises tho st.o;~hs..:-