The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-12-08
Gbt Weeklq Minnesutian.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER s, 1856.

WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER s, 1866.
Tia Minnesota and North Western Railroad
Company and Territorial Politics.
The following letter was received by us in
due course of mail, some six weeks ago.
We have deferred publishing it until this time
for reasons not necessary to make known to
the public, and which can neither affect the
interests of the people of Minnesota nor the
interests of the Company:
"OrFIcE OF THE NJ. & N. W. R.R.Co..
New York, Oct. 10th, 1855.
"EiIitor Of Daily Mimnesotiam:
"SIR My attention has been called to an
editorial article in your paper of the 18th
inst, in which it is charged that not only
the money but the influence of the Compa-
ny was arrayed to strike down certain orig
inal and material friends of the enterprise
and the enquiry made whether the leading
men OF the company endorse this action of
their employees and agents here in Mime
sofa, and whether sthe Minnesota and
Northwestern Railroad Company is politi-
cal institution or not
''The N. & N. w. Railroad Company hare
always heretofore abstained from replying to
the various charges and Misrepresentation
made regarding their actions and plans, and
would not now were not the above charges
made by an old and well-tried friend, whose
just claims entitle him to prompt and deci-
ded answer.
sit is now, and always has been the settled
policy of the Company to abstain entirely
from all and any connection or interference
with political parties, cliques or organizations
In Minnesota; and they have not authorized,
and will not permit any employee or agent
of theirs, to use his position as such, or of
the influence or money of the Company, to
advance or retard the political interests of
any man or set of men.
mo authority has been given by the Com
pany to any person, in any manner relating
to their business or affairs, except such as is
contained in their letter to Edmund Rice,
ESQ., OF Sept. 18th, last and no money, ex-
cept such as was necessary to pay the legiti-
mate expenses of their business, has been
sent to your Territory. That you may under
stand fully what instructions were given Mr..
Rice, we enclose you copy of the letter
referred to.
"Neither the Company nor any leading
member OF 1T endorse, or have authorized
the acts you complain of; and they would
very much regret the loss of your friendship
from causes over which they had no control,
and for which they are in no wise RESPONSE
bic.
with much respect, we remain,
Yours very truly,
ROBERT w. LOWBER,
Acting Pres't of NJ. & N. W.R.R.Co."
We would have waived private considera-
lions, and published Mr.. Lowber's letter as
soon as received, had not Mr.. Edmund Rice
answered, in the negative, through our COL
umns, the query whether the Company was
political institution" in day or two af-
ter it was made. No one acquainted with
the circumstances at the time, can censure
us for making that query. AS an original
and ever fast friend Of the enterprise, and
the company, it was our duty to call atten-
ton to the conduct Of the then employees Of
that Company-if for no other purpose, at
least for the Company's oacn sake. Mr.. E. Rice
did not arrive home until the day of election;
but previously he, or the Company, had
placed the preliminaries of commencing the
survey and location in the hands of men
,cho torthoith turned the aohole arrangement into
a political engine to elect H. NJ Rice.
We do not know that those men effected
anything in that direction; but it was not
because they did not try Destitute of the
least particle of moral or political influence
themselves, they used, as we charged, the
power and authority of the Company to
strike down original and fast friends of the
enterprise. rs an employee of the Company,
one of these men Travelled over the line of
the Railroad route from st. Paul to the
Iowa boundary, telling the people that the
Company was anxious that Mr.. Rice should
be elected-that if he was not elected, 1t
was very doubtful whether the road would
ever be built, &C. Whether any voter was
sufficiently verdant to believe such stuff, we
know not; but that should not screen the base
act from exposure on our part. And it could
not be expected that whole political party,
numbering among its members prominent
men of Minnesota but for whose influence
the Company would never have had an exis-
tence, would keep silent under such an out
rageous transaction. Had the man stated
this electioneering Slsehood ON his own per-
sonal responsibility, the case would have
been different; but he spoke to the people as
one having authority from the Company so to
speak. He has since publicly confessed to us
in the streets of st. Paul that he had no
such authority, but chuckles over his own
baseness upon the ground that such tricks
are fair in politics. The Railroad Company,
Of course, do not wish to lose any friends in
Minnesota but the sooner they shake off
this friend (2) the better.
Another reason why suspicious were
aroused at that time unfayorable to the SINGER
hy of the Company, was that no engineer or en-
gineers were employed to take the field. We
care not what the men may call themselves
who made great noise about locating the
Railroad at that time. Intelligent people
here, acquainted with their capacities, knew
they were not engineers. Since then, how
ever, men of standing and ability have been