Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-05-01

.ni"eu 10 PrOtect themselves and he knows
that "most of the spectators are connected eth
by political or pecuniary interest. with these
claim associations" hope this part of his re-
port Will not be held sufficient to make out case
OF h'gh treason against any of our citizens!
Mr.. Charles L. Emerson admitted to this special
agent that the bidders had clubs % He might
have admitted also, and with equal force mon
his introduction to Mr.. Browne. that the minds
OF certain persons were strangely affected bv Ger
tain phases of the moon.
"Two wagon loads of clubs were found unon
the ground" Perhaps they were cut upon gov
ernment land! If SO. he should have reported
this fact to the timber agent! It seems to have
been unfortunate that those settlers did not invite
Messrs: Dayton & Packard to pay into tho United
States Treasury $40 per for the lands. Sl .25
being for the land and the balance for the hard
labor and righteous earnings bestowed upon it by
the enterprise, and industry of American citizens.
Mr.. Browne further says that ssWilliam r.
Marshall, the principal purchaser, is merchant
and a speculator."
Now, MIR. Marshall is simply merchant, and
his character for integrity will compare fayora.
bly with that OF any MIN, either east OF wcst.-
He is universally respected and for that reason,
poor men solicited him to go and bid off 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, but he atten-
ded the sale and bid it off for the sole purpose
OF accommodating the poor. An! had Mr..
Browne examined the records, with the same care
he seems to have bestowed upon advertisements
in newspapers, and ''noticcs stuck upon trces.c
or with the willingness he gave ear to the idle
gossip OF ide persons, he would have found that
MIR. Marshall had, true to his trust, conveyed to
each individual settler, the lands he had mprov-
ed. Nor did he even charge the settlers one
farthing for the ser, ices he rendered them.
A:pheus q. Fuller is not, nor has he been engaged
in the Indian trade for several years-he is one of
the Oldest residents of the Territory, and instead
of be ng spcculator is a truly energetic and in
dnstriOus contractor and manufacturer. George
L. Becker is also an old resident and had made
large Improvements upon the land he purch ,sed.
Henry NJ. Rice was the Delegate in Congress
and j. Ross Browne was sent to Minnesota as
especial Agent''-neither of them were in the
Territory at the time of the sale, and neither of
them it is believed had anv interest in it-ccr.
tainly the former had none.
sc. L. Emerson obtains five acres!' Five
acres!! almost enough for a vegetable garden!--
He is Editor of the Democrat known rs the
Rice organ" Adangerous man indeed! Edits
paper in Minnesota, AMI is the owner of five
acres of land !! The welfare of the Republic
requires that his enormous and growing a<pira-
tions should be checked his possessions reduced.
This should be looked to!
George W. Biddlc is dentist and-s' land
specuIator." He would SC freely be convicted of
the latter charge: to the former he will plead
guilty; for he is dcntist-a poor but honest man
"A mcdaniel
William S. Combs is Bookseller, and the spo-
cial agent says ss a land spcculator." If owning
a few acres Of land makes man "land specu-
lator," then Mr.. browne is right, and ". S.
Combs must be "land spcculatOr."
MIR. Browne asserts that they all reside in St.
Paul; if he means to restrict this expression to
those named, it is perhaps true, with the exccp-
ton of DIR. Riddle hnt if he means to embrace
n nt LAM eo1o ic
equally of piece with the balance of bis report;
rs certainly not one-fth Of the purchasers of the
lands i'll question do now, did ut the time of
the sale, reside in st. Paul.
DIR. Bddlc built a house, plowed, planted, SOW
Cd, reaped, and resided upon the land he pur-
chased. lie resided on it for months prior to the
sale, and continued to reside upon it, until the
winter had set in, when he removed with his fam
lily to town to remain until Spring.
II. NJ. Rice, the Delegate, did write that the
sales were virtually confirmed and did sc con
gratulate the hardy pioneers of Minnesota upon
the result; )" and justice and truth will sustain
him in writing that letter, Mr.. Browne to the con-
trary notwithstanding; and the only regret Mr..
Rico has in regard TO tho matter is that the citi
zens Of Minnesota should bc made to suffer,
through the ignorance corruption Of others.
The Special Agent again says, "duriug his stay
in Minnesota, he conversed freely with many per-
sons on the subject, and none denied that there
prODaDle:
he may have " convcrscd very freely'' upon other
subjects which they did not deem it important to
deny. Suppose they did not. What does that
amount to! Certainly not that "combination
existed" or that the other subjects were proper
ones for Investigation by Special Agent. lie
says further, ''th.t by the act of 1852, the town
of MENDOZA is secured to the proprietors, and that
MIR. Sibley, tho late Delegate in Congress, is the
principal owner of this town, and there are 9TH
ers. 'prominent spectators and politicians whose
names arc not material to mention" Now can
not see why it is so important that Mr.. Browne
should make known the names of all the promi-
nent spectators and politicians in Minnesota:
such information-the result of his valuable re-
scarches-might become vastly important hereaf-
ter, as historical reference. In respect, however,
to Mendoza, it was county scat in l849--about
one hundred voters reside there. Mr.. Sibey has
resided there about twenty years, and resided
there under the authority of the Government. lie,
with others, went there when the entire country
was a wilderness, and he and others have expend.
ed probably over ono hundred thousand dollars
upon the land. And had Mr.. Browne looked at
the law of 1874, (or got some one to explain it
20 h;,.,) l.0 wuulu nave seen the roiiy OF making
the allusion to Mendoza he did and again, deli
cacy should have restrained him-a special gov
ernment agcnt-from commenting in such man.
ner upon any law passed by the Congress of the
United States.
lie says, " the Government was defrauded out
of at least three hundred thousand dollars y 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 dol
larst come from?
cannot believe that this administration will
use its power to deprive men of the money, labor
and time they have expcndcd-to say nothing of
the hardsbps they have had to encounter in settling
the Great West; neither am willing to believe
that this administration will countenance the re-
port Of a Special Agent who has evidently travel
ed outside of the common courtcsies of life, for
the purpose of injuring citizens Of the country
either pecuniariiy or in reputation.
Public notice was given in the papers three
months in advance, that on the llth Of Septem-
Der, 1854, this tract Of land would be offered at
public sale, at the Land Office in Saltwater, and
sold to the highest bidder-notice sufficient to
have enabled hundreds of thousands of persons
to have been present had they desired-thc sale
took place in accordance with the Presidents
Proclamation. The Land OHicers' report, that
the utmost harmony prevailed during the sale, .
the purchasers paid their money-rcceved evil
dences Of title, and returned to their homes. This
is the second time obstacles have been ipterposed
to the confirmation Of this sale, and it is due to
those interested that the question should be speed
lily settled. Allow me therefore, most urgently,
but respectfully, to ask the Honorable Secretary
Of the Interior, to give it his early consideration
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