Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-08-28
FTUHI Ute TIVHe'
TO THE PUBLIC.

The General Government Roads Of the Territory.
ssRender therefore, to all their dues; tribute to
whom tribute is due: custom to whom custom
fear to whom fear honor to whom honor.''
Such are the injuncions of Holy Writ, and in
the article which follows, the undersigned will
endcavor to obey them.
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 in Justice have been done to par
ties, doubtless unwttingly, in the matter, l have
thought it but Just and light rs an officer and n
citizen, that the public who are most interested
in the information, should have the facts laid be-
fore them just rs they exist.
The first appropriations which were obtained
for the roads, were got through the agency of
Hon. ii. II. Sibley, July Is, 1850, during the
second year of his delegateship. The law grant
ing these appropriations, provided as follows
''For the construction of a 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,
SCOOP
'sFor 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.
s.For the construction of n road from the mouth
Of Swan River, or the most available point
between it and the Sank Rapids, to the Winnebago
s'For the instruction of road from Waba-
shaw to Mendoza, 5000"
''For the survey and LAYING out military road
from Mendoza to the mouth of the Big Sou x
River on the Missouri, $5000.''
Such is the exact phraseologv 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, to constrain the general Gov
ernmcnt nv its action under the law, to virtually
take under its care and supervision the cOnStruc-
ton of all these roads. The construction, it will
| he noticed, was for 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
10 possess itself of facts from disntercsted quar-
tiers (the War Department. which facts the Gov
eminent could furnish to Congress as n reliable
and strong basis upon which Congress would be
called upon from year to year do its coordinate
duty:-furnish 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 munifcient sum of $25l $50: and which
constitute all the roads for which Congress has
made provision, except the road from the Falls
of ST. Anthony, to Fort Ridgey; that from Fort
Ripley to the main road leading to the Red River
of the North that from Crow Wing to Le,ch
Lake; and that from Anoka to Mile Lac; for the
projection of which due credit must be given to
Mr.. Rice, and for which he obtained appropria-
tions, respectively amounting to SIS, 900, 10000,
$4,000, and $1,000; in all, So, 700.
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 hadn putting in
motion the stream of General Government bounty
shall present some further facts which will show
the public how such generous appropriations
have been continues and will leave it to your read
ers to determine the credit that is to be attached
to parties who have been instrumental in this OBJ
jsct.
On the LIST Of September of every year, am
make an annual report Of all the operations which
have occurred on the roads under nv 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