Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-09-09
MintraI 4oint Tribuue.
TIE RAIL ROAD GRANT AGAIN.

The Columbus Journal takes issue with US on
some points made in an article on this subject.
| recently published. We did not in that article
assign all the reasons Why Madison should be
made the pointin this Road. or suppose this sub
Joct was by any means exhausted. 1t was such
an article as We thought would appeal to the
good sense of the people in our south western
counties aud such plain public interest and
Justice seemed to dictate.
The design aud object Of this land grant, was
we presume the benefit of the greatest extent
of territory and number of people in the State.
Ii the road terminates at Madison, it becomes
the natural feeder of two important r ,ads, built
or building by private capital; aud instead of
depreciatiag their stock, raises and enhances it's
value s
The Milwaukee and Mississippi Road
pioneer enterprise of the State-connecting as
it does with Jaaesvi,ls and f'ssoit. ought not to
be lightly treated in the distribution of this
grant, while the Watertown and Madison Road
would also be largely benefited
Morris the fact lightly to be ignored that this
route will accommodate by far the largest num-
Der OF people. aff.tding them the means of easy
easress and ingress The four principal cities
In the interior-Beloit, GAINESVILLE, Madison. and
Portage city, with an aggregate population of
not less than 5000. are thereby directly con-
nected, and the population Of Rock, Dane. and
part of Columbia counties. on this line, is near
~ one sixth fthe entire population of the State.
But this is not all The entire south west, en-
bracing Green. Lafayette. Grant and Iowa coun-
ties, with 100000 more population by any
other plan, are wholly cut off from any possi-
BILE benefit from this mammoth grant. If built
to Madison, more than 100000 of our population
derive direct or Incidental benefit from it. They
derive all the benefit that is possible from the
points settled by Congress.
| Now, aside from a local benefit to Columbus
how many people will be benefited by that
terminus? The La Crosse Road runs to Beaver
Dam, close by on the east, a Road built by pri-
vate capital which termination there would
injure if not destroy. Watertown is no more
benefited by termination at Columbus than
at Madison--nor so much. We ask then, why
should so large proportion ofthe people of the
State be discommoded, and such immense in
terests are held by these large interior cities
be perilled merely to accommodate the village
| VI SoluuuOuSf
Then the people of the south western coun-
ties. if this Road is built as We have indicated,
will have direct interest in its success. BY
| extending Roac from this place to Dover, and
connecting with the Mississippi Road, or by 1
branch Road to Janesville, our people reap at
once the benefits of this grant, and secure
market no. only for their agricultural products.
but also for their vast mineral wealth. They
will be enabled then to travel by rail In aay di-
rection, when once upon this central ):ne.
A line drawn on the north from Janesville TO
Portage city direct to Lake Superior shows at
least two thirds of this State to lie west of it.
What has or can this immense section receive
if it now yields its interest in this road, and
fails to all the benefits possible from it?
While our brethren on the east side of the
Saate have had large grants for the Rock River
Canal, the Fox River Improvement, DC, and
are to have by this grant road from Fond du
Lac to Lake Superior, think they ought
measure of the plainest justice, to let US have
this Road where it will accommodate our inter-
ests to the greatest extent, and not interfere,
(unless locally at Columbus') with theirs We
do not complain at what they have received, but
|
this matter are not overlooked or neglected.
We desire to open trade with Milwaukee and
the east, as well as north and south, to
have all the benefits resulting from her differ
ent lines, and cannot do this if shut off now
Besides, it is most clearly for the interests of
that city to advance the interests of all the large
interior cities west of her.
Our neghbor of the Journal is entirely mis-
taken in supposing Columbus to have been
point ginally in serted in the bill making the
grant Why, man. our Representative was most
active in this matter, and both Senators resided
in this district. The insertion of Columbus at
all was mere after-thought. We are well ad-
vised that the officers of the Milwaukee and
Columbus Road had given up all intention of
going to that point at all, until this grant was
made. They then purchased 500 acres of land
| to build city upon aud commenced work for
/ tn, sake OF getting hold of it, Is the Lacrosse
Road, built by private capital, and are all our
| interests in this large and populous section to
suffer to enable them to sell lots at Columbus 2
Besides if this one interest want to secure the
benefits of this grant. they have only to extend
their road to Portage City. They then have
equal chance with all the others.
| We have no personal interest at Madison-we
speak for the people of the southwest We
want this grant to benefit the greatest possible
number. The idea of monopoly In making
Madison point, is a rich one. We speak of
that place because Congress spoke of it--be-
cause the design evidently was to connect our
Capitol with that of Minnesota, it is now
connected with other Capitols east and south
1t is the natural center to accommodate all our
| interests.
So far as any difficulties exist between the
Columbus and LaCross companies we desire to
take no part. We have 1t from well authenti-
Gated sources that the efforts of the Columbus
Company have deprecated the stock of both the
Lacrosse, and the Milwaukee and Mississippi
companies in New York within the last few
weeks, aud regret to learn 1t. The one is an