Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1856-02-23

spring7 The one hindered navigation as much
as the other facilitated it. The one was no
more an unusual occurrence than the other, and
the last winter will as long be regarded as the
cold .rinter, as the other will be, as the year
of the great food. "
A MONSTER on TRIAL.-John Fitzgerald is on
trial at Auburn, for the murder Of his father,
mother and brother. The murderer is . mere boy
is not yet twenty years of age, end displays .
most astonishing Indifference with regard to his
crime, its consequences and his own awful situa-
ton. His counsel, are Christopher Morgan and
Joshua Spencer. -. tsr ..el .s.a
Veto Message Of the M. L N. W. R..R.cs.
u ~. EXECUTIVE DErARrxENr,
Feb. 10Th. 1856.
To the Speaker offhe House Of Representatives. {:
"I herewith return Bill No. 40, entitled, 6 An
Act granting an extension of time to the M. & N.
w. r. r. Co.," with my objections to its becom-
Jog law. 1t is by no means in Agreeable duty
to offer objections to the laws passed BY the Leg
islative branch of the Government, but in this
instance the more reflection and investigation |
give the subject, the more firmly ami convinced
of the impolicy of reviving and confusing in
force Railroas Charter that has been the means
of impeding the progress of our interesting Ter
ritOry to greater extent than any other
cause for the past two years. Every movement
of its friends has tended to bring our Territory
into direct conflict with some of the branches Of
the National Government. Its officers and pro.
ceedings have from the beginning been shrouded
in mystery. Its management seems to be studi-
ously concealed from the Territorial admins
tratioo and from the whole people. b. rat
After the law passed the Congress Of the Uni
ted States granting lands to Minnesota to build
the road contemplated in the Charter Of the Nj. 4
N. W. X. r. Co., the friends of that charter pro-
cured an alteration to be made in that Act of
Congress. (which was held by IL Committee of the
House of Representatives to be Unauthorized and
deserving of censure.' '~a IT,
Such wrongful alteration produced 50 great a
Juror of indignation among the members of Con-
gross that our Lar Grant was repealed by an
overwhelming majority. Next, a suit was insti-
tuted by the u. s. District Attorney; and that
has failed to recover the lands for this Company.
The next step was an arpe nj to the Sec. of the
Interior to retrace his steps and recognize the
rights of the company to the lands, and that has
failed them. eu-t eaI
limitations are now thrown out by the reruted
Agent of the Company, that suits may be insttu-
ted against the u. S. Land Officers, or that suits
might perhaps be commenced against the actual
settler on the lands nthe line IF the proposed
mately get their corporate grip on the Congress
sonal grant. ~
But what hope, founded reason, is there
that the Company will commence the road if you
extend the time until 1858 or 1860, or even 1878?
What security have you? In fact you DELHI
the Government of the U. S., they will not build
the road and they distinctly tell you that s no
sane MIN will undertake to construct the road,
without the lands.' (See letter of Robert w.
Lowber, actin. President Of the NJ. & N. w. r.
r. Co., to Robert McClellanj, Sec. of the Inte-
rior, dated New York, Dec. IL, 1859 In the
same correspondence between this Railroad Co. and
the Sec of the Interior of the same date, it ap.
pears that the right Of this Company to take these
lands is utterly ignored by that high functionary
of the Government. Under such decision, this
Company is efectually shut out from any hope
of getting hold If the lands by any means what
ever, which fact is distinctly acknowledged by
the Company itself.
Therefore, when we see that Congress has in
dignantly rebuked the alteration Of the law Of
Congress by its prompt rcpeal-that the popular
branch has once, by an overwhelming majority.
annulled this same Charter which you now pro-
pose to revive and continue-that the Executive
officers Of the Nation have ignored all pretended
rights of this Company to these lands-that
the Supreme Court of the United States has dis
missed the writ of error. the motion of the law
to crush the pretentions of this Company under
the Charter that you are now reviving and extend
ing-all of which has been done by the U. S.
Government, sfor reasons of public policy and
administrative expedicncy,' it will hardly be de-
MED that this NJ. / n. w. r. r. Co. is without
remedy
/ then appeal to you as Representatives of the
people, to abandon the NJ. & N. W.R. r. Co.,
and adopt some new plan to expedite Railroad
cemmun:ca with the States. c,.-estf -fa.
If you persist in arraying yourselves against
the policy of the National Government, and
against the expressed will Of Congress--any fur.
Their aid from Government is hopeless, and by
your act, you will have retarded our growth and
put check upon our permanent prosprity. l
appeal to you not to hold on to a Chatter that
think has been demonstrated to be unsafe and
unjust to the welfare of our Territory.
The last session of the Minnesota Legislature
passed seyerl amendments to the Nh N. W. r.
K. Charter, which now appear on your Statute
Books. The fifth section to the last amendment
| reads 40 follows: ~ 1855 <fG scif-
Sec s. Sin ease said Company do not accept of this
act, and the act to which thi4 IL . supplement,
within SIX months after the passage hereof, then
all the lands before mentioned, together with the
property and franchises of said Company, shall
be forfeited to the Territory"
Notwithstanding that these amendments were
not worth the paper on which they were written,
unless accepted by the Company, and "a
the Company came forward and asked to have
them passed, and even struggled snd succeeded in
passing them over my veto, yet they have not &C
cepted them, nor have we the least reason to be-
| lieve they ever intend to do %. - fttie
The amendments of last year extended the time
for commencing and completing the road, and
then We were told that the Company was going
on to construct the road, lands or no lands. Now
| they say, emo sane man would attempt such .
thing without the lands. - 0trt"