Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-10-15
From the Chicago Tribune Oct 9
A Question of Squatter SOver-
eignty.

The long contested case of the site Of
Superior City, Wis, as between the Supe-
rior Town consisting of Ste
phen A. Douglas, Jesse D. Bright, John
c. Breckenridge, Sidney Webster flor self
and Frank Pierce and number of like
Democratic patiots on the one hand-and
the poor Irish dupes who occupied the
ground before it was brought into market
on the other, was brought to close at
the Superior Land office week before last.
The decision was rendered against polite
ians andi n favor of the pre-emptors. The
circumstances of the case were these. Be
fore the land constituting the site of the
Superior was brought into market-we
believe before it was surveyed-when it
could only be held by actual occupation,
these sharp sighted Democrats, one of them
President of the United States, another
Vice President, and third, who most
anxiously yearn to be President, employed
an agent to produce rabble of Irishmen
to occupy the ground, build cabins, and be-
come possessors of the soil of Columbia.
The Hibernians seized upon the tempt
ing proposal, built their huts, staked out a
few gardens, and erected uncommonly large
pig pens all over the site of SUPERIOR
They fulfilled the requirements of the pre-
emption law to the letter, with the minute
exception that they neglected to file their
intentions to claim the land in the office of
the Register of the Superior district, and
neglected still further to prove up their
claims and pay the minimum price, $l.25
per acre, when the land was brought into
market. These formalities were exactly
those which it was intended they should
omit. Probably not one in their whole
number could read the English language
They knew less of the presumption laws of
the United States than their swine did of
speculative philosophy. Of course it was
nobody's business to 60 to them and ex-
plain the arcana of the General Land Of
flee.
When the land came into market, and
no one appeared to have a legal claim to
the site of Superior, it was offered at auc-
ton according to law. The Superior
Town Company then came into existance;
its agent bid in the property, and ordered
the seattle" off instanter. This was de-
velopment evidently not down in the bills,
for the cattle made huge outcry, and fill
ed the whole country about Fond du Lac
and Superior with threatenings and lamen-
tations. They finally made virtue of ne
cessity, pocketed their wrongs, shouldered
their pigs, and decamped across the mouth
of the St. Louis river, where they have re-
mained ever since, cursing the swindlers on
the other side, and plotting vengeance.
1t was evident that the Irshman could
give the Superior spectators trouble before
the titles in that region was regularly set
tied. The Presumption Laws of the Uni
ted States were enacted for the protection
of the actual settlers against the non-resi
dent speculator. The ignorant dupes who
occupied the site of Superior, had, perhaps
no title in law, but they had very respect
able one equity-such one as the Gener-
al Land Office was bound to recognize
Several prominent lawyers in Minnesota,
and Others who passed through Superior on
pleasure excursions, were solicited to argue
the case, but either through dislike to Of
fend the formidable members of the Supe-
rior Company, or seeing no prospect ofjus-
tice in a case involving so much Democra-
cy, it was not taken hold of in earnest until
recently, when the Hon. St. "A. d. Bal
combe, late President of tho Republican
Constitutional Convention of Minnesota,
assumed the management in behalf of the
Irishman, and prosecuted it, as we learn, to
a triumphant conclusion. The case, doubt
less, be taken on appeal to the General
Land Office at Washington.
...... -.,,oJ Job, n Topo, J;ol E.on>