The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-06-20
The Pacific Wagon Road.

Very great and well founded dissatisfaction exists by
reason Of the datory movements of the expedition or
ganized for the construction of the wagon road from
Minnesota to the Pacific We have taken some pains to
ascertain in what quarter the blame rests are happy
to state that does not fall upon the officers dispatched
here by the to superintend and assist in
construction.
On the disappointment of Col Mobiles, he was ordered
to repair at once to this point, procure outfit and
and await instructions to He not furnished
with means to make the purchases required but was
obliged to make them the strength Of his personal
credit anticipating that his vouchers would be immedi.
ately honored at Washington, that the dsbursing
agent Of the expedition would speedily arrive with funds
for defraying expenses. The dsbursng agent has but
just arrived and has without the funds anticipated
Col Mobiles has been ready to proceed with the
ton OF this road for amonh but has been
essary detained by the datory action of the general
government
We prepared to say what official is responsible
for the shameful waste of time and means which has al
ready accrued by this delay The best part of the
son. and large proportion of the appropriation being
wasted in doing nothing We shall be sorry find that
any share Of blame is chargeabe to the Secretary the
INTERIOR We had much rather believe that his confidence
had been abused by some unworthy subordinate in his
department. In any event sure that no blame is
atachable to Col Mobiles, to the officers associated
with him. They have displayed most commendable
energy and manifest the utmost Impotence to be about
the business they have been employed to execute.
We respectfully ask the Secretary the Interior to
give this enterprise his personal attention We
fdent that he will find matters in his department which
require examination and refOrm.-IiOneer and Demo-
crdf, 18th inst.
Our neighbors approach Mr.. Secretary
THOMPSON very gingerly in the above notice
of the gross outrages to which Col. MOBILES
has been subjected, but perhaps they go as
far as we could reasonably expect of them.
We, however, have not the slightest doubt
that Thompson himself is directly and cul-
pably to blame in the matter. He is a mar
row minded southern negro driver; hater
of the ncrth and of northern people, and
ready at any moment to use his official po-
sit;on to cripple and retard any northern
public enterprise that comes within his
reach. His political course has been entire
ly shaped in this direction from the day he
first entered Congress in December, 1889, to
the present time. He is known to have spo-
ken of this northern wagon road, since he
became Secretary of the Interior, as fool
ish expenditure of money; that it was too
far north ever to be travelled; while at the
same time he is pushing the southern road
through to California with all the vigor the
idICO Will dlOWs w Ildt Is Tile
use of the Pioneer attempting to uphold the
official conduct of such a man before free
northern people?
A few weeks since, Mr.. Secretary THoMp-
SON objected to one of Col. MOBILES vouch-
ers, because the article of dry Goldfish was in
the list Of provisions purchased for the ex-
petition. He considered this article lux
ury!
JAKE THoMpsoN's treatise on the epicu-
rean Injuries of dish of boiled Goldfish out
sin camp upon the western prairies, will
doubtless become standard work in the lit
erature of sham Democracy, and will GER
tainly be found in the Pioneers library as
soon as published. JAKE evidently does not
wish to be considered one of the Scottish
aristOcracy."