New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-20

whole county arornd the citizens Of these places VIII
be pleased TO learn Gifts disposal. Several lmpor'
thOTOughaTes are setcI ed across H. bG hithe'o
the crossing Of the river ha. been slow dificut and
expensive. Now we shah soon have hne bridge
AID communication. travel, &C., Will be cheap, easy
and expediiious. We congratulate our neighDors Oi
Henpepin COusty, too, upon having so noe portion
OF its county mace subject % taxation, and also 10
the operation Of private enterprise.
Just think what care has been taken to keep
this property out Of the hands Of "speculators'
Of course, Mr. Franklin Steele (or Stole) is no
Spectator: and those who have been instrumental
in putting this vast property into bis hands are no
SPECTATORS. They are models Of philanthropy and
disin!erestedness and have bought this property
for 100000 only to keep spectators from getting
it for ten shiLings and holding 1t for SioOo
per lot. And then, if spectators had been per-
mitttd to compete for it, the Government would
probably have failed to open up the Reserve to
" improvement" it being the custom ofspeculators
to hold their lands cut of market and thus prevent
their occupation and improvement Can anybody
be deceived by such shallow absurdites
Let us now listen to the reasons alleged BY Mr.
VIM. X. Heisken of Washington City, who 1t
seems, with Maj. Seth Eastman, selected by Secre-
tary Floyd to go to Minnesota and sell this pub
lie property. Mr.. II. writes;
81 found, ON mixing with the peope-to whom
was entirely uDknown-that the subject OF the sale
was discussed at the dinner table and on the streets
and the plan Of operations appeared 70 be settled that
the lots should bring from 81 - TO s, - per acre and
if all the property should be Offered together they
stated that the price should not exceed SooOoo. AS
we were limited in piice to q 20 per acre, the comb
ration that had been formed would have prevented
any sale whatever.
"Ihere is one fact to which wouldcall your atten-
ton and that il, the great PR JUDGE existing in the
public mind against the sale OF land belonging TO
the United States at more than - - Per acre. Where
such lard is located the best and most respecta
bic will unite 10 prevent the sale at over 81 %
per acre.
The parties forming the combination, being disap-
pointed in Their schemes, WILL il all probability, make
complaint Of the sale; but it will be clly the COM
plant OF the disappointed in obtaining the property
for much leas than its value.
Docs this look reasonable Was the Govern
ment under any obligation to sell Might not the
evidence that such combination as is here alleged
was 80 powerful that the fair price Of the property
could not be obtained Might not be or they have
fixed on set price on every quaner-secsion, and
sad THAT is within the fair value Of this prop
"erty. If it is not bid, there will be no sale ~
such combination might have been baiilci had the
sellers really desired to give all fair chance TO
buy and sell that property for its fill value! Yet
The States (Washington) plumply says
"Well, the complaint has been made, aud the
editors OF TIL New. York TRIBUNE, OF TIE Roclcs.
ter Democrat, Cinctaaoi, Go-cic, and other equally
di,oD,onted individuals, rage aad foam 5c,ause js
lena rcoS not PIT up Il; p"Ol'c a1ctl0a ann sold at
81 % per ocre."
Why tell so ridiculous no-such-t thing as this
1t were just rs easy to have charged at once that
these journalists foam and rage" because the
Government did not divide this land into three par
GELS and make an outright gift Of them to said
journalists. If truth is no object, and even pausi
bility is dsregsrded, it would seem easy to make
assertions with some point
Now, let us hear Mr.. Heiskell's official reasons
for giving to Franklin Steele alone the privilege OF
buying this property:
ave find upon the reservation extensive improve
nents made by citizens, the cost of which canuOt
have been less than S5O,OCo. They date back some
twenty wears. We also lind that they all owned
ard in the possession o. the tort sutler, franklin
Steele, ESQ.
I'VE are positive in saying that Mr.. Steele is the
only claimant upon the same made by citizens
eve could not conceal the fact that he had ex
pepded ia improvements a large amount Of money,
END that to give another the right to purchase the
seryation would e.ieotualy compel HIN to lose all that
he had cape nded. We therefore came to The cUncu-
sion that Justice required lis to give Mr. Steele the
fusal at the pice $50 OOO) we had agreed upon. We
accordingly nade bo the offer. de proposed TO give
5000 We informed him I'd II we should not dispose
OF il for less sum than we had estimated II AZ, viz:
$685. Il; which price he accepted II, AM we closed
contract Tor the same
Thee extensive improvements Of course,
were al made by trespass, IN glaring d-ilnce of
law. How they came to be made, by whom they
we're made, and how Mr. steele cameto own them,
are carefully kept from view. BUTT isveTy certain
that Mr. Steele Improvements, however made, do
not cover a forteth and probably not a hunlreth
part OF the Reservation. What riyh! could these
trespasses give him to the seven thousand acres
which are unaffected by them Way not puG the
Receive up at auction in lots and allow Mr.. Steele
70 buy the lot covered by his Improvements a. tue
average price of other lots as ehgibly located
Would that have compelled lin TO "lo.e all he had
expended" Is it to be the rule henceforth that
the fort sutler" is to have the refusal of each
Military Reserve at III brought INTO market! Let
Us understand.
There are maay millions worth Of United States
property which nay be jobbed away for song, if
the principle asserted in this case j, acquesced in
There is the Rock Island reserve, for instance, in
the Mississippi between Illinois and Iowa, which
has been long disused for Military post, aul
which must be worth al least slOO per acre, and
will probably bring more. Of what fort sutcr is
this Reserve the perquistel Is it to be sold pri
ya.ely at ST. or So per acre viii Secretary
Floyd inform tie public whether he does or does
not mean 70 sell other Reserves he has sold Fort
# know vxLe ether L si5ent E,ch,n-