The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-04-01

purchasers agreeing WIN tnS fesP.easo ma"
rosd Companie. therefor, Pr0cided, That be
tore y.leasing the interest Of the State TO such
la.as. such sale shall be approved by the Gov
e,nor' bat the proceeds OF all such sales
shall be applied 70 the payment Of interest &C
rruinr upon the bonds In case ~ defs nit OF the
Dayment Of the same, and - q sinking fund to
meet any future default In the payment Of in
tere,t, and the principal thereof when due.
Under this language, the first two hun.
dred and forty sections which a Compan-
ia now, or may become. authorized 10 sell
are set apart and conveyed to the State, for
the purpose Of sinking fund for principal
or to meet actual default by a company in
the payment Of interest. The object is oh
tanned, il, by the time good price can be
had for them (ny $40 per acre., the right to
scll IL vested. At the outset, the right TO
sell the first 100 sections was suggested az
means Of providing accrung payments Of
interest: but, az the bill was amended, the
lands are relied upon TO provide for the State
bonds at maturity.
Hence, il is not ~ important, whether the
right to sell and convey the land is made alb
solute Immediately or in reasonable period
hereafter, and in this respect the opponents
Of the loan attach far more importance than
il demands, TO the letter in question.
Section Of the Minnesota land grant act
il in the following words
"ssc. {. And be II further enacted, That
the lands hereby granted to SAID IeIIitnry or
future state, shall be Disposed 0f by said Terri
tory or future state, only IN the manner follow.
Ing, that Is to say, that q quantity of land not
exceeding one hundred and twenty sections for
each Of said roads aud branches, and included
within u continuous length Ut each Of said roads
and branches, may be sold and when the Gov
erpor Of said Territory or future State shall
certify to tho Secretary OF the Interior, that
any twenty continuous miles Of any Of said
roads or branches IA completed, then dnofhe,
quantity Of land hereby granted, not to exceed
one hundred and twenty sections for each Of
said roads and branches having twenty c0ntin
uous miles completed IA Aforesaid and included
m,thm continuous length " f,osnfy mules 81 each
NJ sad roads o, branches, may be s0ld and no
from time 10 time until said roads and branches
are completed aud II any Of said roads or
branches ~ not completed within ten years no
further sale shall be made, and the lands unsoid
shall revert 10 the United States
The right to sell the first one hundred and
twenty sections in advance Of construction
X No evident from the first clause, that Col.
ID. A. ROBEnrsos, Notwithstanding his
strong bias, lately used tho following lam
guagc in our paper, q pom fan eonsfrue'
ton Of The Land Grant, The State IS pro6dbiy
entitled 10 rece,re for each road 100 sections,
upon lotation, and ~ adrdnee Of completion"
Such was the construction Of the Minnesota
Legislature, when they disposed Of the Grant.
By Section l6 Of this Act, it Is provided,
that " whenever twenty or more continuous
miles Of road shall have been located, the
Governor shall certify the same to the SEQ
rotary Of the Interior and thereupon the Ii.
tic to one hundred and twenty sections Of
said lands shall vest in the said Company,
&c. In Wisconsin, the Legislature required
twenty miles Of construction, instead Of To-
cation but allowed the Companies, when
said twenty miles was completed, to sell tro
hundred and forty sections Of id"d-thus re-
cognixing the law Of Congress to provide ~
the Legislature Of Minnesota has directed.
The Railroad Companies will claim, ind
take the opinion of Attorney General BLAoS
upon the point, that Section above quotet
gives to the State, and thence to the Com
panics, the right to sell 800 sections at tn,
start, and mn equal quantity thereafter
another 100 sections on the construction o
every twenty miles, and this with only on
qualification. namely. that the lands shall h
",ncluied r,fhm cont,nuousisngth Of tirentl
miles Of the road" II would have beer
easy to say II adjacent TO the portion
completed" but language is carefully en-
ployed which merely implies that the land
must be located in body resting on a "cor
tinuous length of twenty miles" 1t is il
sisted that no other construction would cal
ry the object Of the Grant into effect no
will the point he yielded until the Suprem
Court of the United States has determine
adversely.
The error oi Mr.. HsNpRlcKs hasty not
is, that he assumes--thinks il plain ths
the lands authorized to he sold must be "ol
pcsite the completed portion" The lrgisl'
lures Of Wisconsin and Minnesota construe
tho expression " included within con,in'
Gus length Of twenty miles Of each Of sue
roads or branches" as intended TO carry o,
the manifest object OF Congress. namely,
allow the sale of $500 acres for ever
twenty miles Of completed road; and We ha'
been informed. and have ssn newspap-
statements to the etSct, tina, the right
the la Crosse and Milwaukee, Il, r. Co,
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