Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1858-08-24


Congress. Through the act of the Leg
islature contract was made by the State
with he La Gro Sc Co. that the Company
should build railroads from the CITY of
Madison, IN tie county of Dane. and from
the village of Columbus, IN county of Co
IuIltia, in tle most direct and feasible
route BY the way Of Portage City to the
II. Croix river oF lake between townships
twenty five and thirtv-one and from thence
to Lake Superior and to bayfield, &c.-
The Company became party 10 the con-
tract with the STATE ly formal acceptance,
undertook and contracted to bgild the
roads last above described, and as a con-
sidcratiun was entitled To receive and en-
Joy the lands granted TO the State for that
purpose, at the times, in The quantities,
and upon the conditions named In the &c,
The first proylSo of section ;, of (he Leg
islatiye act, like a similar provision "A the
aet or Congress. declares. = That the SAID
lands shall be exclusively applied in the
construction of that road for which il was
granted and selected, and shall be dis
+ posed of only as the work progresses, and
+ the same slall be applied ono other work
/ whatever" !. fixed the point of COM
mencement Of the roads at Madison and
Columbus, their junction at Portage City,
and the termination AT the west end of
Lake Superior and Bayfield,.
BY the second section of the act the
State required of the Company, and the
Company contracted to build or construct,
on the most direct aud faisibIe routes from
Madison to Portage City and from Co
lumbus To Portage Cily and Simultaneous
iv.. tl. a L.
both to be completed by the last day o.
December, \. ID. lS5S, and for the pur-
pose of estimating and selecting the lands
granted 10y Congress the city of Madison
was designated the starting point of com
mencement of said road. Section Of
( thiS act of Congress provides, &" That the
lands hereby granted to said State shall be
disposed of 10y The SAID State only IN the
manner following, that Is to say: That a
quantity of land not exceeding one hun
dred and twenty sections, and included
within continuous length Of twenty miles
of roads. respectively may be sold; and
when the Governor of said State shall
certify TO The Secretary of the Interior,
that any twenty continuous miles Of either
of said roads are completed, then another
like quantity of land hereby granted may
be sold, and 50 from time 10 time, untl
said roads are completed" 1t viii he here
seen that the State CHI sell one hundred
and twenty sections Ct land before any
road was completed. and after that anoth-
er enc hundred and twenty sections foI
any continuous twenty miles completed.
III other words, for the first twenty con-
|tinuous miles completed the State might
sell two. hundred and forty sections of
land.
The act Of Congress did not fix any
point of commenceIneutfo for estimating and
selecting the lands granted by Congress ;
hat the act of the Legislature fixed il at
Madison, and the first hundred and TWEEN
t. sections included within twenty coulin-
uous miles, are to be selected within the
first twenty miles, and the one hundred
and twenty sections fer the first twenty
miles completed, making two hundred and
forty sections for the first twenty couIIn-
uous miles completed and TO be selected
within the first twenty miles Of sand road
and within SIX sections IN width on each
side Of the same, or within ID miles on
each side Of the road.
If the act Of the Legislature had simp-
lv fixed Madison as the point Of COM
mencemeut Of sand road for the purpose
of estimating the lands granted. il might
authorize a different construction if that
were the only ground for such coustruc-
tion. But Madison was fixed as the point
of commeucernent Of SAID road, not only
for the purpose Of estimating. but also for
the purpose of selecting. the lands grant
ed Ey Congress. Wnh this view the sec
oud proviso of section 4 Of the act Of the
LEGISLATURE SAYS, :. That the tide of said
lands vest m The La Crosses Milwaukee
Railroad Comuanv In the manner follow
ino that Is TO say: whenever twenty con-
.,;,=,,o,s r,;las of The said road shall he
co,,,nJe,ed 50 a. 10 admit Of rupnjng req
nIar .rains an The ethe Governor shall
rar,iry n he Secretary Of the Interior
lbe fact tha, such twenty continuous miles