Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-06-25

making but twcuty-one days that he must have re-
cciycd something ike or days constructive per uiemi
aud vet he says that il consequence " his having made
thc best bargain for the Government hat as made
ne ought TO have S2l3 morci
Mr.. Speaker, have some comments TO make In rcla
ton TO the price that paid for this property, and some
comments upon the testimony stated IN the majority
geuicwvn will read the fun report Of the testimony,
think they will that Ia every instance where evidence
is Qr1tcd in regard the value of the lands being
worth higher price than paid for it--thc evidence
fully reported is st stronger and n Other instances
where the value is moderated, they viii find that IN the
Naminaton the testimony Is very much changed
and solCncd down, 20 alter the whole complexion
Of the case. This testimony contains nc evidence oi
three Indian agents and some seven q MOI gentlemen
from ST. Paul. How they came here I know not but
suppose somewhat AS those peuhots came. 81 iaul'
like other smart towns has small opinion Of outsiders
III perfectly apparent that ne gentlemen who live at
st Paul imagine that the axis Of the world sticks out
lust there or 70 quote ht nifty author of the Autoa
Of the Breakfast Table substituting for the words "os
ton State House" 81 Paul they imagine that est Paul
is the hub Of The solar systemj you could not py that
ont Of from 81. Paul " you had the tire N all
creation straghtcned out for a cfov-bar"
As an instance where the full testimony Is stronger
than the extract ! take the testimony Of MI NJ. c.
Smith, as stated in the minority report
IN. G Smith thinks IL worth twenty-five dollars
per acre for agricultural purposes but considering Us
o oji: "'''s'' Is . Town '''''
Here Is his testimony
"4asircr. ] could not. | have seen a small portion
the creek back from the river which is rather sandy
but the time adjoining that the other side Of
the creek wanted to buy some land the price Of which
thirty dollars acre. and advised friend Of mine
20 purchase 1t at that price II is not only equally as
sandy, but nine or ten acres were bog hole. -,
Question 1919. Do you regard the site Of Fort smell
ing a eligible point for the location ofa city ora
town.
"Que,fonl35o. What would You say that tract Of
land was WORTH taking into consideration rs advantages
town Site at that tmc -
"igsro should not pm % Hno" S'''""'
think IL worth not flr rom that
Take. another instance, iac testimony oi VIZ i.f
u viii be seen. by referring 60 BIS testimony ihni be
D.. Hl
make any money ~ -hc sac and aai ihCy ol-lt t'
haze disposed &c Go tihc lowest price possible. Do
NOT in favor o. ;hr Government tcrri,ine m,fr 'H n
81 li rr acre. and ~ course q, E,es his Testimony n
accordance v't ,hat 'hcerv. hai shall pot la,e 'ur
tri as bad proposed ar-uf that ihc r-iec a ne.
uot enough. hrrtasr Nr Graham SAYS ra'tfarH a.
90 zirc AZ least 81 0o9' fh,F could uot E o &c .s>
Ss-rir ssr. -h.t ther would hare given $4,000. and
Nailfr $4,000. tzt Graham iri's thar fhey would
20 pay the outsiders for ihcif Improvements Ora
ham aiai,s tl7t &c Is worth double what they gave f ~
Mather thinks De would not sell t for that 9it snty
concluded rather reluctantly that De wond take aougo
what he gave for o. Colonel Robert Smith SAYS that Ec
would have given four times eleven dollars an acre, and
would have uone hc extent W his nile" amt c1ud do
So no- do regard She price Of any material conse
qucn-c hut do regard Of SOME consequence THAT
should set thc seal OF our Misrepresentation npon the
manncr in which this sale has been conducted
Nh Steele sold part Of this land 20 railroad men, as
particular favor, and also because they were railroad
mcu whose did and assistance 10 was desirable 20 enlist
and hence there was an nduccmont for him TO t 81 at
los figure and set that was for about double 'e rate
Matthew johnson had offered 20 him one twenty scy-
cnih rart Of it fr $1,000 bringing the whole rc'ea
ton up 20 Si1j1'0 and The seller figured thciro.pcc-
tive value up TO Si40lOh. J. c. Hall would nke 10
hiv half AZ d1usic the cost price The price paid was
inadequate account of the terms m regard omiercst
credit having been given Of one aud two years upon
two-thds and one third NJ he price So that with the
pri of money as it could be- loaned by Mt Steele at
ree pr cont month II was better terms than So 600
would have been, cash in hand The price paid hr it
was not A. uurh offered 10y Mr.. steele Tor II one
wear ago then he offered fifteen dollars per acre, or
take in the lump, aud call five thousand acres for
5000 dollars while eight thousand acres were sold To
him now fir Sll.01O The reserve was ihcn computed
hy Nj Steele contain FIVE thousand acres but now he
admits that ttre are eieht th'"sahu "'I us u'v
wear ago conceded the Government the retention Of
the brt, buildings, and tract OF land Tor Government
use IL IS now sold hr Sli.ol ON inc. Mhout mitr-
est including el the Government buildings and All the
srrlundinI land II docsnot appear from ihe report of
The commissioners that they knew anything 40 all about
the exact quantity OF land In the reserve The contract
sags that ;tTc seven thousand acres In that de-
ee.en was ufac,.el upon the Secretary Of War. for
Major Eastman admits in his testimony that there are
seven thousand FIVE hundred acres He sayshe did not
complete the survey, but that he had progressed so r
that he could determine the number Of acres, but does
not appear that he did compute the number Of acres
1T was guess work, and have no more confidence in
hi. guesses than in another mans.
CAPTAIN Whithan tostfcs that there eight nine
thousand acres NJ. G. Smith thinks there were eight
thousand; and many mink ne says hete are more Inan
NM fo3 him hrf 6rd bern Nnacr estimated and that
there were eleven thousand acres.
That there were cuml nations. the report Of the COM
nsiuners the Secretary roundy asserts that they have
'upon good authority" But upon the closest invcsiga
ton, ali the stories and rnmors sink into utter nsgnih
cauce MI steele nronab Whispered the thle 20 mayor
Eastman, and he very greedy snaowed IT, beyond
this, II appears ~ M ieski suppehehsiy leI 10
the Secretary Of War, june H. 1921, mat mayor hast-
man, being there on the spot was uly aware OF a ue
movements going on and INC combinations benB 9rmea'
But the Mnjor hay contradc9 ms ana says ne ma no
personal knowledge Of any such combinations 9ha lhat
he "comd only CLEAN Il from rumors oW me 0fHer gen
Item ~, tlleskell,l who mixed Freely WIN me people
beng stranger and being more or less at the hotels
heard things which lea nm to believe hai such was INC
fact. and he told me-
On the whole, the knowledge Of the commissioners on
this point was entirely reciprocal Mr. heisN'l was IA.
formed by Major Eastman, ana MAJOR Eastman was told
by Mr. Ilcskell
The military authority IN favor OF the retention Oh inc
post is overwhelmingly but have no time to quote il
now come 70 the division Of the spoils Mr. steele
csthes that his share Is on-hird, and the written con
tract between the parties shows that was his bona fdc
share.
DR.. Graham tcstifcs that his share is ninth but
the contract referred 10 shows that II was liked at one
third, however subsequently, parliuoned.
Mr. Richard Schen tcsuhcs that the interests Of Mr..
himself and Mrs Schcl and Maihet have not been sep
arated, but that be thinks his wife viii have t"owelith'
and himself nearly two-tweflhs lie nsu says that he
and Mather paid $4,000, and that he paid about S3-
900, which ef, 1000 for Mather to pay, IT, therefore
Mathers interest IS Just what he contributed according
this there would be, with Sche S3)0o excess over
onehird, and Ma'hers 5000 short the sum q 5000
onc-hfh of the purchase lying waste, ready 20 be
entered upon BY Hard Sche Augustus, or any other
terprising fyoute
The commissioners flieskcll and Easiman) knew no
aNn 80 N NNI