The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-03-25
2. What nexts It urged with great

over useless road.beds, and fail to put the
roads in operation continuously west and
north from their starting points. Can any
thing be more absurd? Who does not
know that the first great interest Of road
vital to its credit--necessary to success eve
~ ways TO obtain and show receipts on
twenty-five or thirty miles Of road, at least
This is indispensable to any negotiation of
bonds. Then, as to land grant roads the
right to sell 76,s00 acres is only secured
when twenty continuous miles" are COM
pieted and there can be no doubt that the
land Office will require all further construc-
ton Of twenty continuous miles to connect
with what is previously constructed. What
can be palmer than that every nerve will be
strained to lay the track and move the cars
west and north from the st. Croix and Mis-.
sissippi? Look at the Dubuque and Pacific
railroad, constructed thirty miles west from
the Mississippi, and yielding between last
May and December s25G70 nett profits
and when AZ miles arc finished, expected to
double these receipts. See the Hannibal,
and st. Joseph, which,when running twenty
five miles into Northern Missouri from the
river, exceeded the most sanguine calcula
tons of receipts. We might multiply in
stances, in Iowa and Missouri, but can it be
necessary? Are these Minnesota railroad
directors less shrewd, less intelligent than
other western men, in similar circumstances?
3. But some objector may ask, will not
these companies each put full fifty miles i'm
mediately under contract, and prepare that
extent of road,bed for the iron, before laying
the track and starting the cars! 1t may be
so. They may think it better economy to
buy rails and rolling stock for fifty miles in
stead of ten and they may think the public
would be better satisfied to have the first two
millions Of dollars spent here at home, pay
ing laborers, buying provisions and mate
rails, &C., rather than send it abroad. They
may think, indeed, that by such course
they could use their own credit for purchas-
ing rails and locomotives 1--WE expect to see
the cars manufactured in MinnesOta,) and
not divert any part Of the capital obtained
with State aid, from circulating among our
citizens. We have considered this OBJ
lection before; and have expressed our salts.
faction that the loan allows just such state
Of things. In this respect, the interest of a
railroad company is sure to be identical with
the public interest.
4. The M,nnesot,Ds finds serious OBJ
lection to the speedy prosecution Of our rail-
roads, because Irish labOrers-" Celts" as
it chooses to call them-will come to Min
nesota for employment. This illiberal spirit
is as old as the Erie Canal-it would have
arrested the railroad progress ofevery State
For one, we have no sympathy with such q
suggestion; and We rejoice to believe that
constant employment and good wages on
our Minnesota roads, will soon place it in
the power of every Irishman now here or
who may come here to pay for his own home
upon the soil.
5. But il is insisted that these Compa-
MES will throw away the opportunity to OBJ
tain 100000 acres of land which they
can do by building these roads; that they
will forfeit all their obligations to the State;
and individuals connected with them will be
guilty Of personal dishonor, by some scheme
some unintelligible process-ot swindling
the State, Is it not u sufficient answer to
these imputations, for any citizen to place
himself in the position Of these Companies :;
and determine, as he could readily. that it
would be his highest interest to go forward
as the Illinois Central has done, rather than
TO be guilty Of what we prefer to call foiiy
instead Of knavery? Why torture ngenui-
" W EtptNSSHt ufttt a. utsDS hhC iuubtiNSt
when common justice and common sense
speak trumpet-tongued in favor Of an honest
policy How long ago was it, when, at a
public meeting of the opposition to the
Loan Bill. the execution Of their trusts by
these Companies, was exalted as good thing
so valuable thct the State could afford to
ray large sum for the night Of The Compa.
mes 10 20 on. and do crafty tridt The Lean
Bal requires then to de- But now. forsoo,h,
this tack is changed and their franchises
and land grants are so little worth, that both
will be sacrificed for q lew pickings and
s,eaings in the shape OF State bonds, which,
let every reader mark this-,chich can serer
b @Id p,lss parties taking them ~e that the
Companies are honestly eIotiHs Themselves
10 f,dfI eury engagement 10 the STATE Can
voris make this clearer? ct the Mime