Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-07-24

for the purposes, and no
other, to accomplish which it was granted.
But what do we see already exhibited at
the present session of the Legislature ?
What, but an attempt to revive the old
swindling Minnesota and Northwestern Rail
road Company-not revive it with capital at
its back, and good faith and honesty in its
heart, which we should be glad to see-but
revive it with the fraudulent design of coming
in Under the provisions of the $5,O00,OOO
amendment granting aid to the four Land
Grant" Companies!
Amidst all the frauds and forgeries, ami
briberies, and legal collisions by which this
Company have corrupted public virtue ana
public officials during its career OF four or
five years, this last caps the climax OF UNI
blushing eifrontery
Who does not know that neither in the
Legislature nor before the people was the
Minnesota and Northwestern company ever
heard of as one of the land grant companies to
aid whom the people voted that 5,COO,OoO OF
dollars! There never was a question more
thoroughly discussed in all its possible bear
ings than was that bill, and that one issue;
but in what newspaper, by what speaker on
the stump, was seord ever breathed that by
any possibility any of that money could,
would or should go to the Minnesota and
North Western Company? In none-by none!
The aid was undoubtedly voted to the four
Land Grant Companies of 1857, and to none
other No one but an unblushing falsifer
will say differently.
We denource, therefore, the attempt to
wrest portion of the five million loan into
the hands of that defunct Company as not
only swinde upon the other Companies
but as Grand Swindle also upon the confid
ing people of Minnesota, who voted tor the
constitutional amendment with not the re-
hottest idea that it concealed under its pro-
visions this amongst other sable Africans ly-
ing snugly under its fence. However much
other Africans concealed under the phraseol-
oey of the bill may have been pointed out to
the people, this one was most thoroughly con-
cealed from their slightest gaze.
1t is asked how it can be possible that the
Minnesota and North-W estern Railroad Com
pany have any show to grab $l,OOO,OOO of
this money?-we answer, that the bill was
carefully prepared and the effect of each word
studied in the office of the Minnesota and
Pacific Company, here in st. Paul, under the
immediate eye of EDMUND RICE who is at
once chief manager Of both Companies -
that the wording of the amendment to the
Constitution makes the loan to enure to the
benefit Of all LAND Grant" Roads, in such gen.
cralterms that bylegal construction the Mime
sofa and North Western Company may pos
sibly be included as one Of them, provided it
can prove itself Land Grant Company,
through winning tie suit for the lands-that
the first news of the revival Of the defunct
Company was after EDMOND RICE reached
New York. where he made those arrange
ments ''for all the money"his Company "would
require" as his letter before the election stated
and after he heard that the loan bill was
adopted by the people;-whcn his ally and
associate, LowBER, the New ork Spectator
who some time ago heeccd the city of New
York so unmei cifully as Acting President of
the Company writes 4 letter to our Acting
Governor claiming The Minnesota and North
Ucstern to be Il "Land Grant Road" ami to
be entitled TO come IN for q share Of Tie loan!
Could impudence and rascaty farther go ?
Yet there is no doubt, from the cakinos out
around, that the whole scheme was deliber-
ately planned frem the very BEGINNING that
the defrauding of the other real land grant
companies, and still worse, the swindling OF
the people without their knowing it, was all
deliberately concocted in the office Of the
Minnesota and Pacific Company which, as
we said before, is substantially identical with
the Minnesota & North Yes. err,-at the peri
cd when the bill for the constitutional amend
ment was first drafted in that office
In our opinion, the Railroad Of Rail.
roads-molc important to Minnesota at large
and to st. Paul in particular, than any or all
others-is the one of barely $50 miles in
length, connecting the Inland Sea of Supe-
rior with the Head of Navigation on the
great Mississippi at this point, and thereby
bringing us as convenient to New York as
Galcna or Dubuque now are.
|. If HENRY NJ. RICE had not sought to
serve his own private interests at bayfield, in
stead of those Of Minnesota, the grant OF
land from here to Superior city would easily
have been reiterated by Congress in 1857
all difficulty would have thus been removed
and the prospect Of building a road rendered
"a sure one.
But it did not suit his interests to have it
so; and we are therefore compelled to cling
to the hope that this old scoundrely North
western Company Iaoy probably win the suit
for tic lands under the pr ete:.ce Of their YES
ted rights-and nag possibly go on honestly
and build the ROAD with the proceeds aud
for this reason and to gre ii chance 10 do
'oaat aobody Else can a1e are IN tacOr Of The pas
sage Of the bill non before tie Legislature to re-
vivc their chatter release them from con-
structng the telegraph and the lower portion
of their road to the Iowa line but we in
sist that this bill should contain 2,yoeiso,
that its acceptance by the company shall be
considered q formal REIMBURSEMENT to tie OTHER
companies Of eng possible olaim they might set
up 70 aay portion Of the $5.0OO,OOO Loan, to
which every prncipleg of justice and ev-
cry consideration of right denies that they
have the shadow of an honest title to obtain
one dollar
1t may bc urged that we should 60 for this