The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1858-04-03
Letter from Gov. German.
ST. PAUL, March Is. 1855

| IL was oaiu ny Tue Speakers III reply, ana III
favor of this public debt, that if the R. r.
Companies could not find the lands on the
first twenty miles, they could 90 anywhere
on the line of the road and take others, be-
fore they had completed each 20 miles, and,
indeed, it hes been so stated to the people
now, from day to day, to convince them that
this pledge of 24O sections is ample security
to the State. felt quite sure that they
could not do any such thing, and therefore,
this supposed security to the State of the
249 sections, was delusion, and would so be
proven to the people. Thereupon I address
sed letter to the Commissioners General
Land Office for information on this subject,
and here give his reply which will put at
rest all cavil:
| GENERAL LAND OFFICE
| Washington, March Is, 1858,
SRI having the honor to inclose here
with copy of letter from this Office, dat
ed January 25, 1857, to L, B. Crocker, ESQ.,,
expressive of the views of this office, on the
points submitted in your communication of
the 10th ult., relative to the Railroad Grants.
Very respectfully, your ob't serv'r,
THOS. A. HENDRICKS,
| Commissioner.
Hon. w. A. german, St. Paul, NJ. T.
| GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
Washington, January 49, 1851. (
| SIR In reply to your communications of
| the 9Th inst, on the subject of the Railroad
Grant in Iowa, have to state:
| The 4th Section of the Act of Congress
of the 18th of May, 1856, reads as follows ::
"That the lands hereby granted to said
State, shall be disposed of by said State
| onlv in moDDor follou,pr. <ho< ;S 70 cox,
! that quantity of land not exceeding one
hundred and twenty sections for each of
said roads, and included within a continuous
length oftwenty miles of each of said roads,
may be sold ; and when the Governor of
said State shall certify to the Secretary of
the Interior, that any twenty continuous
miles of any of said roads is completed, then
another quantity of land hereby granted
not to exceed one hundred and twenty sec
tons for each Of said roads having twenty
continuous miles completed as aforesaid, and
included within continuous length of twen-
| ty miles of each of such roads, ray be sold,
and so from time to time until said roads are
completed and if any of said roads are not
completed within ten years, no further sale
| shall be made, and the lands unsold shall
revert to the United States"
From this it is plain that the lands au-
thorized to be sold, must be included within
a continuous length Of twenty miles of the
road-that is, opposite such completed por
ton, and that there is no authority given to
sell the lands opposite section of twenty
miles, not yet completed, for any other tw en-
ty miles which may have been completed.
Should there be two completed sections
making together forty miles of road, the
| State or her assigns will be warranted in SELL
ing two hundred and forty sections, if that
quantity is found uithin that limit, and so on,
in the same ratio in regard to any number of
completed sections of twenty miles each, and
the final certified lists of the Department
having the force of patents, conveying the
full and complete title to such particular
lands, may eventually be issued on this prn-
ciplc.
Of course when the whole line of road is
completed according to law, all the land enur-
ing grder the grant, will be CON- eyed to the
State.
am, very respectfully, Your obedent
servant,
THOS. A. HENDRICKS,
Commissioner.
L. B. CROKER, ESQ.,, Oswego, NY.
1t Is we'll known to all, that the roads will
not get 100 acres to the township from Still
water via st. Paul, St. Anthony to Anoka,
a distance of forty-fve miles and more.
Therefore there is no 240 sections to Sc
cure the State on that route, nor ona-tenth
part OF 1t, and this security utterly fails thus
tar. Next, from St. Paul, via St. ANTHONY
and Minneapolis to the point of junction at
ShakOpee, a distance of 40 miles, the roads
will not perhaps get one single acr., unless
1t be some stray quarter in some swamp
Therefore there is TO 24O sections here to Sc
cure the State and this has proven another
failure. From ST. Paul and St. ANTHONY to
Faribault, 40 miles, they will not get 40 acres
to the section nor perhaps the half of it,
and therefore this supposed 240 section secu,
rty has utterly failed on the third road.
From Winona to Rochester distance of As
or so miles, no one pretends that the road
will get more than 12O sections therefore, it
is the only road having any consdera ble
quantity of land on the first 40 miles. f rom
La Crescent to Rochester they will get per-
haps one-fourth or one-tifth of the land Grant
ed, but surely no more, and surely not over
100 sections; therefore no one will pretend
that the State is secured if she has 10 resort
to the lands to indemnify herselEon these
two last roads, and thus is exploded this de-
lusive bait thrown out to secure success to
this reckless and mischievous scheme. The
pretence of security to the State, in first
mortgage bonds, not profits, or lands on the
first 40 miles can only deceive the unwary
and creoulous.
Next, allow me to say, that if the majority
that passes this loan bill, have truly repre-
sented the will of the people in declaring that
f0y &c to H.
State to pay the interest or principal Of tho
bonds in case of failure to do So by the Com
panies, the thinking portion of our people
are little curious to know how much more
security the capitalist will have, than the
Companies had to offer them before the
bonds of the State issued.
If the State issue her bonds, and pledge
her faith and credit for the payment of the
interest and principal and then tell the hold
err frankly, here are orr bonds, but aoe don't in
tendto pay principal or interest, and a sovereign
State cannot be sued, therefore, if you can't get
it out of these Railroad Companies, you may
60 unpaid, is strange and most ludicrous
way to loan her credit We are bound to
believe that the published declaration of the
majority members means what it says They
say, 1--WE morever pledge ourselves, individ-
ually and collectively, to vote against any
proposition to levy tax, either for the inter-
est or principal of the proposed loan of State
credit"
They further say that they think they have
secured the State against any such contin-
gency, and they then place their back against
the wall, and say they will resist as one man
any such proposition. Here the capitalist is
plainly told you must look to these compa-
MES entirely and wholly, for we will fight to
the death any proposition which looks to the
State for interest or principal. Was ever
such childish talk heard of by Legislators be-
fore! If they do not mean to delude the
people into the support of this scheme by
false pretences, it is manifest that all capital
lists who loan money on our bonds, must look |