The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-02-16
state Road Question.

day, Justice has attempted reply W
Citizen, in relation to our State road.
Citizen told some wholesome truths,
which Justice has attempted to explain
away. 5nt in my opinion has not touched.
l did not commence this article to defend
Citizen. | have no doubt but he IS able !
to take care of himself. Justice in reply
to Citizen has taken occasion to attact me
and as / shall be able TO show, grossly
misrepresented my course as Commits
sioner.
I suppose Justice will rejoice to learn
that l am not the author of Citizens ar
ticle,-that | did not see the article, un.
til it appeared in the Journal that l
did not know the author, until since
learned. that he is a substantial farmer of
our town, and much more interested in
good roads, than in electioneerig twad-
die, and probably as much surprised as
myself, that 'the whole drift of the article,
was for electioneering purposes, to carry
out darling project" The fact is some
people are inclined to charge others, with
the faults most prominent in themselves.
AS to the authority Of the Commissioners,
1 would say TIA { we were appointed by
the State Legislature. If Justice doubts
such authority, I will not waste words
with him.
That such road was needed is testified
by over 5oOpetitioners to the Legislature
for an act authorizing the location ofsaid
road. As to the competency of the Com
missioners, he says. "If any one will
take the trouble to make aplat Of the
township, and then mark out the road
commencing at the S. W. corner of sec
ton Is where the road leaves the timber
de-" Now Mr.. Justice, this is the very
thing you have not done. Before you
undertake to instruct the public, Ywould
advise you to become acquainted with
the facts on which you wish to enlighten
the public mind.
Now the fact is, the State road is laid
across section Is on the line of the pres
ent town road, which is at least SO rods
north of said corner of Is. Said road is
on an air line from the top of the big hill
in the timber to Calvin Randall's house,
and l believe all parties agree that said
road, as adopted by the town board is on
the best possible ground. Now, Mr. Jus
tice, take the advice you gave the public,
make sectional map of the township,
draw an air line from Calvin Randall's to
the Post Office, to which point agreeably
to instructions, we laid the State road.
Such line you will find runs not very far
from Samuel Pratt's house leaving the
greater part of the lane to the left, instead
of half 1aile to the right, as you stated
in your article. I will leave it to the dis
eliminating public to decide. whether you
| intended to deceive the citizens of the
town, unacquainted with the location, or
THAT your eyes have become so twisted by
self interest, that you cannot see straight
line. The distance from Calvin Randall's
house to the Post office by straight line,
is q miles, by the State road p short, AN
increase IN distance of less than 40 rods,
instead Of over one and half miles as
you stated in your article. We should
| have laid the road on the air line had the
ground been suitable, but all who are
acquainted with the line know that z of a
mile is bottom land. We laid the road
on the nearest good ground, and every
foot of it is good ground, with the excep-
ton of the crossing of the
South Fork of the Kinnlckinnic, better
place on the creek cannot be found. am
not makinga loose statement like yours,
but have. documents to satisfy you or any
other person who will take the trouble to
call on me, or I will refer you to plat of
the road in the office of the Clerk Of the
Board of Supervisors at Prescott. The
straight line you speak Of running
one half mile to the right of the lane,
would take you nearly mile below the
village.
You say, ''the commissioners in their
anxiety to build up their own private in
terests have done many things, that the
Statutes say that they shall not do. and
for the proof refer you to the decision
of the Supreme Court" 1t might have
been well for your case if you had point
ed out some of those things. 1t has been
decided by competent legal authority that
said decision did not apply to our case,
since by that decision it is made the duty
of the town Supervisors to assess damages
DC. Admitting that it would apply to us,
the decision was not made until after we
laid the road, and the Statutes, as far as
1 have been able to find, are silent on the
subject. No, the particulars you don't |
wish to NEEDLE with. It is sufficient for |
your purpose to blacken my character
with those unacquainted with the circum-