The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-02-03
The Cambridge Land Sales.

We published the other day the govern
ment advertisement for q public sale Of the
lands in the Cambridge District, on the
10th day Of May next We stated it to be
our conviction at the time that the lands em.
braced in the advertised descriptions were
the pine lards which were excepted in the
announcement we made lew days before
that the public lands Of Minnesota were
withdrawn from sale. Undoubtedly il
these lands were, as they had been represent
ed to US, pine lands, there could be no OBJ
lection to their disposal, and the interests of
the State and Federal Government would
be alike promoted by such policy. But
it turns out that these lands are not pine
lands-that for large part they are agri-
cultural laUds, which have but recently been
occupied by settlers, whom it would be
the sheerest oppression to press for the pur-
chase money at this juncture. A great
number of the later settlers, who are stated
to be four or five hundred in all, consist of
dsbanded laborers on our railroads and the
lands lie adjacent to the entered lands about
st. Paul, st. Anthony, Anoka, and Tay-
lor's Falls. The occupancy, in great part,
has been so recent, that the poor settlers
will have as much as they can do to gather
meagrc subsistence from these lands, which
they have scarcely had the chance to touch
with spade or plough. 10 the following
year
| There IS no reason, we submit, why
policy which exempts the agricultural
lands in other parts of the State, and pro-
tects the settler from ejectment by the
Spectator, should discriminate agains this,
particularly excepting it from the gene
raj withdrawal Of the public lands
There is every reason, on the other hand,
why, il pecuIia favor ia to be- shown TO
any district by the government, it should be
this For while The lands on the West side
Of the Mississippi. since they became sub
Jet 10 settlement have always been under
the shelter Of pre- emption system and u
reformed land Office administration, which
has protected the settler and discouraged the
specnlator-on the other hand, the lands
on the East side OF the river came into mar
kct at period when under the lax system
which then prevailed. the rights OF the srt-
tier were uniformly sacrificed without scru
pie to the rapacty OF the sTecua,or and the
supposed cxigeucies OF the national treasury
What has been The consequence On every
side Of the advertised lands in question
whole townships Of and have passed into
the hands Of absentee spectators whole
townships OF and 10 which there exist,
scarcely a sign of a human habi;ation
township upon township consigned to des-
olatIon and q solitude as effctnai ~ !
the Gre Of Sodom had fallen upon and licked
M in i's blasting train. every wing aD'
moving thing nj = upon mlls Of country
a. beau'i'ul a. ever God unro.d r1d'r IN
.un, lockNl up BY spectators, IN toe soil
; ,Ile AMI s.bucc ofthc grave. |, can scared,
b. poss'bl, that with these facts . 'orc then
, the government viii pcrs'., IN polio,
. 50 disastrous. 10 the very presence Of ,h
J mute wI,ncsse5 7' - r7inoGs sf!,c,s; ,hs
] nwl. tcvi,'ir; - ey:end the ARA Q
, leso'-'.on ard rrYsa' the rain Il has mad
Arealy We d. not believe TIA; the gg'
q eramcr' q, aware - t1e -rlI rrl-a-.e- -s ~