Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-02-12

from J. 81 'W5ffliams.
III as ssssrs SSssas 4snnssossan:
Us CT s 1ss1!i Allow me through the medium of
your paper to inform the people Of Ramsey
county and ell others whom it may concern
that there is one of the grandest Of swindles
now going on concerning the opening Of Fort
street. '-'' --\----' - - -, I9-
Z In the year 1857 the Legislature passed an
act for the opening of Fort street to . point
opposite Fort Smelling, and the road was sub
sequently surveyed and located according to
the provisions of that act. In the year 1858
said road was vacated by an act passed by
the Legislature, and an amendment was
passed to authorize other commissioners
John Smith, Isaac Rose and D. A. j. Baker.
to open said road, and cause the same to be
surveyed; to assess the benefits and damages
to property holders along the line, and to cause
the road to be graded. ID - >.
The above has all been done, except the
grading. The said commissioners have asses
sed the damages over and above the benefits
to the city property at about $4,000 or
5000, and corresponding benefits over the
damages to the county property. The above
large sum must be paid by the owners Of the
county property to the owners of the city
property. A few county property holders
must pay this large amount of money, to
whom? Echo answers, whom? I suppose
that it is Mr.. Brown and others. Now this
is what I call doing things up Brown. Is not
this street or road as much benefit to the city
property as it is to the county? I think it is,
and a great deal more. And this is not all.
The expenses of locating and surveying said
road amounts to not less than $1,000. This
also comes out of the property holders. :;
And this is only the beginning Of the grand
swindle. The Commissioners are authorized
to let the grading at such prices, and to whom
they please, without any respect to the lowest
bid. If they do as well in letting the grading
as they did in assessing the benefits and dam
ages, it viii cost $40, 900 more, whereas it
should not cost more than $4,000 for the
whole thing, grading and opening. They
heye assessed the benefits Of said road to me
Assoc; to Thos. Barton, $500; J, W. Bond,
s7ooi; John Harrington, 800; John Kent,
$500; John Smith, who has 40 acres only,
$s5; Mr.. Nevins gets 1887 for the damage
Of the road running through one acre; Pat
rick Ryan has 80 acres, and is to be paid
500; Mr.. Rogers pays 500; next Mr..
KENNEDY, 100 acres, has nothing to pay, tho
damages and benefits being equally assessed.
These are all adjoing in farms taking up about
one mile and half Of this road or street. 1t
will thus be seen that Mr.. Nevins, Mr. Kenni-
dy, Mr.. Ryan and Mr.. John (Smith, one of
the Commissioners who have the good for
tune to have been born in Ireland, are paid
for the location of the road through their
land, while we Americans, Germans and others
have to pay the immense sums above men,
toned, just because we We're not lucky enoug
to have been born in the Emerald Isle.
Now, if this is not an outrage, what is it
Inever asked for that road to be located there
[ opposed it and consider it damaged me to
the amount Of $500 or more. am informed
that there was an advertisement published in
German newspaper, stating that the road or
street does not go on, but this was only to
blindfold the Germans until the time expired
for putting in exceptions to the Judge of the
District Court.
There is no doubt of the necessity of
good road from the city of st. Paul W Fort
Smelling. But will any man except fool or
a rascal endorse such proceedings as the above.
am in favor of road between these two
places, and straight one but l do not ex-
pect that road to be of so much benefit to the
people as these swindlers would make every
person believe Does any person expect to 60
to Heaven on that road? Before they can
sustain a law to take mans private property
for public use, they must first change section
Ii of the Constitution of the State of Mime
sofa. They can assess the benefits and dam
ages equal, but in no case can they assess
benefits more than the damages, in my opin-
ion. Yours truly,
";@@ JAS. d. WILLIAMS.