The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-04-13
About that Custom House, and the
Comparative influence Of the Pto-
neer and Senator Rice.

A few weeks ago the Minnesotian copied
from the reports of the Senate Committee
and the Commissioner of the General Land
Office, a large number of sound arguments
in favor of the erection of public build
ing at this place for the safety and accom-
mediation of the federal Offices located here.
The views contained in these reports we
very heartily endorsed and stated that the
arguments thus presented should, of them
selves, insure the passage by Congress of
an appropriation for that purpose. We
further stated that there was another reason
more powerful than all these cited by the
Minnesotian, which we had no doubt would
render the project certainty which was,
that it would afford chance for thirty
thousand dollar speculation. Thirty thou
sand dollars of profit to be realized out of
the scheme, we argued, would secure the
passage of the appropriation with far greater
certainty and celebrity, than all the merely
meritorious reasons which could be advanced
from any quarter. And, to show that the
thirty thousand dollars could be realized,
and that, therefore, according to our logic,
the appropriation was bound to come, we
cited the following facts, which, for months
back, have made part of the common and
uncontradicted gossip of the town
The Minnesotian may not be aware of the
60 xl,o< xlne ito hooo oil dx,h fnr
this embryotic custom house. 1t is located
on the east half of Block eighteen, of RICE and
Irpine's ADDITION and was purchased about
year ago for a trife over twenty thousand dol
lars, by brace of federal office-holders, who
are high in the confidence of Senator Rice, who,
in turn, is high in the confidence of Secretary
Cobb, who, on his part, manages all these lit
tie financial affairs of the government without
let or hindrance from the President. If the
appropriation of one hundred and ten thousand
dollars, asked for, is granted, the government
wouldn't be so yankeeishly and Internally little
and mean as to offer less than fifty or sixty
thousand dollars for enough of this ground to
build it's custom house on; while the present
proprietors, in consideration that not over a
quarter of their purchase would be required,
and that this sum would yield them profit of
thirty thousand over the cost of the whole,
hold themselves in readiness to furnish the
government with its site Immediately on the
passage of the aforesaid appropriation. This
profit, equitably divided, would yield Senator
kce some ten or dozen thousand dollars.
And to show that we alluded to these
facts merely to form basis on which our
citizens could safely congratulate themselves
on the certain passage of the custom house
appropriation through Congress, and to
prevent any misrepresentation as to the tenor
and object of our article, we expressly
stated:
We don't mention these facts for the purpose
of interfering in any way with the consumma'
ton of the project. but merely for the purpose
of revealing the grounds of our faith that the
appropriation will pass Congress, and that the
site will be purchased, whether the custom
house is ever built or or not.
Now, we thought, when we had written
the above, that we not only had sure
thing of the custom-house appropriation, but
that we had presented facts which would
induce everybody else to think so too; that,
if such appropriation should pass, consid'
cradle portion of it would find its way into
the pockets of our citizens, even if two or
three should get the first and biggest grab !;
and that, therefore, we had done something
which would make the whole community
feel good, in these money-griping times.
It never occurred to US that the simple sug-
gestion, that, two or three of our most lib.
eral and estimable citizens were on the
point of consummating handsome specula.
ton, would be taken, by any one, as an
objection against the custom-house bill. So
far from this, we thought of it only as a
stroke of good luck, on the part of our
friends, the operators and our notice was
really intended as q coDgratulation in ad-
vance.
But it appears-a it pains US to know
it-that we were premature in this matter.
Out of the fullness of our heart our mouth
sroke too soon. For, we are assured by
those who are close in the confidence Of
Senator RICE, that our article, which was
so kindly Intended, has, in all political prob.
ability, killed the custom.house appropria-
ton. We hardly think this can be the case
We earnestly hope it is not. Should it.
however, unfortunately, prove so to be, we
shall at once order sackcloth and some
ashes, and PROSTATE ourself, Immediately
But we don't think our article has really
gone and done anything so sudden and sc
tragic. We were not sanguinary when We