St. Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1861-01-11


thereby make the bonds in some degree
subserve the building of roads, you would
again find the completed roads and the enA
hanced valuation that ever follows therB-
from, aiding and subscribing the payment Of
the bonds. This mutual assistance you
should secure, by requiring of any CON-
pany receiving State lands, or general
bonds in lieu Of special railroad bonds sur
rendered, to pay into the State. Treasury
five per cent Of the gross earnings Of their
road.
In this connection, the importance OF a
railroad communication between the Davi-
gable waters of the Mississippi and tie
head Of Lake Superior, induces me again
to recur to it. There is an evident turn
ing of attention thither on the part Of capi-
talists, and so far as favorable legislation
without peeuniary involvement on the part
of the State, can assist, the work should
be aided, rt.o ,.,-s ~,,3. J
The great capacity of the State for the
production of the cereals, and its remote
inland position, require. the. creation and
improvement Of every means Of exit. The
easy and comparatively cheap transporta-
ton which the northern lakss afford
to the immense crops soon to be the
product Of cur soil and industry, it
is wise to endeavor, to, secure lol I'm
less all avenues are opened to our trade,
it is not difficult to see that occasionally .
glut must occur which will reduce the
market prices Of grain to a ruinous figure.
Suppose that in three years the wheat sur
plus Of Northern Minnesota should amount
to three million bushels, would it not be
better for the farmer of the Southern copn-
ties that this grain should find an, outlet
by way of the great lakes directly to New
York, than that it should come in compe-
ttion with his grain in the markets OF
Milwaukee, Chicago and st. Louis aol
The importance of this lake connection
and the continuous navigation thence to the
Eastern sea coast is greatly increased in the
minds OF thinking men, by the national
events now transpiring- its .5gs7 -
Should the precipitate madness of sec
tionaI excitement lead to any attempt to
deny to the Northwestern States the free
navigation of the Mississippi to its
mouth, and the strife be long which should
retake that right, these lakes would be-
come our only mea MS Of water transport to
the ocean. While, as some suggest, the
State might donate the swamp lands along
the line Of road to that connecd don, in
consideration Of the uncertainty and delay
in relation to any other land grant for such
construction, / would be far from advising
it, if it might become q precedent which
should divert the remainder of these lands
FROM other and more legitimate purposes.
BY the munifcepce Of the Federal Con.
gress, the following grants of public lands
and other property have been made to
this State in trust for special purposes :.
l.. Sections l6 and 36 of every Town
ship Of the pnblic lands, for the supporto'
Common Schools. .. ~. v.as.sla sy-..t
2. Seventy two sections of land for the
support of University. ~ eaaI ..ua
3. Ter sections of land for the compile
ton or erection of public buildings at the
seat of Government, sg. 81. - ,eq4s.g.a
4. Twelve salt springs with six sec
tions of land adjacent to each, or seventy
two sections in all, for the general use Ol
the State. l.. .ns..,.. ..gaa ..g...aIa
/ 6 Five per centum Of the proceeds ol
all the public lands lying within the State
which shall be sold by Congress after the
admission of the State into the Union fol
the purpose of internal improvements
G. BY the act of Congress- of March
3, 1857, for the purpose of aiding in the
construction of certain lines of Railroad
therein described-every alternate or odd
numbered section within six miles on eact
side of said Railroad lines, amounting IL
all to about q. $780, Al acres.1 1A.t3alw
a Z. By an act of Congress- of March IL
1860, all the swamp or overdewed land
within the State are conferred upon the
State, for the purpose ofreclaiming ant
draining the same. g5aaagr goda d.
The following is a summary Gof these
grants OF lands: r sss& r51s OILS EioTl
For Schools about. 49,. a,sss, 900 aare
| - University y............yI I0-46.Vou 80
g completing the public build 3 -. ..a.i,
{" the general saline lands -. /. :. 4s, ,0so q I"
! use Of the swamp lands 49, ,..-ls.a;.
1 State, i (estimated.} \. 100000 :"
Railroad purposes. ...,-,. 4, 39S, l4l :"
| Sub,rscting from this total the Railroad
lands which must pass in the ordinary
course to the management of private cor
porations, we have, then, at. the disposa
of the Legislature for the promotion 0
Education, internal improvements, an(
eleemosynary purposes, nearly eight mil
lions of acres of public lands,-more thai
ore-setenth OF the whole area Of tb.
State,-insperiums IN inlperiO, equal il
its aggregate extent to the kingdom
Of Holland or B lgium, while it exceeds
the combined area of the States of Mass
achusetts and Connecticut. "a -.....T
or this magnificent grant, the great gif
Of the nation to all the millions who. ar,
to inhabit the soil of Minnesota, you arr
stewards in their behalf and it devolve
upon you to see that the sacred trusts in
volved are faithfully executed. l.i.aol.
In asking you to consider the expedien
cy of inaugurating the practical superyi
sion of this vast landed interest, fee
deeply solicitous that your legislation upol
the subject may be honorably distinguish
ed from that of neighboring States, by al
adequate appreciation of the momentou
interests involved 3 ..r3-..a. set,i rfr
The precedent which you shall estab
lish, will 60 far to shape the future polio,
of the State in this regard, and therefor
upon you will depend 10 great measure
whether these vast estates consecrated t.
the noblest aspirations of free people,.
to Education, which is the root of liberty
and to Charity, which is its fruit,-shal
be husbanded with wise and statenan
like economy, or squandered with q bin.
mprovidence, e,-whether the institutions t
be built upon these ample foundations shal
be forecast to the broad measure of on
destiny, orstunted in their germ by a sci
fish eagerness for premature results. \. e.
| Consider the prodigious capabilitie
which lie enyeloped in these eight milliol
acres Of fertile lands.
There are nearly three million acres o
School Lands alone. In fifty years iron
now this should yield en- annual revenu,
! which, with total relief from taxation
should raise our educational system abov,
the level of that ofany State in the Union
There are estimated to be FIVE million
acres of Swamp Lands, three-ffths O
which are probably available to agricul
ture. There are, besides, the University
Capitol and Salt Spring Lands, and th'
five per cent fund. The product of thes'
rich reserves, even if it did not exceed sev
EN- million dollars, should complete broad
and liberal system OF public charities asy
lums, hospitals and prisons, for all the objects
of civil guardianship or coinmiseration. L
| should pay off our public debt. encourage
public works, erect public buildings, amply
endow our University and Normal Schools
and so perfect the social apparatus o
Government, without the. burdens ant
| sacr;f;ces which il has cost otbnr 9tates tr