The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-04-15
Our Course on the Superior Railroad
Question.

heretofore been strangers.
Our Course on the Superior Railroad
Question.
One of the most difficult things for a
newspaper to do is to discuss a local oues-
ton and not tread on its friends toes.
The same difficulty arises where the advo-
cacy or opposition to public measures may
entrench upon private gains. We have OBJ
served the fitness of those reflections in
the course this paper has seen fit to adopt
in regard to the city of St. Pauls action
in granting her bonds the Superior and
Mississippi Railroad.
We feel that somebody misunders.ands
US when our consistent contemporary the
Press can publish the following article:
Washington correspondent writes us that
the enemies of the Lake Superior and Missis-
sippi railroad, have been circulating among
members OF Congress, recent number of
the st. Paul PIONEER, which contained the
calumniOus charge that the agents of the com
pany were trying to sell the charter and land
grant OF the company; and asserting that the
present company was not able to build the
road. Marked copies of the paper have been
passed around among the members, by the
Wisconsin log-rollers, and they have moreover,
sent to this city to procure copies of the Pro
NEER embracing its attacks upon the company
and the railroad during the controversy res
pecting the city bonus
We call the attention of the PIONEER to these
circumstances, and venture to hope it will as
far as possible undo the injury its course upon
this question has inflicted upon so vital an in
terest OF this city and ofthe State at large, by
retracting its ISLANDERS and throwing its influ-
ence for once, Just once on the side of its own
State and the city which has so long fostered
and sustained it.
Now, as independent journalists we have
only this to remark that as to the sea
luminous charge" stated in tile above, it is
only to be found in the Pioneer, as a re-
publication from the Minneapolis atlas,
with the simple remark added, that the
Company, as then constituted, was not
able to build the road-meanng, that it
did not possess the financial ability.
Marked copies of this paper, containing
the above alleged calumnious charges, "
were never sent by any body responsibility
connected with this journal to Washing
ton, or anywhere else We do not pre-
tend to know or say how many copies of our
paper the Press and its friends have seen
fit to mark and send Off, for even they
seem fonder CT our paper than their own.
But this We ask our readers to renlen-
Der, that by no remark of ours has any OPP
position been expressed to a railrood TO ST.
perior from this city, or TO the most hbe-
raj land grant for that purpose ). but that
we have only opposed the policy of our
city giving $3.50, 900 to parties who may,
Cf their ideas are correct), and probably
will build the road without assistance. In
fact we have said nothing, as we regard
the force of argument, half so damaging to
that company, as has been uttered by the
Press ); since that sheet, before the pas
sage of the $4,000 donation, openly in
timated that the Company might sell their
franchise which would be entirely unob-
jectionable, provided the purchasers would
build the road.
We have no objection that the citizens
of Minnesota shall receive all the public
lands which Congress may grant us, and
We are perfectly willing that they who fur
nish the capital shall control the land
grants and the road; but unlike our neigh
Dor, the Press, We cannot advocate dona-
ton from the city to this particular road
Of $25O,00O any more than to any other.
Perhaps, however, we cannot see as deep
into the policy of public contributions to
private interests as the editor of our ar
gus-eyed contemporary for the reason we
never could understand his arguments in
favor of the State S., 900, 900 loan to rail-
roads, because as he alleged, the bonds
could be converted into the basis of a sys-
tenn of banking. We hope this oracle of
public economy will not trouble US or the
public again for brief season with his
"wise saws and modern instances on
any thing he is too incapable or too dishon-
est to understand.