The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-03-25
The Superior Land Grant.
CAUSES OF IT'S DEFEAT, AND IT'S FUTURE
PROSPECTS.

| Mr. / IT. Wing, prominent citizen Of
! Hudson, writes the following letter to the
Hpdson Star 81 Times under date of Wash
ington, March 9th. 1t throws considerable
Iiont on the causes which led to the defeat
of our land grant, and the future prospects
of the grant:
The Forty-frst Congress which has just adjourned,
failed to renew the ST. CrOiX and Lake superior Land
Grant contrary to the sangune expectations cherish
ed in the early part Of the last session by the friends
here of that measure, in which not only Northern
Wisconsin but the entire state are so Vtally ntefes
ted
The opposition to its renewal have at no time been
able to defeat it by voting the bill down, but through
diIa0ry motions, such as to postpone and re-eomnlt
have succeeded in preventing direct vote on Its pas
sage being taken There IS but little if any doubt that
there has been majority Of congress IN favor OF the
bill could it have been brought to direct VOTE OF
whom few have been willing to vote for oiiatory mo-
,1aon,hers from the South and Nest,
friends OF the Southern Pacific Railroad who voted,
Feb 2nd TO recommt the bill, would not have voted
against its passage.
The leaders of the Democracy have howled so loudly
against the bill that many of that party, who have
thought the renewal manifestly due to Northwest Wis
consn have dared for it, yet few Of them
have had the courage do Justice the
Randall OF Pa. and Holman of a. have been most per-
sisteut well efectual i'll their opposition They
have been constantly on the alert, whenever the bill
came Nd for consideration, to sound the Warcry Of
" land grabs" steals" &c. declaring the policy Of
the democratic party to be- unqualified opposition to
land grants which of forced many Of that party
to vote against the bill, who really wanted to vote
for it.
The onv opposition Excepting that of political
ture to the renewal that has had any weight here has
come from Saltwater and Duluth. The people OF Still
water Mr.. Randall ( presented by him) re-
monstrancc purportlng 70 come from "citizehs ana
Inhabitants of Northwestcrn Wisconsin" having over
, three hundred signers more than one hundred and
twenty of whom personally know to be residents OF
Saltwater and among which were the names OF j. N
Castle Horace Murdock, John Mckusick and " IN.
Mcclure Mr.. Randall red it and exhibited its great
length and numerous signatures to the House as evi
dence that the people, residents along the line OF the
, road did want the grant renewed! lie also had
four other emonsrances Of the same nature the print
led matter being literally the sane) having about forty
, signers EACH which believe to be genuine, as found
when obtaining sgners to petitions for renewal OF
the grant, in the fall of 1869 number OF the resi-
dents of Polk and Burnett counties who told me they
had signed such rcmonstrance, but under msappre
+ bersion Of facts moreover Mr VIM j. Vincent Of
St Croix Falls assured at that time, that some o
the people of those counties had signed such remon
f strances as he had himself circulated them They
5 were however quite insignificant IN appearance com
pared with the one signed by the citizens oI otwa
: ter.
Although the remonstrances in the early part of h
session undoubtedly influenced many members aSaIns
o the renewal yet the fraudulent nature of the Sulwa
C ter remonstrancc clearly exposed by Hon Eu
e rene II Wilson, H. C. from Minnesota, that 1t did NJ
permanent HARM after being SO thoroughly ventilated
l. Duuth very active in her opposition to the re
s newa. While | feel quite certain ttat Jay Cooke
Co have been sincere in their professions that the
desired the grant renewed, am equally certain tina
-e the property holders Of Duluth and the Western Lam
Association have done all in their power to defeat I'll
renewal. The small tsnail in comparison TO Wiat wa
expected) appropriation for her harbor, which Duiu
got last session, would to indicate that the na
ture of the wandering chicken is still unchanged
II The appropriation bills consumed 50 much OF tn
time during the latter part OF the session that ther
- was opportunity after the Southern Paclhc oil wa
reported by the committee get to the bills on tn
Speakers table in the regular order, therefore wha
" ever was taken from the table had to come by tive
e thirds vote. We had the Speakers table a bi
(Senate Resolution 1917 which introduced III tn
Senate, May End 1870, by Senator Howe
te bill for a grant of lands to the Central Branch
/ the Union Pacific Railroad, was in the hands OF I'll
IN Committee on Public Lands and It's friends who ma
e. failed few weeks ago, by only few votes TO g
a two-thirds vote to take it from the committee an
le place it on the Speakers table, demanded that
y should allow them to attach their bill to ours as
amendments claiming they could command wv
IL thirds vote We, or more properly speaking, tie
rt. tried it. the ist inst, and were beaten On the
inst Gen. WAshburn made motion 10 suspend u
rules and pass bill renewal win no ada
a tionl grant and by tellers, more than two-thiT'
voted a e, but Randall demanded the ayes ana nos
and the motion lost ayes lol noes - the so-t
- members above referred to- vouns with u.s.
the bill expired with Congress, on March 4th'
ip The friends of renewal do not propose to aoand'
further efforts it, but on the contrary 6e
Rusk will introduce bill containing the san
lo restrictions and conditions building twenty NH
each and every year, that were in the bil before
last congress.
T. Among those outside of our congressIonal deice
\ ton who have rendered efficient service IN behalf
Z" the renewal may be mentioned Hon Eugene h W
son. Hon. i. S. Wilkinson, members OF Congress ire