The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-01-26
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS LANDS.

SInurSQay, Jan UdTy 20, LSll
I INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT LANDS
On Thursday aresolution introt ucet
1.-THE State Senate by Mr.. Becker, o
Saint Paul, declaring that the Five Hun
dred Thousand Acres Of informal In
provement Lands should be s'sacredl,
devoted to the extinguishment" Of the
old railroad bond debt, was, after some
debate, referred to the Committee OF
Public Lands, by vote Of Is to ST.
On the same day, a similar resolution
previously introduced in the House Of
Representatives by Mr.. Sibley, also
Of St. Paul, was lost by the en-
phatic vote of ID to 80. There is but
littlo reason to doubt that the action OF
the Senate, when called to vote
upon the report of the committee, will
: be equally emphatic. The justice and
propriety Of devoting these lands to
the purpose for which they were grant.
ed by Congress, viz: internal improve
ments, are being more and more gen.
orally admitted.
In discussing the probable applica.
ton of the lands to internal improve
ments, Governor Austin, in his late
message, suggested that they be divid.
ed among the counties Gin proper
ton to their areas" allowing each
county to make such disposition of its
share as it might deem best. "A
sufficient objection to this is the fact
that such counties as Cass, Polk, Penn
bina and others of vast area, but con-
tanning only limited amount of tillab]e
land, would receive an inequitable pro-
portion Of the grant Mr.. Mcllrath,
State Auditor, recommends that Con-
{. gress DO memoralizcd 10 allow of the
transfer Of the lands to the State
School Fund. It will strike many peo-
pie that if the present magnificent pub
. lie school fund, with the lands belong
ing to it still unsold, be judiciously man.
aged, Gas it certainly has been thus far)
the educational interests Of the State
will not greatly suffer. It's scarcely
!. wisdom to make all influences subserve
one interest, however important that
one may be.
The legitimate use for these lands
that which would confer the most d.
rect, the most speedy and the most
, necessary benefits upon the people most
deserving-is to devote them to the
construction of new lines of RAILROAD.
We make this plea specially in behalf
of Northern Minnesota, where there
are broad tracts Of country, we'll settled
: and producing heavy surplus, but as
yet totally without railroad facilities.-
Here, for instance, is the rich Sank
b Valley country, stretching from St.
Cloud to Alexandria, with large and
rapidly increasing population and
thousands Of farms, but without one
mile Of railroad, and without any mar.
ket save that produced by the demands
Of immigration and the western forts
The only hope Of that country for earl,
relief lies in the proper application G.
r. grant. The country to be trav
"a BY the proposed St. Cloud art
Mankato railroad also affords case ii
point. This road is essential not onl,
for the relief and development of
large agricultural district, but also K
meet the wants Of lumber producin!
and consuming localities as yet uncon
Eected.
It is true, 10 certain sense, that thi
grant belongs to the entire State, blu
only In the sense that it was SO donated
by. Congress. In fact, it belong
mainly to those portions most Direct,
interested in roads from St. Cloud t.
Alexandria and from St. Cloud to Man
kato. Of the 483 ,420 acres selected
according to the latest report made b,
the State Auditor on tho matter, 205,
789 are in the St. Cloud and Alexau
dria districts; and in these, with tn
st. Peter and Greenleat Districts
Through which the St. Cloud and Man
kato road would pass) are all but 100,
\ 226 acres Of this Internal Improve
ment grant. In other words, tn
country interested in these two line
furnishes tour:tiths Of the grant
More southern localities, having bee,
earlier settled, have had their land ab
sorbed BY settlement and by grants 70
railroads by which they were directl
benefited, and hayo mono left to fu1
nish in making up this quota. The
therefore have but very slight claim
to5a share in the grant. They hav
no right to take or use, for any pu1
pose whatever; any great proportion 0
these lands, shich being non.tax pay
ing, would be burden to the district
10 which they are located. Norther
Minnesota is already paying sufdcier
tribute to the older and more powerit
sections Of the State. BY the last II
port Of the State. Auditor 1t appea,
that .. the 368, 1874 acres Of swan
lands inuring to the State during 1877
247, 126 acres we're in the St. Clou
District, and 5,lO4 acres were in tn
Alexandria District. These lands, wit
I las, 9l7 q acres taken from the, sam
sources last year, 60 to the building 9
The st. Paul and Lake SUPERIOR, Sain
Paul and Chicago and other railroad
l ess-}ll -