River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-03-21
After the Battle.

We art uOL among tLDSe VINO raSnly
exult at success and blow wildly over
victory. Of course we share in the
cheerfulness that surrounds us and are
more than glad to rejoice with those
who do rejoice, though we can not al
ways weep with those who weep.
The victory is won, but not without
a tremendous effort. No one man can
justly claim the laurels; yet the pre-
liminaries were arranged by single
individual.
q. ). POWELL was among the first to
conceive the grand project of connect
Ing the Mississippi River, near the
mouth of the st. Croix, with Lake Su-
perior by rail, and to his untiring eff
forts are we indebted for the project
embracing the plans of operation for
the past winter. One by one they
came to his aid, till at last whole army
surrounded him.
1t was not till after the Legislature
convened that the Milwaukee Il st.
Paul Railway Company decided to
make an effort to secure the land grant.
Then it was that j. NJ. Bailey, D, j.
Dill, o. f. Jones, d G. Fulton. j. 4.
Glover and few others. took hold of
this matter in good earnest. Then it
was that Mr.. Baldwin aud his friends
cut themselves asunder from thelr Chip.
pewa Valley friends, leaving them no
alternative but to join the accumulating
forces of the Milwaukee q st. Paul
Company. Here was powerful CON-
bination--a combination that meant
victory, and nothing less.
An appeal was next made to the citi-
zens of Pierce county to rally en- masse
An appeal which was responded to by
NJ. B. Kimball, III. 3. Warner, Z. l..
Davis, G. w. Cairns, NJ. B. Williams,
and score Of others. 1t was respond
ed to by works as well as words.
At this juucture our Assemblyman
was fully alive to the situation, and
theuceforth he was uutiring in his la
bors to defend the rights of his constit-
uents, and to do whatever was in his
power to regain their lost privileges un-
der the acts of Congress in comforting
the St Croix & Superior Land Grant.
In the list of those who have spent
both time and money at Madison in aid
of our enterprise, We should not forget
the names Of W.. j Copp, II. A. Jay,
Paine Converse, j. d. Trumbull, j. w.
Hancock, g. i. Taylor, Joel Foster, r.
S. Burhyte, G. l. Ap Roberts, w. S.
Ensign, G. p. Bracket, and many 9TH
ers.
But, the battle is ended so far as leg.
lslatiop is at present concerned. We
have continually heard the cutlery of
our opponents, that the company did
not intend TO build the road. Tn reply
to this we have only stated our belief,
that the company not only possessed the
ability to build the roads as provided in
the bill, but that its directors were act.
ing in good faith. The air is still ring.
ing with that stale outcry, aud every
newspaper in the land that has hereto
fore been opposed to the company, is
now repeating changes upon the same
bell. In response TO all this we have
only to say: The next two mouths will
settle that question. In any event we
are satisfied with the result, since Mr..
Baldwin offered US nothing, and from
him or his friends we expected nothing.
a vote Of seventy to twenty-three in
the Assembly, and Of twenty-three to
ten in the Senate, il a sufficient compli.
ment to those who have labored 10 Sc
cure the result, aud entirely satisfactory
TO all their friends.