, 1873-01-22

L LEGISLATIVE PLACER.
Tho Legislature Of Wisconsin Inns beforoit a
moasure Which promises lively II not profitable
entertainment. mammoth 1and-grant Ia to DO
disposed Of, md its valuo Is great. In june
1856 oongresa granted to tho State of, WiHcon"
sin, iu did Of tho construction Of railroad from
Madison or Columbus, by way OF Portage City,
to tho St. Croix River, or lako, thence to the
west end OF Lake Superior, land to tho extent Of
ovory alternate section for aix milos on zach aldo
Of tho road, for it's full length. The State
granted tho 1aud to the st. Uroix l. Superior
Railway Company. Strange to Bay; nothing WIS
done under this grant, Ten years lator, whom
tho grant WAS about expiring, Congress granted
an o1tension Of timo, with M addition of four
thor. added, that tho road should DO
extended to Bayfield,. Northorn WiBcon-
Sin was still regarded as Wilderness,
and oven tho addition to tho grant Of land did
not appeal sufficiently strong to tho St. oroix &
Superior Railroad Company to Induce thom to
comply with the TERMS and tho grant was al-
lowed to explreby limitation. In tho meantime,
that corporation had practically expired. It WAS
then discovered that this long-neglected grant
had a valuo-wus q mino Of wealth. Tho coun-
explored. Tho st. Oroix land grant waa found
to include million and u halt Of acres, most Of
1t fine timber land. Tho Legislature of Wiscon-
ein at last repealed the charter OF the st. 'Oroix
Railroad Company. This Was in tho spring Of
1871. In Boptembor OF the eamo year, q now
Company vas organized At Hudson, by tho name
Of tho North Wisconsin Railway Company. Ita
organization included tho managers OF the West
Wisconsin Railway. This Company proposed to
take tho grant, making tho road an extension Of
tho recont1y.completedW West Wisconsin Railway,
and immediately constructed 18 miloa Of road
on tho line Of tho original survey. Tho ownor-
shipof tho grant was, however, disputed. PROC
tor Knotta famous speooh on Duluth killed tho
bill for further extension Of tho grant. At
last, Juatice Miller, holding d Circuit Court at
st. Paul, last summer decidoa tint, until Con-
gross should declare default, tho title to tho
land was in tho 8tato Of Wisconsin. Tlia pro-
duced g. change. The Legislature wou1d again
havc tho disposition Of the grant, tho value Of
which is varlously estimated from twolyo to forty
millions Of dollars. It comprises over 100000
acros Of timber lands, and as much moro Of hard
wood land. It Is also nald to contain bcda OF
iron ore, the outcroppngs Of which yiold C7
per cent OF pure iron. Who will got this val
uablc gift? OF course, a large lobby ia intor-
| eatod. Foremost among the contestants ia tho
North Wisconsin Railway Company, represented
| by hfr. A. Baldwin, President Of tho Wost Wig
consln Railway Company, and bill donating tho
land to this Company has already been intro
duoed in tho State Senate. The Milwaukee l.
st. Paul Railway Company, represented by tho
veteran Hans Orookor, Esq., claims 1t, as having
in fact been D portion Of q grant origi-
| nally malo to ono OF tho branch roads
OF tho proscnt system Of that Company.
They ofor, in caeo they get it, to build, in addt-
tion to tho lines named in tho grant, road from
tho mouth Of tho Chippewa River, pia Durand
and Eau Claire, to ohippowa Falls, and branch
to Monomonoo City. 1Ir. J..F. Joy claims tho
| grant for tho shoboygan d fond au lao Rail~
| road. The lunlbefmen. cooperating with Ezra
Cornell and other Eastern capitalists; propose
! to take tho grant, do all TINT the milwaukee, L
st. Paul Company offors to do, and, in addition,
| build rs milas Of road through tho Rod Cedar
Valley. It is understood at Madison that the
| Northwestern Railway Company Ia not an indif.
foront spectator Of this prizo distribution, and
43.n
North Wisconsin Company. Govarnnr Waal,.
burn has gono to Washington, and 1t is thought
will como back prepared to advise o division Of
| the subsidy,-one part to tho railroad aud the
rest to endow State charities. It has boon a
long time ainco q Western Legislature has had
ouch rich prizo to give away as reward Of Yir-
tue to tho moHt exemplary applicant. =,