, 1873-12-25
The Wisconsin Central Land
Grant.
The Difference Between the Compan,
and Gov. Washburn.
The Sturgcon-Bny Canal Lands. .Appolnt.
nlcnts Under tho New State
Administration.
From Our 0,en Corrtspondent.

gard to the Wisconsin Central nailroad lnnd-
grant, nnd tho dfforonco botwoeh tho Company
hnd Gov. Washburn as to what tho Company
Is entitled to on tho hundred miles Of road
Which 1t hnH built aud had inspected, tho oflicial
mud othor records lavo leen examined, Gov.
Washburll interviewed. and the facty found to
10 as follows
THE LAND-anANT.
In 1854, Congross granted to tho state of Wig
conain, to aid III building II railroad from Port
ago City, Berlin, Doty'B Island, or Fond t1u Itao
to bayfield,, and tlonco to Superior eYory atcr-
nate section for ten SECTIONS III width on oacli
sido Of tho road constructed, on tho certificate
OF tho Governor and oflicors Of tho Company Of
tho completion Of oach 20 miles OF said road. In
March, 1906. the Legislature accepted tho grant.
In April, 1866, after u protractcd struggle bo-
twocn conflicting interests in tho Lcgisaturo,-
whore, for n long time, 1t seemed Us If no tllspo-
sition Of tho Immigrant would DO agreed OLA
compromiBo was oFcctod by which
TWO COMPANIES
voro chartcred,- Quo to build from Doty'8
Island, ut A1onasha to bayfield,, win Waupaca
and Btoyons' Point tho osior from Portage
City, vim Ripon and Berlin, to Stoyons'
Point, aud thenco, with tllo othcr Company, to
bayfield,. Ono company waB nanlol tho I" Portage
l. Superior !" tho other tho "Winnobago l. S,1-
pcrlor." Tho routo from Portage City to Ste
Yons' Point was not tho bost or most direct thnt
could havo boon selcctod, but 1t was to serve q
double purpose: by connecting with tho lnnd
grant roal from Madison via Portage north
westerly (tho first two aectionH Of which tho
LnCrosso Il milwaukee, Company, obtaining the
land-grant for d road from Madison northwestern
~, had failed to build, bat which have boon built
slncc), Of giving tho points named aboyo, and
eastward to Sheboygan, direct communication
With tho Capital; and OF putting Rpon and Der
lin on this route to the north. Congress, by joint
resolution In 1866 approved this disposition of
tho grant; aud tho Portage IL Superior Com
nany. whom organized, formally accepted tho
grant on tllese conditions. In 1869
A CONSOLIDATION
tho two companies was authorized and effected.
In l87o another company wns chartered to pro-
mote the construction of tho road from Portage.
and that Company was authorized to consolidate
wltl tho eonao!dsted Portage ,Winnebago &
cenlbor, 1870. In 1871 IN act was pissed
changing tho name OF tho consolidated Company
to the WISCONSIN Central" and authorizing it
to extond its road weHt to connect with tho
Northern Pacific. ThcBe acts embraced pro-
visions holding tho consolidated Companies to
tho conditions on which the grant was originally
conferred by tho State.
Meantime, aomo Eassern capitalists having
been Interested, the building OF road from
Doty's Island Cat Which tho towns Of Neenah
and Mcnasha ere locatod) was begun. With the
expectation OF obtaining EaBtern connections
through road building frqn Nlanitowoc and
thence down the lakc-shore to milwaukee,,
NOTHING wAs DONE
poins Of tho road 20 On tic Iii ID Il : JnIy, ss 1sss
BY request Of the Hon. George Reed, the Vco,.
President Of tho Company. WHO Inns managed
liz aiFairs in this State for the most part, Gov.
Wnahtnrn examined twenty miles Of tho road
completed northward from SteyonB Point, which
was considered tho starting-point for claiming
tho land-grant Of tho ''Winnobago l. Superior
Road. Its construction was approved. On tho
eth Of July, tho Hon.. A. J. Turner and other
that it was intended to loavo them out in the
cold, appeared before tho Governor, and
PROTESTED AGAINST
tho issuing Of certificate for the land to which
tho Company would be entitled on building the
frat twenty miles Of tho land-grant road, OH tho
beon complied with by tho Central Company,
tloy having failed to build from Portage, via
Rpon and Berlin, to Stevens Point, az required;
and, later, citizcna Of Oshkosh also appeared
ind protested.
On tue 1at Of August, counsel for tile Com
pany and the localities interested appeared, and
presented arguments to the Governor in the
matter; and, aftor duo consideration, on the
42Ln ue QeClQcQ
NOT TO ISSUE
ccrtitlcato, --aasiEning his reasons in IN able
letter to Mr.. Nocd, via: tIlAt the road had not
boon built aB provided by law, and, if . cortif-
cato Of lands was given, it would defeat tho OBJ
fcot Of comforting tho grant. subsequently,
do all he could to furhor tho enterprise Of con-
HtTucting road developing o section OF tho
stato heretofore almost inaccessible. Gov.
Washburn decidpd to, mud on tho Goth Of No.
IL $hu5 A.
Secretary Of tho Interior, tlat the Company was
entitled, aa tho representative Of one Of the two
consolidated companies authorized to build
northward from Stevens Point. to
1IALr THE LAND
granted by Congress. This action provoked
much comncnt, aud waa denounced BY frcuds
and foes Of tho WISCONSIN Central management.
The inattor wna much discussed during tho last
session Of tie Legislature, and attempts woro
yainly made to amend tho charter Of the Com
pAny III different why's, 10 aH to rollove it from
the necessity OF building from Portage, via III
pom aud Borln to Stevens Point. Finally, tho
matter waB left, without action, except quasi
approval of tho Governors course. Tho Com
interior for tho whole OF tho landa acoruing to
tito iirst 90 miloH uf tho land-graut roaJ mud ho
referrol tho mattor to Attorney General Will
Jams, who gave III opinfon-wleroto, it is
charged,
lie WAS uHpuLf INFLUENCED,
and which was Il very weak document tho
Company was untitled to the full quota of land
thcroupon. Secretary Delano, on the 2ath of
April, issued patents for So, 708 acres,-alt tho
lAt,ds III place" and "for indemnity appli-
cable to The first section OF 20 uilee north from
Portage. Tho Governor requested Attorney
General Barlow to ro-examino tho matter;
which ho did with his Assistant, Judge P. l..
Bpooner; aud with much bettor knowledge OF
tlie facts, a,ld moro unbiRHod Judgment, thoy
took
THE OPPOSITE VIEW
from tho United statoa official, and prepared all
nble opinion on tue subject, 'yllicL was published
ut tho time.
Tho Governor was requested to inspect two
more sections on the 9TH Of juno, but could not
till tho 12tl, when ho did 80, With tho distinct
understanding and atatemont that ho would only
giyo certificate for half the quota Of land for
two a0-mlo sections, until tho Legislature or
Supreme Court Should decide the Company els-
titled to MI; agreong to do MI ho could
to facilitate getting i decision. Going over
tho road, ind finding it proporly built, tue Gov
erlor issued qualified certificate for half tho
latd, For 10 mlos Of road, and ontorol iuto u
stipulation with Mr.. 1locd tint io would not apply
T,,a ,to