, 1873-07-23


littlo moro than month after Congrens had re-
pudiatod aud denounced tho salo, -,doliberatoly
placed ses IL e o1S 19sssss;9' ~. Ct s aso% % Ho
ton money nc had boon ~ psd but tss the
sse eeegresstoaal % p o1posure e r. sl E1 owing ese
600 on which ho was TO PAY no 90 ill.,
dor to transfor Tho fort to Steele e addressed to
Capt. A. ". neynolls, 4. @. N. Fort 8nolling,
md rs, signcd by 7. 8. Jessup, Quartormastor,,
Gencral, BY ortor OF tic eccrotary Of Var, and
mado on tho theory TINT tho Government did
not require tho fort for military purposes, and
yet to-day, nearly twcnty years affer tho salo,
The Government Is still using it for military pur-
poses.
THE aBABnHns NOW aEpuD1ATE.
:, What followod7 etoc1e, Of course, paid up
tho $50 .0o0?. Not a cent? Ills party did oven
M better for themaelyes thnn not paying, for tho
with how much moro will mover bo exactly
known until ConHrosH orders auother tnveatiga-
tion. Steele first proposed to pay tho 100000
balance due by him by claiming damages from
Cd tho matterl In his lotter to Floyd OF Jan.
az, 1862 ho says:
IT'S quite probable that you havo heard that In
ts Influence upon tho property, 10 decline further
payment until some allowance was mado by tho aov-
aeat upoa tho scon II Congress- IN te inTsasuan
Of tho subject
Afterwards no eays:
II you Will withdraw tho contract from the hands Of
cancel III, Win naive Ill claim Tor damages, and
mako payment Of 900 within four months, and
tho balance due soo ooo} as soon thereafter possfo"
Who would not be willing to buy forts whon
payment R,y r. was to bo mado "aa soon 40 poaai-
snEnMAN's IDEA OF TERMS. 49,.
a4ft - nf AfSA LII
the matter was referred to Con. Sherman. On
May 70. 1860, he gayc his opinion that !" Mr..
Bteelo is not anxious to fulnll tho terms Of hia
agreement" The Gonoral adds
A fair compromise should ba mado with him fBteelo1
and none would 10 moro fair than to credit him with
" money pstd-t'o oo9Ewtth interest," and charge
benent Of ohor renta md profits, and should mako
aee.ratiye statemont Of tho amount and zecava tho
II this plan had boon followed, Steele, instead
Of getting G,30o acres and his $4,000 back,
would havo had to pay tho Government for
balance, for tho receipts from tho ferry during
tho war wore enormous.
"TuNas WORKING" Fon STEELE.
Whom tho Wnr brokc out III 1861, and call
was mado for tho frat regiment tho first inton-'
tion WAS to mako st. Paul the place Of rondoz-
vous. The order from Washington designated
But It Was urged by parties in Mr. steelo's in
terest that tho State must uao Fort Smelling.
There WAS abundance Of vachnt land around St.
Paul; camps could have been roadi1y formed.
ton was made to Fort Smelling: Adj .-Gen. John
3. sanborn, in his report OF January, 1869 E1.
Doc, Nina, 1851, p: 62). says:
Immediately made efforts to secure tho old post Of
Fort Smelling for The purpose and succeeded in 30
curing the same, With tho understanding and agree
H. i % oa
Gen. Acker, in his Order No. 1, April 16, 1861,
Gays: "Tho general rendezvous will be ut Bt.
Gen. sanborn issued llis first o7dor April ~, !.
1861, eleven days after Con. Acker's order, and.
said: Captains will report to tho Adiutaut-
General at Fort Smelling
Tho Fort was now Used as rendezvous, but
BY the State authorihoB, to whom it had been
rendered free Of e1pe,lse. Something moro was
necessary. The plottors wantod to have
- THE UNITED BTArEs RoPED N.
| Finally, abont January, 1869, m order nas OBJ
tanned from tho War Department at Washington
designating Fort Smelling as the recruiting rem
dezyous of tho State militia and volunteers. Tho
Steele Was deriving an immenso income from The
| ferry at Fort Smelling. Tho travel to and from
the fort Waa enormous. Strings half milo long
OF vehicles had to wait to take their turns in
crossing Frank teas quietly charging up his
The next necessity was thst tho War Dopart-
nont should look favorably upon stoele's ga1no
AZ long As Secretary Stanton held that place lila
vonted action satisfactory to tho grabbors. But
| they were pationt. They bided thot time. They
waitod until long after the war c1oHed. Thoy
| chiohy
RELIED UPON ALEX. RAMSEY.
They could help linn with Democratic votes in
tho Legislature and with sham Democratic pa
pors, and Ramsey could holp them by advising,
Is ho did, the Secretary Of War to settle tho dif-
hculty "upon IN equitable basisl" The con-
Bpiraoy triumphod at last. Frank Steele drew
up tho following
LITTLE BILL:
Tho United States to F. steele, DR..
To uae and occupation Of Fort Smelling rssor-
yst,oa to- mtta5y II on,n t59 Aps
ossiy s ao bslanco Of purchase nonoy IN.
Total .$lu2,ooo
| THE CHAD Folded.
| Tho War Department under Gen. Belknap nl-
\ lowed this bill for trent" 1t took back 1000
| acres Immediately around tho fort; 1t paid back
the $4,000 received from Steele; and now,
within fcw days buck, Steele has sold onc-haK Of.
the property for 1900 oool Tho other half is q dl.
This fraud has robbed the United States Of
landed property worth s4oo,0o0, for which they
received nothing-tor the 3s0 goo inatalmelit
rents, and othor proats which by rights belonged
to tho United States. As the 6,S0o acreB have
sold at tho rate Of S400, 900, the United 6tatca
pnid 9133 900 year rent for its own property,
for which it had mover been paid, and Of which
| It had noyor made any Conveyance to tho party
claiming ront. In other words, tho party TINT
owns the land pays rout to tho man that doesn't
own it; and the man that dooan't own il collectH
enough for what he has 10 right to rcns to pay
for the whole property. II tho fraud were not
80 enormous tho FARGO Of it would bo laughablo
\ beyond measure.
cosc1us1oss.
Tn EoS,it Trur, r,1r f0n1R nYfoES