River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-08-29
80 T.nnaI 1an.nnf.

L*ae Land Grant.
While The rule generally holds good,
that delays are dangerous, we firmly
believe that nothing has been lost thus
far, b the repeated delays in disposing
Of tho st. Croix & Superior land grant,
The most Important delay was that of
last winter, Had the North Wisconsin,
Company lot that grant then, good bye
to railros prospects 10 Pierce county.
Now they q eonpsllcd 10 coucede that
Pierce county has some rights which
railroad companies are bound to respect
Now the people Of this county ask for a
voice in the disposition Of the grant,
and now it is that that voice will be
needed. Heretofore they have been
spurncd, Knocked, rejected, and quite
too many Of our citizens have either
crouched in fear, or bowed 10 abject ST.
lcncc as if TO kiss the rod that smote
them. But We are done with this our
claims are now recognized aud our
rights respected, both at home and
abroad.
In support Of our theory VIC clip the
following from the Kenosha Telegraph:
The grant has lain too long without
the State constructing the roads in ac-
cordanee with the grant. 1t has lain so
long that even if there is no danger of
its reversion, there is danger Of its be-
ing diverted from the purpose for which
it was granted. Ii was granted for the
construction Of railroad from or near
Prescott on the Mississippi river, to
Superior and Bayfield,, and for these
purposes it should long ago have been
applied. Had it been applied when it
should have been, Superior would prob
ably now be place Of five or ten thous-
and inhabitants aud business in proper
ton, aud Duluth would have been
place Of not more than as many hun
dreds, or perhaps not have been. And
Bayfield, too might have quadrupled the
number Of its inhabitants and the
amount Of its business. But ia place
Of this railroad has been constructed
10 Minnesota from st. Paul to Duluth,
and Daluth, without natural advantages
anything near equal 10 Superior, has
become a place of thousands Of inhabi-
tants and business in proportion. In
time, there will be city or cities at the
head Of Lake Superlor Of one hundred
Thousand NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. several
hundred thousand inhabitants-and the
people Of Wisconsin have some interest
il where that city shall be. They Ger
t,inly have interest enough, eyea at
this late day, nat to allow it to be taken
fIom Wisconsin and built up in Mime
sota without an effort to retain 1t where
it belongs. And Che effort TO retain it,
on the part Of the State, win consist
largely in the speedy construction Of
the railroad from the Mississippi to
Superior and bayfield,, 10 accordance
with the Superior and St. Croix Land
Grant. Aud there shot'd DO no divi-
sion Of the grant for the construction Of
any other roads tiil these roads are con-
structcd aud equipped
Ourmotto is, "Never give up." Why
should we give up working, or even
lighting for any thing that is worth the
cost Of our ammunition?
True it is that it has taken a long
time for the people Of this county to
learn and fully appreciate the fact that
the land grant could not be appropri-
ated to build railroad TO any point in
the county, South or East Of Prescott,
since Il is absolutely impossible 10 divert
il from the points named in the act Of
Congress comforting it. True tits, also,
that prejudice in the central aud cast.
ern portions Of the county has long pre-
vented that unity Of feeling 10 the
county that was necessary u secure re.
spect from abroad. Now, however, we
trust that all such prejudice is disap-
pearing, aud we most seriously depre.
cate any attempt to revive it. Let Us
be unitcd-strike boldly for our rights
secure thom-maintain them.
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