Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-03-12
LANCASTER WISCONSIN. THURSDAY MARCH 49, 1874
TIE GIGANTIC LAND GRAB.
Monopoly Wias.

Monopoly wias.
Had thunder bolt struck the dome
and riven the Capitol to its founda
ton, yesterday, it would not have
created more surprise, in some quar-.
ters, than did the message of Governor
Taylor, surrendering the grant to the
Central road.
But the mere announcement, which
was at first so astounding by disgust
and contempt. on reading Tho fimsy
official excuses presented, backed up
by wishy washy editorials, pleading
the baby ACT. Why does the Gov
ernor, or any of his echoes, suppose
that public act of this character and
Magnitude, which affects the vital in
terests of hundreds of thousands of
people in Wisconsin, is to be passed
over glibly, and that it will only be
talked about in soft phrases, pleasant
to the executive ear? Did he not
know, and did not his advisors know,
that he had Embossed the whirlwind :?
Let him listen to the coming wrath of
the people in the thickly settled coun-
ties about Oshkosh, Fond du Lac,
Ripon, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Der
lin, Montello, Portage and Madison,
as well as from other portions of Wis.
consin. THIS central and Northwest.
ern section has demanded, through its
representatives, the fulfllment of the
sacred Obligations of this company to
build line of road to start from Por-
tage City. That is the solemn condi'
ton 10 the original law. and that Is
what the people ask the executive to
enforce. That is the point. The road
must start from Portage. The repre-
sentatives of the people have protes-
ted against this gigantic grab of all
the land without the equivalent there
for was rendered according to the
terms of the act. They objected TO
the release of the company from its
solemn obligations to build from Por-
tage. 1t was the first business of the
Governor TO see that the statute was
complied with in this respect for he is
sworn to execute the law. He cannot
shift the duty to the Secretary of the
Interior, of the Attorney General of
the United States, or any other out
slider. He, VIM. r. Taylor, is the
Executive of Wisconsin, and the law
of the state says the road must begin
at Portage. There Is no lodging this.
IL is plain case, and Governor Wash
burn left it perfectly easy for him to
get the opinion of the Supreme Court.
Never was an executive in better posi-
ton to silence the opportunities of
company and to get the highest judi
cial authority. Yet at this time of all
others, when he should have been
firm, he surrenders everything. The
people are without remedy. The
road North will not now be built from
Portage. Not rod will be built.
The rights of the people have been
FILTERED away, and the reform Gov
ernor is responsible. 1t is Waterloo
defeat OF the people. Monopoly has
triumphed. Dane Courty alone is in
jured hundreds of thousands of dollars
by this act. The North east is forced
to seek round about way to the capt.
tai. The demand of the vast Fox
River Valley is fiouted; the law is in
terpreted against the interest of the
people in favor of a monopoly.
> Nothing like this was ever known
in the state before. Governor Ran
dali refused q certificate. Governor
Washhurn and the late Attorney Gen
eral decided against issuing this certi-
6cate. We believe the Supreme
Court and Legislature would have de-
cided against 1t. had an opportunity
been offered, and we have no doubt
that the people would cast an ever
whelming majority against this pro-
position to surrender the magnificent
land grant to the company, before they
had completed the road from Portage
to Stevens Point, according to law.
1t was not necessary for the Gov
ernor to decide the point now. 1t
was probably done because of the
amendment TO the bill in the Assem-
bly,, the day before, prohibiting the
issuing of certificates, except on GER
tain conditions. This frightened the
company, and they pushed matters.
A gentlemen who is reformer and
claims to know the law, ridicules the
Governors idea that the lands at the
North end can be saved. He says
this company is entitled to these lands
under the law when they build South.
So the Executive has let all the horses
out and now backs up against the
door of the empty stable and calls
Justify for o Legislative lock to fasten
it State Journal.