The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-09-05

ity have been disposed to treat Du-
lnth fairly, to offer no opposition to
their appropriations by the general
government in aid of their harbor
mprovements, although the purpos-
es for which appropriations have
been asked of Congress are not such
as are usually made for public i'm
provements-they being chiefly to
dig out acres of mud and muck to
make a place where vessels can
float, erect breakwaters in an open
sea not demanded by the public in
terests, but almost wholly for the i'm
provement and protection Of pri-
vate property. Dredging is always
done at individual or corporate ex-
pense, unless to erect, maintain or
improve some government work
the benefit OF which goes to the
general good.
Let the people of Wisconsin bear
these facts in mind and wake up to
a full sense of the rights and inter
ests of the State. 1t should be
firmly insisted upon that lobbyists
and corporations can no longer con-
troll enterprises of so much impor-
tance to the Commonwealth of Wis
consin as the st. CroiX Land Grant,
and hereafter, let there be no com
promise with Duluth and her interests
let our representative see to it
that the appropriations are kept
strictly within usage and law, and
that the laws Of retaliation which
have heretofore been used so freely
against the State and so constantly
avoided on her part as against
those who have injured her inter
ests, be now enforced to their full
est limit.
From the Milwaukee News 2sth ult.
THE LAND GRANT QUESTION-ST.
CROIX.
The situation of the St. Croix
land grant question takes it out ofthe
general rules that apply to further
proposed railroad land grants The
anti-administration party has taken
decided grounds against any new
grants of land to railroad compan-
les; and in this that party is right.
The republican party has also adop-
ed platforms hostile to the land
grant policy; but as they gave away
all the land that has been granted to
railroads within the last fifteen years,
they are entitled to mighty little
credit for being right now. Yet,
however that may be, none of these
anti-land grant declarations apply to
the st. Croix land grant. In fact,
it would be an act Of unparalleled
bad faith if the federal government
should foreclose the title of the
State to this land.
The St. Croix grant which was
given to Wisconsin in 1856, was
renewed at a time when a general
partition, so to speak, of public
domain was made between the
States for railroad purposes. All
the Western States received their
share, and the Eastern States receiv-
ed their share III the immense Pa
cific Railroad grants, which crossed
! the Territories, and were therefore
the common property Of all the
States. The East was also the prin-
cipal beneficiary Of the transconti-
mental grants, which passed into the
hands of eastern capitalists and
Credit Mobilier organizations.
Ofthe local grants, that extending
from Tomah to Hudson and Superior,
was renewed to this State, and that
afterwards given to the Wisconsin
Central Company, was added, to
make up the share of Wisconsin IN
this payment of real estate divi-
dend, if the term may be used to the
several States, which are co part
ners in the ownership of the common
domain. Owing to disastrous cir
cumstances, in which the war was
included, and to dishonesty on the
part OF some OF the companies char
tered for the purpose of building
these lines OF road, the portion of
road from Hudson to Lake Superior
was not completed within the time
specified by the grant. The State
has asked for an extension of time.
That is all there is of it. The re-
quest is founded in justice and equi-
", aud 1t ought to be granted, as no
similar request from any State has
been denied.