Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-04-02
The Wisconsin Land Grant Certifi.
Gates.

the Wisconsin Central Rail Road
LandGrani Certificates BY Gov. aylor
is receiving . large share Of attention
from the people OF this county, and
as the reformers and their party or
gans are striving hard to justify the
sciion OF their leader in so doing, l
think it would be eminen,ly fit that
the facts should be presented to your
readers so they could Judge tor the m
selves as to the merits or demerrits
of such proceeding.
1t is understood that when Gov.
Washburn refused to sign the cernfi-
Gates one year ago the claims of the
company were just the same a. when
signed by Gov. Tay Tor. The grant
of land made by Congress for the
building of railroad from Portage
City to Lake Superior consisted of
alternate sections, in a strip 20 mil s
wide and 257 miles long. Immediate
~ after the grant was received by
the State two railroad companies
were hartered, called the Winnebago
and Lake Superior r. r and the
Portage City and Lake Superior r.
K. The first named company was
required by its charter TO commence
he building of its road at Doty'r
Island, or Fond du Lac, and build 10
Stevens Point on the Wisconsin
r yer and from Stevens Point jointly
with the other company to the point
on LakeSuperior whore Ashland now
stands The Portage City and LAKE
Superior company was required by
it's charter to commence the bull ling
of it's road at Portage City and buili
TO Stevens Point and from there
Jointly with the other company to
Lake Superior. As the bull ling of
tie roads progressed towards Stew
ene Point each company as it COM
ted a section of 20 NIL of road
was entitled to its certificates. But
previous to any amount of work be-
ing done the two companies were
constl dated and assumed the name
of the Wisconsin G .ntral r. r Com
pany, thereby assuming all the rights
and privileges, and also the obligations
and responsibilities Of the two olu
companies.
Nothing has been done towards
building the road from Portage Cry
to Stevens Point, and the land laying
along this ne being entirely worth
less, it was necessary to secure the
building Of this road, 80 miles 10
length, for the State, to retain the in
terest which the original Portage
City and Lake Superior R. r. Com
pany had in the good lands boteen
Stevens Point and Lake Superior,
until the company had complied with
the first and most important provi.
sion of their charter-hamely: to COM
mence at Portage city and build to
.Stevens Point. This they have
steadily refused to do and now there
is no prospect that it wi ever be
done. Tue Central r. r. C,mpauy
have built their road from Doty's
Island TO Stevens Point. IL is
through a good country, and on
route where it would pay to build
road. They have also bull. from
Stephens Poir north III miles, and
from Ashland eouth 90 miles, leaving
gap OF only 80 miles 10 complete
that part Of their contract with the
Safe
One year ago this Company de-
mandei of Gov. Washburn certifi-
Gates tor all the lands laying along
the com oleted part of this road, just
IS they would Do entitled TO had they
compiled 9Th The original contract
and built the road from Portage City
to 8 evens Point. Governor WAshg
burn very properly refused 10 sign
the certificate tor the whole OF the
lands, but expressed willingness TO
grant certificates for an undivided
half of said lands, which was all that
bad been eai ned BY tbs original con-
tract which was still in full force
This tho Central Company .efused
and carried their case into courts,
and before a decision could be reach
ed and while the case was still pend
ing Governor Tay IF came into pow
er and The 6rst act Of any Importance
20 the veal OF woe of the State Was
to f. restall the action of he Court
and sign away the most magnificent
grant of land this State ever possessed.
IL is claimed by many OF CIV.
ray PRS OLD political friends as well
as by many of bis political oPpon ents,
that be has but performed hia parttf
contract made before election with
the railroad compaaies. But be this
as it my circumstantial evidence
lis very mucA against him, and the
future Il not deal lightly with i'm,
as he has committed an irreparable
lsjury to the people of the entire
State. Viewed from money stand
point, that piece Of road, 80 M les
long, would have been worth &c the
State as so much taxable property.
S2,7OO,OOO-all confi-cated by
stroke of the pen But viewed as
State enterprise it was of much more
importance for it would have been
the connecting nix between Lake
Superior and Madison, and then
eontemI .ted road from Madison to
Freeport would have comp tied a
grand north snd south no from Lake
Superior to New 0 l,ans.
This fine prospect for the future