The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-04-22

so complete the lines as required, on
or before the times specified in this
act, then "all the lands, property, priv
ileges, rights and franchises pertain.
ing to the uncempleted lines shall be-
come forfeited to the State of Mime
sofa, absolutely and without any
further act or ceremony whatever"
Sirth-"The Railroad Company or
the Receiver shall accept the terms
and conditions of this act, and file
such acceptance with the Governor,
within four months from the passage
of this act"
After these acts had. been passed,
DeGraff & Co! and other parties
filed their claims for labor and ma
terial in the State Auditors Office as
required by law, and I think about
fifty, claims, large and small, were go
fled, and when they were all fled
then the Receiver came in and dis
puted the whole lot and forced the
claimants into the courts to assert
their rights.
The Railroad Company or the Re-
ceiver never came near the Governor
to file any acceptance of the act nor
paid any more attention to it than if
the State Of Minnesota did not ex-
list.
After the Legislature of 1874 had
passed these acts and adjourned, then
Crooks, DeGraE, Delano and others
went to Washington and labored
with Congress for another renewal
and extension of the land grant, and
by hard work succeeded, and the ex-
tension was made as given in my first
letter. The bondholders, by their at
torneys and Receiver, were at WASH
ington and tried to get Congress to
make the grant direct to them and
not to the State, but Congress would
not do this, as they desired that the
State should have control of the
grant, and thus enable its Legislature
to protect the interests of the State
and the interests of the actual SET
tiers.
The season of 1874 passed away
and nothing was done towards build
ing any Of these railroad lines, and
the only thing weheard about was some
suit or another Between the Railroad
Company and the bondholders or Re-
ceiver. We heard nothing that
sounded like building any railroad,
and so we waited the season out and
saw the graded road-bed waste away,
and the piles of cross-ties ard the
bridge timber and piles rot down or
burn up.
The Legislature of 1876 met, and
the Governor in his message called
special attention to this St. Vincent
and Brainerd extension matter, and
set forth the facts and his opinion in
regard to it clearly and decidedly,
and advised the Legislature to take
prompt and efficient action in relation
thereto. Col. VIM. Crooks. and Mr..
F. r. Delano, men who had been for
a long time connected with these
roads, had been elected to the Legis-
lature from St. Paul and occupied
seats in the House Of Representatives.
They had done, much at the: session
Of 1874 and with, Congress in relation
to these lines, and were supposed
to know as much as any other men
about the condition Of affairs connect
ed with them and the legisla-
ton necessary to be had to insure
their early completion. ..
This railroad matter was fully and
freely talked over among all men,
bers Of the Legislature interested,
and it was supposed that the Sank
Valley delegation would devise some
plan and bring forward some bill to
advance the construction of these OK
tension lines, especially as, the Hon.
Knute Nelson, Of Alexandria, an
nounced that this was the one great
thing he had come down for. The
Sanatorial contest took run ~ much: of