The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-01-14
LINES or THE ST. PAUL
ANDPACuIC,

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EXTENSION LINES OF THE ST. PAUL.
ANDPACnIC. :
From Governor Davis Message. "
In 1857 the United States granted
to Minnesota most magnificent guam
tity Of land to aid in the construction
Of railroads the endowment was in
creased in 1866. The lines of these
roads were prescribed in the act itself
with president knowledge Of the dssti-
ny Of = country that was then almost
4 wilderness. The system thus de-
vised has been completed with an i'm
portant exception. That exception is
the line between St. Cloud and St.
Vincent, and the line from Watab to
Brainerd, in all about 365 miles. A
few miles Of iron have been laid south
Of Brainerd toward Watab. The
road has been fully constructed for
about IS miles from St. Cloud to
Melrose, and the iron has been laid
upon segment Of the line between
towns 1928 and 1853, of which there is
no regular operation. The whole
line between Brainerd and Watab il
graded and ready for superstructure.
The line between Melrose and the
British line is graded except about
40 miles. In the summer of 1872 the
work of construction was suddenly
stopped, and has never been resumed.
The people of those portions Of the
State to be benefited by these roads
have waited patiently for the adjust
ment Of the private difficulties by
which the work has been frustrated.
They have waited in vain. The dis
putants hold each ether obstinately
At bay, and in the meantime tho pros
perity of the region most directly con-
cerned in these roads is checked. It
would be an irrelevant undertaking
to enter here into discussion of the
merits of this dispute. That question
il now taxing the ingenuity Of law
YEN and the wisdom of courts, with
no hope of it, immediate solution.
To these proceedings the State is not
= party, and, believing, a. I do, that
the State has 4 right at this moment
to assert its paramount title to these
lands, and to the franchises of the
company, which has failed to build
the road, and that it has, a. the re-
suit Of this title, plenary power to CO.
cree the settlement of these questions,
and thereby, or by other means, such
coercion failing, to insure the COM
pletion of the grand system of rail-
roads inaugurated with 50 much wis
dom so many years ago, I earnestly
urge that you take such legislative
action as will bring about these re-
suits.
The company now in default has
been literally treated by the State.
1t has had several extensions of the
time within which it was to construct
the road. The last operative extern
sion was made by the act of March
II, 1873. I say Operative extension
because the act Of March 5, 1874, by
which an extension was offered, never
became e8ectual, for the reason that
the company has not accepted the
terms and conditions thereof, Is it was
required by the express language of
the statute to do within four months
sfter the approval of the act. The
time granted by the act Of 1873 ex-
pired January 1, 1874.
The Importance of these roads can
not be overstated. The line from
Watab to Brainerd will afford direct
connection for the Northern Pacific
road with portions of this State, and
with railroads leading to the sea-
board, with which its present connec-
tions are circuitous and expensive.
The extension from St. Cloud to St.
Vincent will traverse region second
to none in the State for its varied re-
sources-a region to which 1mmigra-
ton has been arrested by the repeated
disappointments which have been ex-
periencsd concerning the construction
of this road, by the withdrawal of the
railroad lands and by doubling the
price of the government lands within
the limits of the grant.
Other considerations of great mo.
ment press for the solution Of this
question. The Canadian government
has taken direct action in furtherance
Of its policy to build a railroad to the
Pacific Ocean. It is believed that
were the railroad opened to St. Vim
cent it would speedily be extended to
Fort Garry by that Government and
that the construction Of q railroad
thence westward would be comm enced
Immediately. This will not be posi-
BILE until Fort Garry has the railroad
connection. The fertility and re.
sources Of that important domain
which stretches from Lake Winnipeg
to the Rocky Mountains can be made
powerful forces in the development of
the commerce of our own State.
In your legislation upon this sub.
ject you should consider the claims Of
the foreign bond-holders, whose
money has brought these works to