The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1875-01-09
TILE LIND GR1NT

before the lower mousse OF congress
for the renewal Of the land grant to
aid the construction of the st. Croix,
Superior and Bayfield, railroad, en-
cages al the present time the utmost
interest Of the inhabitants Of the
whole State Of Wisconsin The peo-
pie of Northern Wisconsin look up
on the extension Of this grant, not
so much Il, free bounty from the
government, but rather as an act of
simple Justice to themselves and TO
the State in which they reside.
Since the general government has
instituted the policy, it has granted
to our sister States enormous por-
tions Of the public domain for rail
road purposes, and in every foot Of
ground thus granted, the residents
Of Wisconsin, as citizens # the UGi-
ted States, were as much interested
as the citizens of the several States
to whom that bounty was given.
Thus the land grants which cover
Minnesota and Iowa with network
of railroads, which have enabled
those States to make giant strides in
the race Of civilization and progress,
have been purchased in part by the
taxes levied upon the people of Wis
consin, but the benefit of those
grants has been reaped by the resi-
dents Of other States, aud has ena-
bled those States TO outstrip our
natural advantages, and left the
whole of the extensive tracts OF
Northern Wisconsin undeyeloped
and almost unknown.
Congress has not the moral right
to favor one State at the expense Of
another. 1t has no right to refuse
to Wisconsin what it grants to Min
nesota, and when the people of
Wisconsin ask for the same measure
which has been meted out to other
Western States, they ask for simple
Justice, they ask it as matter of
moral right
1t should also be borne in mind
that while the general government
grants alternate sections OF land to
the State to aid in the construction
of railroads, it at the same time
raises the minimum price for which
the remaining sections can be bought
atd,uble the price which they would
bring without such grant. In other
words, the remaining sections are
sold for precisely the same amount
which the entire tract would have
brought into the Golfers Of the gov
ernment had no railroad grant been
made. And not only this, but the
construction of the road, the neceS-
sarv influx Of laborers and others in
cidentaI thereto, will create an i'm
mense demand for those very lands
and cause them to be sold IN a short
time. The settlers therefore upon
the even-or govcrnment->ecu
will pay to the government the full
amount Tor which the entire tract
would have been sold, had no lands
been granted for railroad purposes.
Thus il is the settlers themselves
who in reality contribute TO the
building Of the railroad not the gov
ernment, for government realizes aS
ruuch tor the alternate sections as
the whole would have brought, and
thus suffers no loss whatever.
As regards the lands embraced in
the grant under consideration, it is
a fact, that largeporlionS ofthe even
sections have already been sold by
government TO actual settlers ut the
increased price two dollars and
fifty cents per acre. The proceeds
of such sales amount to one million
of dollars. Actual settlers therefore
have already paid to the govern,
ment one million of dollars for land
at two dollars and fifty cents per
acre. They have purchased that
land at such increased price, under
the promise Of the government that
the odd sections should be applied
IN aid Of the construction of a rail
road, and thus render then purchase
a valuable one. Without such rail
road, giving to those settlers an ac-
cess to market, and an outlet tor
their productions, the lands Ihus
purchased are of comparatively lit
tie value. From the facts, it follows
that government has already receiv-
ed five hundred thousand dollars