Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1878-05-04
DISSATISFIED CHIPPEWA. /.
The Residents of that County
think the Railroad az Delu-
sion and a Snare.
They want the State Lands K the the
Market either through the Rail-
road Company or State.
SAULr STE. MARIE, ApriLa7, 1878.

sc
SAULT STE. MARIE. AprilS21, 1878.
Correspondence of the NORTHERN TRIsuSE.
No one outside of this county eaa real
ize the intense feeling which .prevetes the
county regarding the action of the Legis-
lature andsstate authorities in withdraw
ing from market the state lands in Chip
pewa county for the benefitsof the Mar
quette s. Mackinac railroad. TO make
more clear the real cause OF. dissatisfac-
ton, will safe that large troporiion
of the best farming lands adjacent to the
Sault are state swamp lands. would
not convey the idea that they are in real
i:y swamp lands, for. they are not,sbnt on
the other hand, are very choice agricul-
tural lands. The small quantity of agri-
cultural lands in this vicinity are being
rapidlyItaken up by settlers. !. The. tide
of immigration which has in the past
two years started towards this county is
truly surprising. A large proportion of
these emmigrants are IRON Canada, and,.
as Il class, they are we'll to do people
Hundreds have come here this spring
looking for new home. They cannot
secure land,althOugh there are thousands
upon thousands of acres of this state
land within easy access of this place.
L had hardly got my feet planted
squarely Oh the dock, when l landed here
a few days ago, before friend, an old
and prominent citizen of the county.
hardly waiting TO pass the usual
courteslcs, acros,ed me in language some
what rs follows:
"Well, what reliable news have you
regarding the railroad ?"
Il hIve:none," replied. ,.further than
has appeared in tie NOhTHERN TRIBUNE
from time TO time. The latest news beth
pro and con, hassappe Ired there, but per-
sonaily, have Very little faith in the sue
cess OF the present company, as You have
probably observed in articles from my
pen iE that paper
"Isithere any wayne can get some of
the state lands in the market? There
are hundreds of people moving into this
county. They want to. purchase. these
lands. Many come. look at them, and
when they find that they can't be bought
they 90 away in disgust, and find hOmA
elsewhere. The injury, present and con-
sequential, that is thus inflictedSupon
this county is beyond estimate. If it
could be bought iL would briag five hun
dred people to the county before fall. 1t
is shame that these lands should be
thus withheld from the market, and con-
sequently from settlement and improve
ment for the beneftsof asraiIroad which
at best barelyaapasses through the coun-
ty. and if built would do us no good"
He spoke feelingly. OF course l could
90 nothing else but admit that the case
was unfortunate. Neither could | give
him any encouragement of immediate re-
lief, except that the railroad should be
commenced and the lands thus thrown
upon the market. The only way that
could see, was TO wait patiently and ask
) relief from the next Legislature.
I I'VE asked it of the last Legislature
J he replied, land nothing came of it."
L passed on, and meeting another
. friend, when occurred almost the iden
tical conversation again, and so on with
l nearly everyone L met. The Afternoon
after my arrival, number ol
citizens called at my room, and the bur
0 den of their conversation was the rail
0 road and these.lands. There is much tall
= = OF going upon them and running the
1 risk nf securing Il title from either tn,
I railroad company or state. If this cours
y is pursued il may end III serious litiga
s ton. You have no idea of the intense
o feeling there is here upon the subject
a and it is growing day by day. 1t is no
because they oppose the road, although
it could not be expected that they wCult
become very enthusiastic over it, cOnsiC
ering the course it runs, but it is becaus
r they want the lands, that they may tax
: advantage of the emmigra,ion that i
+ coming this way.
The state canno: sell the lands, tn
railroad company cannot sell the lands
No railroad, no lands. Hundred of EN-
migrant leaving the country where the
wish to settle because they cannot ge
them. Is it amy wonder that diSsatislaC
ton exists! w. &.