St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-21
SENATOR m'mILLAN,s BILL
Touching the Old ST. Paul a. Sioux
City Land Grant.

Early in the present session of congress a
bill touching the land grant of the old st.
Paul 81 Sioux City Railway company was
introduced in the senate by Senator Nc
MILAN. AS to the scope of the bill, the fol-
lowing communication was received yes
terday:
To the Editor of the Globe:
In the GLOBE OF Dec. 10, 1885, there is re-
port OF bill introduced in the senate by
senator Mcmillan in relation to the Sioux
CITY Il st. Paul land grant, which is somewhat
ambiguous IN its character.
The bill provides that all lands granted by
congress to aid in the construction Of the
Sioux City * st. Paul railroad. except ten sec
tons per mile for each mile of continuous
road constructed by that company on said
line, under the authority of said state, within
the time named and limited in said act, shall
be restored 10 the United States. Will the
GLOBE please inform its readers as TO the
length of road constructed by the above
named company through the Winnabego
reservation, and by what authority the state
gave that privilege TO the above named COM
pany, and subsequently certified many
thousands OF acres OF the so-called
indemnity lands 10 I'll up the de-
ficiency; and also If the aforesaid bill is
intended to take from the public domain ten
sections per mile for each mile OF road con-
structed through the Winnebago reservation
hoped that an independent press will not
silently look on with folded arms and tacitly
indorse by their silence an iucroachment on
the public domain 'by ways that are dark
and legaliZed robbery in the interest of q rail-
road monopoly. The history of the Sioux
City g. st. Paul indemnity lands, from their
inception TO the present time, is seldom sur
passed I'm the annals of deprayity. in which II
is alleged that the state and interior depart
ment took prominent part. And now comes
I a bill introduced in the senate, which, IL
passed in congress, will put on the finishing
touches to aid tho rapacity of INSCRIPTIONS
men. The title to those indemnity lands by
the railroad company would compare favor
ably with the title which satan had to the real
estate offered by him for sale on certain con-
ditions from the top Of high mountain.
Q. Is. DEvY.
Town of Vienna.
WHAT THE BILL Is.
Last evening Mr.. James ii. Drake, land
commissioner Of the St. Paul g. Sioux City
railroad, was seen and the substance of the
above communicated TO to him. He said
the bill introduced by Senator Mcmillan
pertained solely to the Sioux City d. ST.
Paul railroad land in Iowa. This company
has just built iifty-siX miles of road in Iowa
and a portion of the lands have been with
held from the company by reason Of suit
begun by the Chicago, Milwaukee & st.
Paul company as the successor of the old
McGregor company. Senator McMillan's
bill provides that after adjusting the grant
for the number Of miles of road built, that
any surplus of lands reverts TO the general
government. 1t is simply a reaflirming of
the original granting act and restoring TO
the public domain any surplus after the
company has obtained its land for the num-
Der OF miles of road built within the time
specified by the granting act. No one need
have any fear of Mr.. McMillan's bill as
bearing on the indemnity lands in Mime
sofa. The bill pertains solely to the Sioux
City and st. Paul road, which is an Iowa
corporation. and which has never possessed,
nor has it claimed an acre Of indemnity
lands i'm this state