St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-13
Red River Valley Settlers
Hold a Mass Meeting at
Grand Forks.
After Discussion They Draft
and Adopt a Memorial to
Congress.
They Have Paid Their Money
for Lands ana Want
Relief.
The Celebrated Snow Divorce
Case Ends in Mrs. Shows
Favor.
Special to the Globe

Special to the Globe.
GRAND FORKS, Y. D., Dec. 12.-Set-
tiers OH Odd-numbered sections within
the indemnity limit of land claimed by
the Great Northern railway held meet
ing today and adopted memorial TO
congress, praying for protection against
the railroad and asking the government
to defend title to the lands patented to
settlers under the laws. Settlers are
thoroughly alarmed and generally BE-
lieve that the railroad claim would be
sustained in the courts. These cases
are exactly similar to the noted
case in Iowa of the settlers
Oh the Des Moines river lands,
for whose relief congress passed an
appropriation which was vetoed by
President Cleveland. The precedent of
Justice Lamar's decision in the Mime
sofa and Nebraska cases, where the
lands were taken from settlers nOtwith-
standing patents, convinces settlers
here that unless congress grants relief
the railroad company will take the
lands. 1t is understood from Senators
Casey and HansbrOugh and Congress-
man johnson that the railroad company
refuses to accept in lieu of these lands
any timber lands In the state of Wash
ingtOn. Otherwise they demand
cash indemnity. 1t Is also UNI
derstood and believed that any
bill passed by congress must be
entirely satisfactory to the railroads or
they will insist on evicting settlers.
These Red river valley lands are worth
$50 TO $40 per acre. All a meeting
this afternoon committee CON-
posed of w. r. Bierly, w. G. Baker, H.
A. Foss, q. G. Beardsley, Gulick
Thompson and Thomas Nelson reported
memorial to congress with a recon-
mendatiOn that copies of the memorial
be circulated for signatures of all the
eviction. Following is the text of the
memorial which will be forwarded to
the North Dakota delegation:
To the honorable senate and house of rep
resentatives in congress assembled: The pc
tuons of the undersigned citizens. residents
States government resident in the state of
North Dakota respectfully show:
First-That they and many others to the
number Of about 1000, have been served with
notices of proposed eviction.
Second-They further represent that they
have become lawfully seized of the lands
from which they are about 10 be evicted by
the ST Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Rail
road company, have paid for and
improved the same, built homes of
great value to them: erected schools
and churches, laid out roads and
vastly enhanced the value thereof by their
labor and frugality. and never until now
have they heard of any shadow upon their
title or even a whisper of any adverse claim
to the same, many of them having been in
lawful and undisputed possession for up
wards Of twenty-one years, and all of said
lands having been duly patented by the gov
eminent Many of the lands have been
aliened by the. original patentees, and others
have passed by devolution to their heirs and
have been decreed by the courts to
innocent parties These lands are not
only the most valuable in the state of North
Dakota, but in the world, made so bv the
present owners and occupants, VINO have
largely aided the railroad company claimant
III making the rallroRdy property and fran
chises valuable.
Third-That they are unfamiliar with
the questions of law claimed to have
been settled in the Ransom-Phelps case
decided in the supreme court. or whether the
same are applicable to these lands: but they
do know that they bought and
paid for the lands in question
to the United States government
and they claim the protection of said govern
ment against this threat of disposSession and
petition your honorable bodies 10 take imme-
diate steps to investigate fully their rights
and the adverse claims of said railroad COM
pany, and by suitable legislation protect
them from wrong and prevent an irremedi-
able injury. and they viii ever pray.
Attached to the memorial is copy of
the eviction notice notifying farmers to
Yacate lands Dec. Is.