The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1894-05-12
Fighting for the Land.

The following from Washington CORES
pendent of the Detroit Evening News OF
May Sth will be of interest to many Up
per Peninsula readers Of the SENTINEL ;
The movement for the recovery OF the
mineral lands III the Portage Lake canal
grant hdS only passed the first preimiu-
airy sep in departmental red tape. 1t
IestSat the present time on a recon-
mendation by Land Commissioner Lam
ereaux that suit odisp ossess the company
of the property be begun. This recon-
mendation must be approved by Secretary
Hoke Smith before the matter goes before
the attorney general and the holders OF
the grant naturally don't want Nj. Smith
10 give his approval.
AN argument for his vicariouS con-
vincement that LamereauX should be
turned down in his position was begun
at the interior department at o a. N.
today. Hoke wasn'i present himself,
but /; didn't matter. John l.. Hail, the
assistant attorney general ior the depart
meat, was there and al! Ilolit has 10 do
anyway is TO sign the opinion Mr. Hall
pl epares on the subject.
The preparations which the holders of
the grant had made for rontesting the
thing even at this preliminary stage
shows the importance which the attach
10 the movement They had a big pile
of literature printed. especially for the
departmental eye, including volume of
100 pages in which copies Of all con-
| gressional statutes aud official acts bear
! ing on the point at issue. were printed +,
| as well as the voluminouS decree of the
| foreclosure suit at Detroit in 1887. They
! were represented by John 4. Dillon, the
! distinguished attorney, and former fed
| eral Judge of New ! ork city, Attorney
Nathanial Wilson, OF Washington who is
mixed up extensively In the past history
| OF the grant, appearing with him. j. K.
Reddington appeared for Angus Smith,
ana a. A. Thomas, who wants the canal
title 10 the mineral lands set aside. so
they can locate Portertield script on an
iron mine in Gogebic county.
Several law clerks sat with Mr.. Hall in
the case, and after chewing TO bacco had
beeu distributed all around, and every
body had settled himself as comfortably
as was possible on an extremely hot
morning, Mr.. Dillon opened the proceed
! ings.
lie has iron-grey hair and whskers. and
reminds one OF James L. Joy, He com
| Reddington's papers state that the Lake
Superior company, the successors OF the
Portage Lake Ship Canal Co., are the
! present owners of the grant. He declared
| that In 1891 the Lake Superior corpora
! TONS interests In the grant had been
purchased by the Keweenaw association
! limited, which is not u corporation. but
! u co-partnership. Mr.. Reddington had
! not learned this fact until short time
before the hearing, and IL VIII be new TO
/ many Interested persons In Michigan.
/ Dillon, In graphic figure of speech
! personilied Angus Smiths piece OF Por-
terrified script as devourer. which went
roaming around the country, seeking,
like pen and ink Coxy, to camp down
on other peoples property wherever it
! saw fit. with all the rest Of the United
4 States before II, this omniverous piece OF
/ script, like bird OF ill-omen, had chosen
/ to perch over the hard earned possess
ions OF the Kewecnaw c0-partnership.
| The grounds on which he contested the
forfeiture of the IS, 900 acres are the fact
that its possession had been undisputed
since 1868, that the lands were not, as a
matter OF fact, mineral lands, aud thew
never received adequate designation as
mineral lands, Incorporating as such in
the tract-books, and merely being SO
styled in one proclamation issued by the
president. He had old land Office charts
at hand TO substantiate his point. The
healing will consume all Of today and
may run over tomorrow.