The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-02
SERIOUS CHARGES MADE NV .rour
LIND IN A SPEECH AT RED
WING.
LAYING BARE STATE SECRETS.
REITERATEs THE CHARGE THAT
CLOUGH FOREsTALLED THn
LEGISLATURES.
ATTACKS EX-GOVERNOR MERRIAM.
Says His Action and That of Mr..
Childs May Rob Settlers of Lands
Worth $1,OOO.OOO.

RED WING. Mimi, Oct. John
Lind was enthusiastically greeted here
this evening. He was met at the train
by brass band, and the opera house,
where he spoke was over crowded,
many people being turned away. His
speech was loudly applauded. When
he was once interrupted by a man in
the audience in regard to his leaving
the Republican party, Mr.. Lind replied
that he placed principle before the man,
the crowd burst into wilder enthusiasm.
When the name Of Mckinley was men
toned, the Republicans loudly applaud
ed. Speaking Of state issues, Mr.. Lind
said:
By an act of the territorial legislature of
Minnesota, a railroad company was incor-,
pcrated which afterwards became known as
the Hastings & Dakota Railroad company.
1t was authorized to construct railway from
Hastings to the western boundary of the
STATE. To aid in the construction of the
road, congress passed act on July 4, 1866,
granting to the state for the benefit of the
company ten sections Of land per mile, with
the privilege, If 1t should be found on the
the ten-mile limits of the grant had been
disposed of by the government, to select other
lands. in lieu Of those lost. within twenty
miles of the road but not in excess of the
ten sections granted per mile. The legisla-
ture of this state conferred the grant upon
the company by the act of March 7, 1867,
but this act provided that upon the COM
panys failure to comply with any of its pro-
visions. it should forfeit all lands, rights
and franchises acquired by virtue Of the act
except any land that it may have received
for any portion OF said road completed by it
as required by the provisions of this act
About the 1st OF July, 1872, the Hastings G.
Dakota Dakota Railroad company sold part Of its
Paul company, and in July, 1880, 1t sold an
other part to the same company. In Decem-
Der, 1882, it conveyed the remaining portion
OF the line. These sales comprised all the
railway Of the Hastings & Dakota Railroad
company, and since the conveyances above
mentioned, the company has not owned or
operated any railway In this state or else
where, carried on any railroad business
In making the sales, however the railway
company reserved the lands granted by the
About the year 1896 Hon. William J. Hahn.
then attorney general of our state brought a
quo warranto action against the Hastings G
Dakota Railroad company 10 have the cor
poration dissolved, and to have its corporate
rights, powers and privileges declared for
feited upon the ground of the non-user of its
railroad company. The supreme
court OF this state (Vol. 36, page 346) rendered
judgment in behalf Of the state. and declared
q forfeiture prayed for In the attorney
generals complaint. Under the law, after
this forfeiture had been declared. the cor
poration had three years in which to wind
up It's DUs1ueSS. RUSSELL Gage, Levi =. MOI
ten. and several other Wall street specuIa-
tors, owned the bonds of the company, and
a conveyance of the lands owned by the COM
pany was made to Russell Sage In trust for
the bondholders during the three years. After
the expiration of the three years and some
time in 1891. think, final Judgment was
rendered in the supreme court declaring abb
solute forfeiture OF the corporate existence
of the Hastings & Dakota Railroad company,
and forfeiting all its rights, privileges and
franchises.
During this time was serving in the house
of representatives from the Second district
of this state. A portion Of the land grant
passes through the district. Many of the
settlers knowing Of the forfeiture Of the
corporate existence of the company had set
tied upon the lands within the twenty mile
limit Of the grant and were seeking to obtain
title to the lands.- The railroad company
had not earned the grant for the road was
not built within the time limited, and / used
every endeavor in my power to secure these
lands for the settlers. AS to the lands with
In the gra fed limits. there was question
whether Russell Sage might not be able to
hold them under the peculiar decisions Of the
court which had construed grants Of that