Year: 1872

look to the accomplishment OF very ueslra-
bic results for superior.


We hope to be able to give our readers
frll information in our next issue, and to
satisfy all, that things is workin'"





THE ST rROYK 1zdNp Ga49Y DEFE4 TED.


-CORRUP7ION


The report Of the House branch of the
Conference Committee, appointed on the
St. Croix 81 Lake Superior land grant bill,
TO the effect that the Committee had been
unable to agree, was presented to the House
of Representatives on the 10th inst. The
Uouse thereupon refused to recede from,
and voted to adhere to, its former action
on the measure; and so the bill is under
stood to be lost for this session. The
Washington correspondent of the New
York Herald under date of April llth, says
in relation to this matter:


The most industrious manipulation of Congressman
b the Wisconsin lobby is going on and great effort
will be made to induce the House to recede 1t can
not be successful except through pure corruption


1t may be that this correspondent is one
Of that "Simon pure kind to whom "aIl
things are pure" insomuch that corruption
itself would not offend him, if it were suit
ably applied. Certain it is, that the effort
TO induce the House to recede was not sue
cessful. and we may therefore conclude
either that the squire corruption" whatever
that is, was wanting; or that there was not
enough of it to 90 around; or else that the
rs who voted for the defeat of the bill
AGAINST the 81 that cspouSed the other side,
were virtuously insusceptible. But the Ian
cuage of the Uerolds spondent seems
to take it for granted that the ''puTe" arti-
Gle on hand and operating, might do the
business; and our information Is such As to
warrant MS in venturng the opinion that
precisely that brilliant idea, accounts for
the milk in the cocoa nut.


The fact probably is, that no measure OF
this kind so ardcntly desired as this was
by its advocates, was ever urged before
Congress more fairly, squarely, honestly
and innoccntlv, than this same bill "to ex-
tend to the State of Wisconsin the time
for constructing railroad from st. Croix
Lake to Bayfield, and the west end of Lake
Superior.


Intelligent persons looking at the map
and tracing the line Of a railroad between
the termini mentioned, and observing the
lines west of Wisconsin running to the head
of Lake Superior, will readily understand
why formidable railroad interest would
oppose any legislation, the purpose of which
was to secure the speedy construction of
the projected road, and which might result
in committing that road and It's auxiliary
grant to other hands. And when it is known
that that interest is represented by the rall
road magnates of Philadelphia, 1t will be a
readily perceived that the force which could
be brought to bear on their behalf in Con-
gress, would be 10y no means insignificant


The land grant bill, confronted by s lch a
power, made but small headway on It's
merits. The reasonableness of the case, II
seems, was of but little import in such
contest Yet there was n time when it
looked as if considerations of justice and
equity might avail to carry the measure
Then the ours of the New York press were
rubbed by the ears and let loose upon it.
Then corruption was cried the loudeSt
by the very men--lobby shysters-who now
began to fear that there was some chance
for the bill to pass, without their receiving
the douceurs which they regard as their per
ouisites in all such eases, and who resent a
personal atfront any attempt to carry any
such measure without their purchased aid.


A noticeable feature of all the anlmadver
sions of the eastern papers upon the NATTER
was their poverty of facts. No defined
charge or specification was made against
anv friend of the bill, for the very good
reason that none of these traducers had any
grounds upon which to base the same; but
epithets such as ''job," 4" steal. corrup-
ton" &c, were scattered around with pro-
fusion. No one knew better than these We
nal scribblers that the bill could not pass
(if they had their way) "exeept through
pure corruption;" and none were more de-
termined than they, that it should not pass
without the use Of money, and none were
more sincerely indignant than they, at the
attempt so to carry 1t, or were more intent
than they, upon knowing all about it per
sonally, if money should be used.