Year: 1872




Among the memorials there is one involving qres
ton of great national interest, the details OF which WILL


think interest your readers. IL comes from citizens
of Superior City the chief if not only port Of Wiscon
sin the great lake, and covers something more than
a question Of state rights.


The substantial facts of the case are these: Superior
CITY lies at the mouth of ST Louis river having an in
ner and natural harbor, some seven miles in length
formed by bar which separates it from the waters OF
the lake and always until recently has been accessi
BILE to all kinds of vessels, there being nine feet depth
at the mouth Of the in all stages of water The
general government had expended much money IN
works to improve this harbor, and appropriations to
that end were annually made.


In April 1871 the new city of Duluth commenced
cutting canal across the barrier, known Minnesota
Point which in effect mouth to the river
and by lowering the water, destroys the entrance at
Superior City To prevent this result the last lcgisa
ture of Wisconsin appealed to- and it voted $1,000
and instructed the governor to have the matter tested
in court. By some legal hocus pocus the suit was
bIought in the of the United States at the in
and advice of Senator Carpenter who received
81 900 of the treasury for giving It, The case was
RATED out to Topeka, Kan. and, after hearing JUS
tice Miller granted injunction against Duluth,
restraining its aggression This writ never served
by the marshal of Minnesota but in lieu of it one
supposed be Dir. Jay Cooke, rushed down to Wash
ington got the of the secretary of war on er
p4rte statement without the knowledge of the ether
SIDE and that official issued orders dispensing with the
court and took, pretended TO take, bond from the
city OF Duluth, requiring IL 10 blockade iStli lpl
peror CITY by building dyke across the harbor so
that vessels could not approach its landing In other
words the military power were successfully invoked to
trampe on the rights of Wisconsin city to benefit a
rival and to do the very thing the state protest
ing against more glaring crime against the sOyer-
eighty of state never before committed, and at
any other period of history would have caused an
instant impeachment of the offender. But III these
times Justice not only blind but has itching palm
The whole ease on the part of the state most shift
aud han mil lifapy
threw the court the officials and counsel employed
quietly pocketed their fees and left Superior City to
take care of itself No effort made pro-
tcc the rights and interests OF its citizens 1t would
have hurt the party to agate the bayonet question:
resist by law military crime of unequaled enormity
counsel had received their money without any services
of value. and here rested


And now comes these memorialsts and show that
Duluth has built dyke where it agreed to but pro
poses to build in another place and thus destroy
two more miles of the harbor that the bond given the
secretary of worthless and void the secre-
tary knew il TO be when taken; that the military
power has stripped them of remedy destroyed the val
ue of their property filled the natural lake entrance
BY bar 500 feet across where none formerly ex-
ised and shoaled the six feet so that steam
and lake craft longer enter and the course
of the river has been changed that no current exists
to Seour out the obstruction.


And what do YOU suppose this swlnGled ana out
ragged community ask? Simply that the legtSia-
ture memoralize congress not pass any law to de-
pliye them of hearing in court! strange request
that to come from American citizens. \ remarkable
era truly when states asked petition that courts
shall not be closed against the righteous demands Of
their citizens. But these poor victims OF avarce
and despotism have grown wise by experience
They have the authorities, although fully
backed bv the legislature, crjuge and lick the heels OF
usurpation. They have seen Wisconsin city destroy
ed in the face of its highest officials who looked cold
" on the ruin of their property without the de
cencv Of remonstrance, They have seen the sover-
eighty Of great state tramped upon its power aud
dignity defed and the actions of courts oyerJhrown,
and it is manifest have faith whatever in the JUS
tco of congress They are poor. The5 are remote
They have no subsidy land grant to buy their way to