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President of the

relation to the

Bale of lands

ing to the public lands as a source of revenue. If this result would follow, although purchased at so great sacrifice, we Memorial to the would not so earnestly protest against the policy, but it will United States in not. The Government will not realize by the sale, a dollar of revenue. The treasury will not, we believe, receive in money sufficient to pay the expenses of the sale. The land when entered by the pre-emptor, or located by the speculator, would simply show the location of an increased number of land warrants, solely operating for the benefit of land warrant speculators, and to pay whom the farmers of this State will be impoverished. With the large number of outstand ing land warrants, the public lands cannot be looked to as a source of money revenue.

Under these circumstances, we confidently believe the President, after the annouscement in his first message of a policy so wise and generous toward the settler, will heed our request and protect our pre-emptors from the speculators. A public sale at this time is marked with irreparable injury to the labor of the country, and in no respect is the Govern ment the beneficiary. There is no healthy demand for land at this time, certainly none sufficient to justify the payment of $1,25 in gold per acre, when land warrants can be readily purchased at 90 cents per acre; nor even for the location of land warrants, except as is for the purpose of speculating upon the toil and enterprise of the pre-emptor, and exacting from their necessities à ruinous rate of interest. We look to the Executive to avert these results. In times of prosperity the policy of hastening public sales would not be op posed, for then a healthy demand should be supplied and the tendency would be to relieve the treasury. We proudly point to Minnesota as a State in which more land has been entered by pre-emptors than all the States or Territories of this Union, and claim that since her settlement, in no part of the country has so much land been sold to the actual settlers, as here. We ask, therefore, that the Executive should interfere to protect our people from the speculator, knowing that our settlers will, as they already have done, pay for their claims as fast as possible. We have reaped the advantages of the pre-emption policy as a State, resulting equally to the advantage of the Government, and while ask ing no indefinite postponement of the proposed public sales, desire that exercise of Executive discretion, which will, during the present year, at least protect our settlers from the inev itable disasters that must follow them, and that they be de layed until the financial condition of the country will warrant such sales. This matter is one so vital to our prosperity, that we trust it will receive, as it merits, the favorable consideration of the President.

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APPROVED-August the twelfth, one thousand eight hundred

and fifty-eight.

SECRETARY'S OFFICE, Minnesota,}

August 12,

HENRY H. SIBLEY.

I hereby certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the original on file in this office.

FRANCIS BAASEN, Secretary of State.

NUMBER XXV.

Memorial of the Legislature of Minnesota.

To the President of the United States :

Minnesota

Your memorialists, the Legislature of the State of Minne- Memorial of the sota, beg most respectfully to 1epresent to your Excellency, Legislature of that military protection should be, and we pray that it may be afforded to the settlements in Northern Minnesota and Northern Dakota, by the immediate establishment and occupation of a military post near Graham's Point on the Red River of the North, and your memorialists will ever pray, &c.

GEORGE BRADLEY,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

THOMAS COWAN,

President pro tem, of the Senate.

APPROVED-June twenty-third, one thousand eight hundred

and fifty-eight.

WILLIAM HOLCOMBE,

Governor, ad interim.

SECRETARY'S OFFICE, Minnesota,}

June 23, 1858.

I hereby certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the

original on file in this office."

FRANCIS BAASEN, Secretary of State.

Memorial for a grant of land

NUMBER XXVI.

A Memorial for a Land Grant to aid in the construction
of the Nininger, St. Peter and Western Railroad.

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States in Congress assembled:

The Memorial of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota, most respectfully represents, that the Nininger, St. Peter and Western Railroad Company were chartered in the year 1857; that the lines of said road runs through a fertile region of partly settled country.

That the early construction of said road is of vast importance to the citizens of a great portion of Minnesota. Therefor, your memorialists would most respectfully ask Congress for a grant of a portion of the unsold lands along the line of said road to aid in its construction.

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I hereby certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the original on file in this office.

FRANCIS BAASEN, Secretary of State.

NUMBER XXVII.

A Memorial to Congress for a Grant of Land to aid in the Construction of a Railroad from Winona by way of La Crescent and Brownsville, to the point of Junc tion with the Milwaukee and Mississippi Road, at the Southern Boundary Line of the State of Minnesota.

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress Assembled:

The Legislature of the State of Minnesota most respect

fully ask, That in addition to the grant of land made to the Territory, or State of Minnesota, by act of Congress approved March 3, 1857, to aid in the construction of certain Roads therein mentioned,

That every alternate section of land belonging to the United states, and located, within six miles of the line of Railroad, to be constructed from a point in the town of Winona, (to be designated thereafter), and from thence by the way of La Crescent and Brownsville, in the State of Minnesota, to the southern boundary line of said State to the point of junction with the Milwaukee and Mississippi Road, be grant ed to the State of Minnesota to aid in the construction of said Road.

And your memorialists further ask, that where said alternate sections, or any portion thereof, have been disposed of under the provisions of any law or regulation of Congress, that an equivalent thereto in alternate sections may be selected from any of the public lands belonging to the United States, and included within the limits of the State of Minnesota, to aid in the construction of said Road.

GEORGE BRADLEY,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

THOMAS COWAN,

President pro tem. of the Senate.

APPROVED-June thirtieth, one thousand eight hundred

and fifty eight.

WILLIAM HOLCOMBE,

Governor ad interim.

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I hereby certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the original on file in this office,

FRANCIS BAASEN, Secretary of State.

Memorial to Congress for a grant of land

NUMBER XXVIII.

A Memorial to Congress for a Grant of Land to aid in the Construction of a Railroad from the Confluence of the Southern Branch of Root River to Sioux Falls City, on the Big Sioux River, by way of Preston, Carimona and Forrestville.

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress Assembled:

The Legislature of the State of Minnesota most respect

Memorial to Con

of land i

fully ask, That in addition to the grant of land made to the Territory of Minnesota, by Act of Congress approved March gress for a grant 3, 1857, to aid in the construction of certain Railroads therein mentioned, that every alternate section of land belonging to the United States, and located within six miles of the line of Railroad, commencing at a point of junction at or near the south fork of Root River, in township one hundred and three (103), of range nine (9), from thence on the most direct and practicable route to Sioux Falls City, on the Big Sioux River, by way of Preston, Carimona and Forrestville, be gran ed to the State of Minnesota, to aid in the construction of said Road,

And your memorialists would further ask, that where said alternate sections, or any portion of the same, has been disposed of in accordance with the provisions of any law or regulation of Congress, that an equivalent thereto may be selected from any portion of the public lands belonging to the United States, and included within the limits of the State of Minnesota, to aid in the construction of said Road.

GEORGE BRADLEY,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

THOMAS COWAN,

President pro tem. of the Senate.

APPROVED-July fourteenth, one thousand eight hundred

and fifty-eight.

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HENRY H. SIBLEY.

I hereby certify the foregoing to be a true copy of the original on file in this office.

FRANCIS BAASEN, Secretary of State.

NUMBER XXIX.

A Memorial to Congress.

To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States in Congress assembled:

The memorial of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota respectfully showeth, that by an Act of Congress approved March third, 1857, there was appropriated for salaries of Governor, three Judges, and Secretary of the Territory of the State of Minnesota, for the year ending June 30th, 1858, the sum of nine thousand three hundred dollars.

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