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MEMORIAL

To congress relative to pre-emptions and public lands.

To the Hon. Senate and House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

The memorial of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wisconsin respectfully sheweth :

That the time extended to pre-emptors of public land has failed in the object designed by congress in the passing of said act, from the fact that one year is not sufficient to enable the settler to realize any profits from said lands.

Your memorialists would therefore represent that those persons who wish to settle on government lands, and receive the benefit of such pre-emption laws, are, as a general thing, persons of small means, and very frequently with large families, and that one year is but just sufficient to enable them to get in a crop and provide a shelter for their families.

Your memorialists would therefore pray your honorable body to pass a law extending the time to five years, believing that the ends of justice, humanity, and the interests of the country generally would be subserved thereby.

Your memorialists would further represent, that the practice of selling the public lands in large quantities to individuals or companies, which land is not designed for immediate cultivation, is a serious drawback on the prosperity of the country, large bodies of such lands being at this time uncultivated, and held at such high prices that it cannot be purchased for such purposes. Therefore your petitioners pray your honorable body to pass a law restricting the sales of public lands to actual settlers.

Your memorialists would further respectfully suggest that the sales of the public lands in this territory would be greatly increased by the passage of a law by which the minimum

prices of the public lands would be gradually reduced in proportion to the time they have been subject to entry, and that by such reduction a great part of the public domain would be purchased, which, under the present system, will remain unsold and uncultivated for a great many years.

And, as in duty bound, will ever pray.

WILLIAM SHEW,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

MASON C. DARLING,

APPROVED, February 5, 1847.

HENRY DODGE.

President of the Council.

A MEMORIAL

To the congress of the United States in relation to the establishment of certain mail routes therein named.

To the honorable Senate and House of Representatives, in Congress assembled:

The memorial of the legislative assembly of the territory of Wisconsin respectfully shews:

That the business of an important portion of the territory imperiously demands that a mail route should be established from the Falls of St. Croix to La Point, on Lake Superior, to be carried once in two weeks.

Your memorialists would further represent that the establishment of the above route, would not only be a great convenience to the (rapidly increasing and) enterprising settlers, but would also be the means of developing more fully the

valuable lumbering and mineral resources of that portion of our territory.

Your memorialists would further represent that the public convenience, and increasing settlements on Black river impe- . riously demand that a mail route should be established from Prairie La Cross, to the Falls of Black river to be carried once in two weeks. The distance between the above named places is about sixty miles.

Your memorialists would further represent that the same reasons would justify the establishment of a mail route from the above mentioned Falls of Black river, to the Falls of the Chippewa river, distance fifty-five miles, to be carried once in two weeks, thereby affording additional facilities for increasing the settlements in that valuable lumbering region.

WILLIAM SHEW,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.
MASON C. DARLING,

APPROVED, February 8, 1847.

President of the Council.

HENRY DODGE.

A MEMORIAL

To congress for an appropriation of land to complete the steam boat landing at Potosi, in Wisconsin.

To the honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembleds:

The memorial of the Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Wisconsin, respectfully represent:

That congress, by an act entitled "an act granting a sec

tion of land for the improvement of the Grant river, at the town of Potosi, in Wisconsin territory," approved June 15th, 1844, appropriated to the said territory, section number thirty-four, in town three, range three west, for the purpose of improving the Grant River Slough, at the town of Potosi, in said territory, that in pursuance of the intention of congress, as expressed in said act, the territory of Wisconsin have caused said section to be sold, and the nett proceeds arising from said sale after deducting therefrom all expenses, are two thousand seven hundred and twenty-five dollars and odd cents, which sum is now nearly expended. The commissioners appointed by the legislative assembly of Wisconsin, have caused a reconnoisance and survey of the improvement necessary to be made in order to carry out the intention of congress, with reference to the same, under the superintendence of Joshua Barney, from whose report and estimate it appears that the sum of twenty thousand and forty dollars is necessary to perfect and consumate said improvement. The legislative assembly therefore respectfully ask your honorable bodies to make an additional appropriation of the following described parcels of land, lying in the Mineral Point land district, and now offered for sale by the proclamation of the president of the United States, on the 24th day of May next, to wit: All the reserved portions of sections 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 35, and 36, township three, north of range three, west,of the fourth principal meridian,which your memorialists. think will be sufficient to complete said improvement. Your memorialists would suggest the propriety of placing said lands under the direction of the legislative assembly of the territory of Wisconsin. Your memorialists will not enlarge upon the importance of said improvement to the interests of the territory, and the great and rapidly increasing commerce of the Upper Mississippi, but simply remark that the Potosi Landing is the point from which nearly the whole of the vast quantity of lead is shipped from our territory, and that the products of the Upper Mississippi lead mines during the past year, exceeded sixty million pounds, and is yet on the increase. Your memorialists will further state that the appropration already made will be entirely useless for the purpose of effect

ing said improvement, without an additional one sufficient to complete it. They therefore repeat their request that congress will, at its present session, make the appropriation herein asked for.

WILLIAM SHEW,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.
MASON C. DARLING,

APPROVED February 4, 1847.

President of the Council.

HENRY DODGE.

MEMORIAL

To congress relative to the sale of certain lands.

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

The memorial of the Council and House of Representatives of the Legislative Assembly of Wisconsin, respectfully represents:

That by the late proclamation issued by the president of the United States, for the sale of lands in the Mineral Point land district, in the territory of Wisconsin, to be held at Mineral Point, on the 24th day of May next, a large number of tracts of land are proclaimed for sale, which were entered at the Mineral Point land office several years ago, some of them as early as 1834, in accordance with the laws of the United States regulating the sales of the public lands. Some of the lands were entered by pre-emption, and some were purchased at public sale, at prices varying from one dollar and twenty-five cents to sixty dollars per acre. The principal value of these lands at present has been given to them in many cases by the

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