Petition for requesting redress on a contract with the Wisconsin Territory to create a territorial map

[left column] Account of [Jadson?]

Presented [Jan?] 8. Palmer Ref [^@/0 Com?]

[Territorial? affair?]

[Lovell] Chairman

[right column] Petition of [Leander Judson] on his claim for making Territorial Map.

Reported with [bell?] [Jan? 21?]

To the honourable the Council and House of Representatives of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wisconsin.

The Memorial and Petition of Leander Judson of the County of Iowa in the Territory of Wisconsin Respectfully sets forth

That in the year 1837. by an acta Resolution of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wisconsin it was provided and enacted to this effect, "That the Secretary of "said Territory be and he is hereby authorised to employ some suitable "Person to draft a large map of this Territory, comprising the whole "extent, from the latest survey and examinations: that he cause "the same to be lithographed, and the boundary lines of the several "Counties as laid off and established, to be coloured or shaded, and "that he have three hundred copies stricken off for the use of the "Legislative assembly."

That in pursuance of the provisions and enactments aforesaid, [William B. Slaughter?], then Secretary of the Territory aforesaid entered into a verbal contract and agreement, in the said year 1837, with [Leander Judson], your Petitioner to draft the said Map according to the provisions aforesaid.

That the Terms of the said agreement were as follows. [Leander Judson] agreed to perform the work of drafting the said Map in the manner prescribed by Law.

[William B. Slaughter] agreed to furnish said [Judson] with moneys, from time to time, on account of said work.

[Leander Judson] proposed to do the said work of drafting, for the sum of Two Thousand Dollars.

[William B. Slaughter] did not agree to this sum, but proposed that when the work was completed, the same should be submitted to the Legislature, and the compensation would then, more properly, be determined by themselves in taking into view the labor and value of [M^r Judson]s work.

The proposition of compensation was thus left open between [M^r Slaughter] and [M^r Judson].

In pursuance of this arrangement between the said Parties, which was verbal and never reduced to writing, [M^r Judson] proceeded with his labor in constructing and drafting the said Map. which was completed in Manuscript and ready for delivery at the close of the Legislative Assembly's Session at [Burlington] in the month of June 1838.

At this last mentioned time a new arrangement and agreement was made between the said [Slaughter] and [Judson] to the following effect, the same still being verbal and never reduced to writing.

[Leander Judson] agreed to proceed to the East for the purpose of having the said Map [lithographed?] or engraved and to superintend the work of the same until finished.

[William B. Slaughter] agreed to furnish [Judson] with moneys, from time ot time to pay all the expenses attending the completion of the said work.

In pursuance of all the above stated agreements and arrangements between the said Parties, [M^r Judson] left [Burlington] about the 1^st of July 1838 and proceeded to Cincinnati, where an Engraver was employed, and a contract entered into between [Leander Judson] on the part of the said Secretary of the Territory, and the said engraver, to perform the necessary work, at a stipulated price.

This agreement with the Engraver was afterwards con-firmed by the said Secretary, and when the work was completed, the Engraver was fully paid by the Constituted Authorities of the Territory of Wisconsin, including the sum of Three Hundred Dollars which had been paid to him during the progress of the said work, by [Leander Judson], out of the moneys which were furnished from time to time to said [Judson] by said [Slaughter] according to the said agreements.

[Leander Judson] remained in Cincinnati from the beginning of July until November 1838, superintending the said work, and when it was finished he returned to the Territory, bringing with him as many of the Maps as were

then struck off and coloured according to all said agreements.

The moneys received from the said Secretary by the said [Judson] from time to time amounted in the whole to the sum of Nine hundred Dollars, out of which sum he had paid the Engraver Three hundred Dollars, leaving to said [Judson] Six hundred Dollars only, on account of Drafting the said Map, superintending the engraving of the same, and for all his travelling expenses, his loss of time, and expenses at Cincinnati for several months.

The moneys thus paid from time to time to said [Judson] by the Secretary was in Michigan Bank Paper of the various Banks, then greatly depreciated, which said [Judson] was compelled to disposed of at a very great discount, and of course loss to himself.

Your Petitioner has never up to this time had a final settlement with [M^r Slaughter], or with any other Secretary of the Territory, or any other Agent of the Territory, on account of his labor and services in constructing the said Map. The reasons of which may be found in the fact, that for some years after the work was completed your Petitioner was absent from the Territory at various periods, and when he was present, [William B. Slaughter] was often absent, consequently a delay has taken place, and your Petitioner has never hitherto applied to the Legislature for redress of his grievance, and now for the first time lays his case before your honourable bodies for your just consideration and equitable and correct determination and settlement.

Your Petitioner herewith exhibits an account of his receipts and expenditures, as well as his labour in the construction and final completion of the said Map. and he most respectfully prays that he may receive at the hands of the Legislature of Wisconsin that justice which has so long a time been with held from him.

Account of [Leander Judson] for making Map of Wiscosin Territory.

Amount due by Wisconsin Territory under Secretary's [agreemt?]