Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-02-15

fund that Congress had pledged 10 the
states west OF the state OF Ohio. Il rose
TO explain more fully than had been
done, the nature of this pledge, and TO
repei the construction which had been
put on the compaCts that Congress and
those states had entered into. In 1902,
Congress passed law authorizing the
people within the territorial limits OF the
state oil Ohio, TO form o constitution end
become an independent sa'e. In the
same act, II was provided that per cent.
" oil the nett proceeds OF the lands lying
spithin said state (Ohio) sold by Con-
gress," from and after day specified,
should be applied in laying out and ma
king roads leading from the Atlantic wa
ters 10 the Ohio river, and through the
state OF Ohio. Subsequently, with the
assent OF Ohio, change was made, limi-
ting this fund 10 t7vo per cent. Mr.. e.
said, Ii must be obvious thai nothing more
was contemplated by this act than a
pledge OF the funds arising from the lands
sold within the state of Ohio. Insl8o6,
Congress commenced Its legislation on
the subject OF the Cumberland road sne-
citcaliy, and the money appropriated by
the act OF 1906, for this road, was to be
paid, first, out OF the fund reserved in
the act Of 1902, and secondly, if that
proved inadequate, out ofauy unappropri-
ated money in the Treasury. This pro-
vision for drawing the money from this
specific fund, raised from the sale of
lands tying syitAia The state of Ohio, and
to make up any deficiency in that fund,
from the public Treasury, is legis la
tive exposition of what Congress meant
by the act Of 1902. The language of
the act OF 1902, however, is SO explicit
that it will admit OF no other conslruc-
ton. Subsequent to 1906, and, almost
annually, down TO 1919, Congress had
made appropriations to complete this
road, sometimes repledging the Ohio
fund, and, at others, making naked an-
preparations only. During this period,
Congress had admitted Indiana, Illinois.
and Missouri into the Union, under sti
pulations and agreements such as Con-
gress itself had proposed, and, amones,
other things, it had been agreed, that
two per cent. OF the moneys arising from
the land sales IN those states should he
expended, under the authority of CON-
gress, IN making roads leading to those
states respectively. This stipulation,
however, was of conventional charac.
ter. II was a consideration paId by
Congress for the exemption, on the part
OF those states, OF the lands 10 be sold by
the United States, from taxation, for five
years after sale. AT the time of these
compac,s, then, Congress had almost
completed the Cumberland road, and no
pledge had ever been made, of any spe-
clfic fund whatever, to refund the money
TO the government, except the Ohio fund.
In 1919, however, after the admission of
these states, and alter the ratification of
these solemn compaCts, which are based
upon the principle OF quid fro gao, and
under which the government had agreed
TO lay out this fund in making roads lead
ing TO those states respectively, Congress
pledges this very fund to repay TO The
Treasury nearly two millions of dollars.
which had been previously expended on
the Cumberland road. MIR. e. weuls