Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1825-02-08

he will find that, in those three States,
there remain yet one hundred and one
millions OF acres to sell which, at the
minimom price fixed by law, will yield,
when Id, to the 2 per cent. fund, about
two mil inns and an half of dollars. Ut
is not ali eXtfavagant calculation to sup
pose that all the lands will sell at the
minimum price fixed by law-because
that portion which will not bring that
price will be at least made up by that
which briggs greater.) As to the
pledge oil this fund for the payment of
the Cumberland road, he had already in
sisted that it was in directvlolation oil The
compact OF government with those states.
! The words OF the compact were explicit
it was reserved for road from The
Atlantic waters TO" those States. If the
doctrine of the gentleman from Ohio
/ Mr.. Beecher) is sound, the road might
have been begun al Boston, and, ifr on
ly pointed in direction towards Indiana
and Illinois, the two per cent. fund nigh,
be expended upon it, though the road
: terminated at 500 or 1000 miles from
the bounds Of either. Such an idea never
so much as entered the heads of the
members OF the convention who assent
ed to that compact Hehad not the honor
to be one OF them, but he was not present
during all their proceedings and well
knew that they never could have conceiv-
ed that such meaning would ever be
given to the instrument. :. hey did not
suspect that the Congress OF tn United
States would ever attempt to deceive
them with words. SO long as the pledge
OF this fund remains in the bill, the gem
tleman who introduced il would find him
perfectly unyieldng but, ifhe will strike
out that pledge, and leave the House
free to act as they may Judge proper,
without any such engagement, he would
lend the measure his support. But, if
Congress should not consider this road as
general national concern and benefit
due 10 the country through which il is TO
pass, but shall insist CD those States full
filling the bond on their part, he should.
on behalf OF his own, insist upon the
whole compact being fulfilled.
Mr.. 7rim6le wished to confne him.
sell strictly to the subject, while he at
tempted TO show that the gentleman from
Illinois had totally mistaken the meaning
OF the compact between the States
referred to and the United States. He
went on to state that per cent. was
pledged to the latter, per cent Of which
was to be directed to the making of
road TO and through the States. Now
would you commence making a road
through the State, and, af,erw ards, to il
or, would you begin to, il, and through
it afterwards ? The gentleman from H.
iinols wishes to retain so much of the
two per cent. as belongs 10 his State, in
order to make road through it, while
the compact says the fund shall be ap-
proprlated to the making of road to it.
Now, this, he commended, amounted as
nearly as could be, to demonstration,
in opposition TO the principl laid down
by the gentleman from Illinois. If he,
MIR. L y understood the words Of The
original compact, the gentleman from
Illinois had entirely mistaken its import.
He made these observa,loos in order that
the protes,atioDs OF the gentleman from
Illinois should not 60 unanswered The
United States, in compliance with its
condition OF the compact, had commenc-
ed the road; and the question was, wbe-
Their 1t ought to begin new section Of
this road, on the western extremity, or
whether it shall continue the road from
the point to which it is now carried, and
where lis continuance would be moss
useful.
MIR. Beecher wished the gentleman
from Illinois to withdraw his amendment,
IN order to give him an opportunity to
offer an amendment.
Mr.. Cook hen rose in replyto the gen.
tleman from Kentucky, who had made
an attack upon his common understand
ing, by assuming a. position which he
certainly had never taken, and arguing
upon that assumption as if it were the
fact. He made some additional obser-
vations, which we could not distinctly
hear; and then, in order to give the gen.
tleman from Ohio an opportunity 10 go
to work on this road, withdrew his
amendment.
Mr.. Beecher then withdrew his motion
to Fill the blank with two hun ,red thou.
sand dollars, and moved an amendment
which he had framed to meet the views
OF the gentleman from Illinois. Mr., B.
went on to urge that if this road was to
be made at all, it must be made on ma
tional principles; and it was with this