Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1844-04-20

lQQ 0er0Eqe q ~ d. -
hf03T h16aIook Nc6t1-aa9 . hundred Ret
without getting ! pafticle q usinerd; and
d nine cssss out sften they found none, "
70 little as not to pay for the DIGGING.
As to examining the lands, it had been
.raly stated already that that work had been
ably done BY one 81 the most accomplished
biologists in the West. He had reported,
and the report now lay inthe documents Of
The House. An attempt had been made to
get the report and ihaps printed, but the
House ref1sef 10 hagE them. But it was
! full report, and covered all the lands re-
ferred to in the bill.
Why should the same privilege which
had been extended to the citizens Of Mis-
souri, be withheld from those Of Iowa, Wis
consin and Illinois All that was asked
was an opportunity for our citizens to per-
feet their titles at apablic sale? Was this
Government forever to remain led-mine
digger and saltwater boilerp He trust
ed not. Was this miserable system o.
te ,ring and harrassing our citizens never
to have All end? A system which had
been pronounced BY the courts Of the coun.
try to he without authority Of law. He
hoped that this bill would be passed ani
put an end to it.
Mr.. D. stated that he lived in the south.
ern part Of the Territory Of Iowa, one hun.
dred and fifty miles from the mineral dis,
trict, but that he was well and intimately
acquainted with the business Of mining
having in early life followed it. He fel
for his constituents, whose prosperity wa,
retarded by the present state Of things i,
reference to the lands embraced in this bill
the warmest sympathy.
Mr.. ID. then went on to say that miner
al lands were not, in any point Of view, a
valuable as agricultural lands. This wa
emphatically proven in Missouri. HI
would appeal to the members from Mis-
souri, to say how much greater was tn
quantity ofland sold inthe Platte district,
in that State, than.in the one embracing III
lead minesp 1t was in quantity as ten i
one. So it would be in Iowa.
And yet a vast quantity Of land in tina
Territory, contiguous to the small portion
viii oh was actually mineral land, was re
servedfrom sale or the operation Of any q
the prescription laws, to the great injur,
Of is settlement and Improvement. Wa
this incubus to our onward march neve
to be removed? The amendment Of tn
gentlemen from Tennessee was. hostile i
its spirit, and would be injurious in its op
Grafton both to the People and the Govern
ment.
In conclusion, Mr.. d. exhorted tn
House to vote down the proposed amend
ments, and to pass the bill in its orr gina
shape.
Mr.. OWEN said that he rose, not 70
the purpose Of debatingth question wheth
er these mineral lands should be brough
into market immediately or not; nor {
what upset price it was expedient to Of
fer them. He rose merely to furnish
the committee, at the call Of his friend fro,
Iowa, (Mr. DopcE the facts in regard I
a survey already made Of these miner;
lands.
1t was true, as stated by the gentleme
from Iowa and Illinois, Messrs. Done
and HocE, that bis Mr.. O.'s) brother
David Da!c Owen, was employed by tn
general government, he believed in tn
year 1899, to make geological explors
ton Of the very lands included in the Ii
under consideration-the lead mineral land
Of Iowa, Wisconsin,, and northern Illinoi.
Assisted BY large party, and at consid
cradle expense, he had examined that en-
tire mineral regionin detail, and had mad
to the department an elaborate report, &C
compmied by maps and other illustrations
showing, not only the precise boundary 9
that region in which, as geological indica
tons proved, valuable mines existed, bu
embodying also all such details as went t
show the precise character and relativ
value of different portions Of the tract
He did not make any estimate Of the value
for he was not required BY his instruction
so to do. -.
The gentleman from Illinois, fMr
Hoe however, was incorrect in suppo
sing that this report had ever been publish
ed with the accompanying maps and illus
trations. 1t never had. 1t was published
under standing rule of the Senate, in
mutilated form, without single map o
other illustration-some Of them indispen
sable even 10 render It Ineligible
only to the amount Of the regular numbe
published by the Senate Of all document
that were printed at all. So rare had tn
document become, that, mutiiated and i'm
perfect as it was, the land Office depart
ment had to offer several dollars for a sin
gle copy, to retain for reference. Twic
the Commissioner Of the Land Office, in hi
annual report, had recommended the print
ing with the illustrations; but in conse
quence, he (Mr. o. believed, Of som
difficulty in regard to the printing Of map
and illustrations, and the idea then preva
lent that the prices paid for such work
were extravagant, the matter fell through
The result was, that to hundreds Of appli
cations made to the land Office for that doc
siment. and to hundreds more made to hi
(Mr. O.s) brother for the same, both Id
been obliged to reply that it was not 70 b
had. av % asas'c W maa saisir
He (Mr. OF hoped he should not B
considered 20 influenced BY personal pre-
objection, when he expressed his convic
lion that, let the decision in regard to tn
proupt sale Of. ihe mineral lands be as
will, It was important to the public, tn
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