The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-06-20

all productive property-of which the United
States has great abundance in its public lands,
| which are now being very slowly sold, and yield
but very little revenue. Yes. sir, the once great
land fund is fast dwindling into nsignifcance;
but millions upon millions of acres yet remain
unsod, from the parsimonious course of the gen.
eral government in doing out improvements for
the western country. People will not settle,
from the dlHculty OF getting to market. They
read of too much destruction of property, too
great a sacrifice of human life onthe great wes-
| tern waters, which comparatively small sum
would greatly improve. Again, they are afraid
Of high taxes. But what has Congress to do
with these, it may be asked Sir, it has much,
| very much, to do with them. 1t is Congress it.
self That is embarrassing the Stale of Illinois:
and will prove it. In that State there are no
less than 81, 235, POS acres. Our minimum
valuation is So; and, to make up for any that
may be reserved from taxes, we will average the
whole at that sum, "a liberal estimale) (Which
will give real estate taxable 10 the amount of
| sos ,705, 624. That moment, sir, tina, all this
shall be sold long enough TO become taxable, the
improvements and personal property in general
will swell the amount to $500, 900, 900, at the
smallest computation. A tax of mills on This
would yield us an annual revenue of 100000.
Now, what is the State debt of Illinois,, When
our arrangemenlsnow in progress are completed,
LAS there Is every prospect to believe they soon
will be,) the highest estimate is less than
$4,000 600 which would make our annual in
teresl $500 coo; leaving, at 2 mills assessed for
State debt purposes merely, $1,000 per annum
| as sinking fund.- which annually would in
| crease with The great increase o! our property.
This, however, Is merely suppostitious. Yet it
shows our creditors abroad that there is another
way for government to help Us out OF our diff
cultes than by an unconstitutional assumption.
| But what are the facts af tha easel
The amount now taxable Chat is all that has
been sold over five years. is but ,2ll ,2S5 10,
not quite one half. The general government is
paying interest for money which il ought TO
derive from the sales OF these lands. The State
government neglects to pay interest which
might be derived from tax on them. So the
calamity is a joint one. Now, the time Of
selling these lands depends much on the policy
OF our general government and there are yet
unsold IL, 429 ,90l acres in Illinois alono' Now,
sir, remove the Instructions 10 the navigation
ofour great national thoroughiares 1.-The common
highway 10 the ocean; complete the Cumber-
land road as begun granite that State the guam
| tity of land asked for in the bill introduced by
! myself this morning, viz: about $4,000 acres,
10 make her even with Ohio-and you induce
emigration there, you give fresh activity to
business, and create a demand for lands now
| dormant. In this way, the money expended not
| only comes back, but there is enough more
comes back with it to help TO extinguiSh our ma
tiona debt. So too the axable property of the
State is increased and both parties benefited.
| Pursue this policy towards all the western
States and this is what | mean by making tho
| best possible use of your productive capital. -
! This will fill both our national and our State
| ,uu,urivs. Aud this Is our best means of get
ting out of debt, or raising our necessary annual
revenue-iar preferable, in the minds of the
great mass of The people, to taxing tea, coffee,
and the other necessaries of life. Let the
| friends Of asslmpton-those who talk SO much
| about the western States becoming honest-on
the West in carrying out these views, and our
States would be paying interest Immediately.
| have thus shown sir how this money is to
be got; and it would be for the national advan.
lage thus 10 get, us i. certainly would be thus to
expend it. Having said thus much, no man
can accuse me of being inmical 10 the improve
mcnt Of the rivers, or the completion Of the
Cumberland road.
now come to the main branch OF my propo-
sition, which is to divide the amendment. In
the first place, sir, | will state, that am not
friendly To a special committee to take charge of
any branch OF this subjeci; because a select
committee is always understood to be appointed
with reference 10 favorable report upon some
specific Chj"ct, and therefore never has the
weight in is recommendation that a standing
committee does. | have confidence that the
Committee on Commerce will do us justice; and
and it is good maxim TO "let We'll enough
alone" But, il the more immediate friends of
the river Interest," who represent territory con-
tiguous TO any ofour great weStc n rivers, wish
that interest referred to select committee, Gas
believe they do) | certainly shall vote with
| them rs an act of courtesy which want all my
northern friends to yield to them. Yet, whilst
we are willing that they should be the guardians
of their own peculiar sectional interests, and
have their select committee, we must claim the
| right OF overlooking our own interests, and hav-
ing ourlakcS referred to the Committee on Com
merce, as they always have been, and as it is
| for their interest now to be. On this ground,
sir, must urge division Of the proposition;
and, much as am inclined TO crafty my Mis-
sissippi river friends, can never vote for the
proposition in its present shape. AS an act Of
courtesy to those gentlemen, | am willing
| 10 send their interests to any committee
fthcy wish, though | think they would be
,Sperfcctly safe - that exGct justice would be
EdGne them with the Commerce Committee.
)sBut they ask too much when they ask TO have
fthe lake interests taken with them. Sir,
! have been opposed, all my life, to any log
rolling system of legislation, which has been
| calamitous whenever adopted. | never can
consent 10 see one great measure yokcd 10 an
o'hct iot thc purpose oil gaming strength. III
| is a poor design that cplnot stand On It's own
INTRINSIC merits. Both these great cardinal
propGGtions OF Improvement have merits of
lhei foysA; and upon them let each stand. In
The baa3&Abf tho Commerce Committee the lake
interGsts are safe. From The composition of
that committee, they could not be otherwise
Why, thepftske Them away from their usual
place Of rciefehce2 Ii is unkind thus to ask us
to exchange certainty for an uncertainty.
For one sir, never will consent to leopard
in the leastthe great interests OF the upper lakes,
which | the mY4t3immetalely represen, on
this floor, by VI Tor the proposed reference,
whilst my CON kncc in the proper standing
committee lSsp uhlimitedthat know not " here
to look for more favorable report. watched
the announcement of the committees with the
greatest anxiety; and the moment heard the
names of this con- m,ec, my hopes were bright
and they have become brighter Still from spbsc-
quent events.
| would be less strenuous in this matter, as