Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-05-07

and through the same' into Indiana, &C.
By reference TO document No. $780, of I'd session of
25th Congress, it will be found, that on the 3lst of
December 1897 there had accrued to the four States
In question, for the purposes of building public roads
leading to ard through the same, the of S972,-
21S %; while up to that period there had been APP
propaed to this purpose out of the federal treasure
the enormous sum of S6,3lS, 739 50; showing that
the government had exceeded the called for by
''the contract by S5,345,76l 81!
Gentlemen have SAID that the most of this sum has
been expended in Virginia and the old States east of
the Ohio. Not So sir The length of the Cumber-
land road in the various States in which it passes is
In Maryland, 80 miles
In Pennsy vana, 81 miles.
In Virginia, IA miles.
Ia Ohio, 22i miles.
In Indiana, las miles.
In Illinois, 90 miles.
What the exact amount of the proportion of the net
proceeds of the sales of public lands in these States
since 1887 is have not the documents at hand to
show. As, however, 1t did not reach million from
lSO2 to 1897, 1t is but a reasonable calculation to
presume that the amount which has accrued since does
not reach above half million of dollars Placing it
at that, and we find that Sl665, 761 have been gra-
utously appropriated TO the purposes called for by
the acts admitting these States into the Union
il is admitted, indeed, By the friends of this bill,
that the specific amount pledged for the building these
public roads has been expended upon them by Con-
gress, but that 1t has been unwlsey and improperly
exPended-expended in manner not best calculated
to secure the end in view 1t is contended that if a
less costly road had been planned and built the speci
nc fund set apart for under the several acts quoted
by me would have been sufficient My answer to
this IS that the application of this fund left to
the discretion of Congress. 1t ''to be laid out
under the authority of Congress-" and "under the
direction of Congress-. Power and discretion has to
be reposed somewhere TWAS in this case reposed in
Congress and specific character of road having
CONGRESS IN fbp $50 If
its judgment. in exercise of that judgment, the
whole proportion OF the net proceeds of the sale of
these lands has been expended, and large sums not
bargained contracted for have been gratutousy
voted to those States-making the total applied
to this road near seven millions of dollars.
But, gentlemen say, the contract was that Congress
should make this road, and make it must, or fail
in plighted faith read the bond differently.
read that Congress promised to Ohio that ''Onetcen-
tet of the proceeds of sales of land in the State
should 'be applied TO the laying out and making pub
lie roads," &c. In that | see but two stipuatons
the reservations from sales of one-tcenieth and the
application of that to a specific purpose. 1 read
that Congress did not undertake positively and with
out ail to make public road leading to and through
all these States; but to apply fire per cent of the net
proceeds of sales of the lands within them to that
purpose. If the sum failed of its object there is
provision that Congress shall apply another some
tCentieth' to that purpose. On the contrary, Con-
gress is specially denied the power of applying more
than 'One-trentieth to that object If am correct,
then there is no contract binding upon the gov
eminent to appropriate any further sum to the COM
pletIon of this road This bill, them must be SUD-
ported, if supported at all, on other grounds.
The constitutional point | shall not argue. Is it
expedien then, to grant the three million nine hun
dred and eghtysx thousand three hundred and twen-
ty-two of land called for by the BILL To rem
der this large slice of public domain paatabc
possible 10 our throas, members advocating the bill
I l. e
or dollar for the road.
This SavourS of some qualms of conscience even
its friends They suspect that cannot well gup
down much land at swallow and, to quiet our
startled judgment, say, "well, we know it is large
slice, but swallow it, and will not trouble you
again." But who is to guarantee this The people
may keep these members here long, and their success
sors may not consider themselves as bound by such
pledges But if it is proper to vote for the bill,
do not need the pledge; if improper, it cannot nfu-
ence us to vote for it.
When the project of this Cumberland road was first
conceived it was needed as a great highway for the
travel and produce of the fertile West to find their
outlet upon the Atlantic bord. The mountains in
tervened between the Ohio valley and the Atlantic
coast. Steam, not then In such general now,
had not rendered the upper Ohio navigable railroads
had not camped, now, with iron bands the trem-
bling earth; canals did not as now, intersect that
great valley in every direction. The rich produce of
Z
upon the numbering wagon and the traveller, when
ioted over them the rate of sixty miles day. con-
sdered himself as doing good days work.
How different now. The broad Ohio is navigabe
by hundreds of floating palaces, propelled against its
current by fre-breathing engines. The mountains
are pierced by railroads and canals. These means OF
cheap and rapid transportation found all the
! West. The general government has expended mil
lions of dollars in improving the navigation of west
streams, in rendering valuable harbors upon the
lake coast and building them where nature has not
even indicated the existence of one; and has granted
large tracts of land for the purposes of internal i'm
provement
Why, sir, men are behind the times with this old
fashioned road. The spirit of the age is ''onward
Thirty miles hour on land, and a thousand min
ute On Professor Morses wires, deemed but ordi-
nary speed On this road, my friend from Indiana
(Mr Owen,) informs that, during parts of the year,
he has been able to make but two miles an hour on
horseback The work is not needed, sir, by the gov
eminent. 1t has better use for its funds.
| regret to hear the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Fickln) complain that the States unjustly
dealt with by Congress- think the reverse. Con-
gress has been liberal and kind to them By refer
ence report No. 200, Sd session, 9th Congress- it
will be found that the following grants of land had
been made to States up to 1889:
Acres.
To Alabama 1868 S32
To Mississippi, $685.
To Louisiana, 6l37S9
! To Ohio, ,S429ll
To Indiana, 1,074,163
To Illinois, ,537 ,3l7
To Missouri, J,2l2426
To Arkansas, U6s696
To Michigan, 1856
To Florida, LOGS, 1855
To Wisconsin Territory, 1,000753
To Iowa Territory, 196,746
In addition to the above liberal-far too liberal
grants of the public domain to the new States, the
distribution act granted five hundred thousand acres
more to many of them.