The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-12-23

think not do not believe the genleman's principle
viii ever be carried into effect When ii is, shall for
one certainly insist that Louisiana and other new States
shall hrst be reimbursed for these expenditures in i'm
proyements,
But the more equitable the more reasonable and the
more proper course, in accordance with the proposition
made by the senator from Arkansas at the last session.
and winch hope will come up this session; which
IS that when the United States can make no further use
OF this land shall be coded 10 the State, to make use
OF 1t II they can At any rate, it shall aot be held longer
Than necessary by the United States As understand The
proposition OF the gentleman from Kentucky 10 differ en-
trely from that course-as think its tendency i not
only TO defeat this bill, but other measures connected
with it'll shall feel myself bound 10 against IT,
Mr. UNDERWOOD | wish 10 remark, sir that do
not consider my policy in reference to the proceeds of the
sales of the public lands as having any important bearing
UPON the passage of this bill. | stated the policy to
which was attached 10 show that wanted to get rid of
the policy which now prevails But, sir, this amendment
does not propose TO distribute the sales of the public
lanis-no at all. If the amendment be adopted ii does
not touch that question in any shape way. All that
my amendment proposes, is TO get certain information
OF the Typographical bureau for the present. that is all
The simple question upoA the amcadmen, is, wheth-
ton, or 10 pass the bill as il now stands giving some
100000 acres of land, without information showing
that such Gil a .. cess on, will be polite.
Mr. WESTCOTT Oh no not land.
Mr. UNDERWOOD 1t is the proposition to make it
into land by these drains.
Mr. WESrCOrT 1t is not the land il is the ever,
glates that contain that amount
MT UNDERWOOD The Commissioner of the Gen
era Lan4 Office in his report the Secretary Of the
That the greater part of the peninsula below this line
between vnships hrysx and thirty seven and which II
is proposed by the bill now before the Committee Puh
lie Lands OF the Senate (Which bill has been submitted
me by Mesrs, We cott and Cabe, OF said Stac) to be
ceded TO the state oil Florida being unurveyed and there
not being nautical surveys of the below
Tampa In this Office, approximate only can
be made of the of the peninsula and keys including
the lands ana INTERIOR waters south OF said line aud
Guiding the islands and keys south and east of Cape
stated about seven millions eight hundred thousand
acres Of land and water OF this it is esti-
millions three hundred thousand acres"
Mr. WESTCOTT The honorable senator is in error
upon the subject Lake Okechobee and all the lagoons
ed to drain one million of these 1905, 900 acres.
Mr. UNDERWOOD again read
Ths estimate includes the rivers lagoon sounds and
okechohee and other lakes south of said line it not
proposed TO drain and cannot be drained 1t includes also
the swanps and all those portions of country comprising
which it is not supposed can be reclamod."
When say 100000 acres. sir, do not intend 10
convey the idea that every foot of would be drained
and rendered useful know the fact stated by the gen
are too deep TO be drained by any system of canals
dchng But the whole of this is to be ceded by the
provisions OF the bill-waer, land swamp. and all.
or nearly So The question, then, up between the
provisions OF the bill and the amendment Will YOU
wait for more information VIII you employ topo-
graphical bureau to get that information Ii gentlemen
satisfied all that can say sir, is. that notwthstanf
ing the statements of the gentleman from Florida, |
should have more confidence in the capacity OF a
|
want to see what they can state upon the subject.
II cannot, | presume as this is short session,
session of Congress Let this bill pass and it is the
entering wedge for my friend from Louisiana shall
certainly vote in behalf of his State soon as of Flori-
da If the Senate will not pass the amendment am for
ceding these lands TO the States but want to under
stand what they will do Between the Yazoo river or
bayou OF It, and the Mississippi, hundreds of thou
lie lands Mississippi may likewise have of these
waste lands. lay down the proposition without any
hesitation at all that il Congress will not do anything to
eminent to cede the lands, rather than allow them to
remain as they are All ask is, to have report made
and to defer decision until that report is made Ii may
be of such character will induce Congress TO under
take the work; or may be such to induce Congress
to cede all these lands.
OF the senator, that the government of the United States
would reclaim these lands merely for the purpose of rem
derny them saleabe, shall make single remark |
consider utterly out OF the question There is not a
solitary instance where the cesson of any portion of this
territory by the United States has been carried hrough
while such propositions have been repeatedly rejected
recolec distinctly the proposition made by Louisiana
some ten or twelve years ago, TO dig canal II was
manifest that II would drain very large extent of con-
try and bring large into the treasury of the United
States. Was it carried through Congressl No. sir il
was hooted at; they ridcued every idea of the kind
The United States never have and never will listen TO a
proposition OF this kind adopt any system of Amer-
Mr. UNDERWOOD Win my friend allow me to in
telFupt hun, for the purpose of making remark 1t is
this If you look into the reports made by the Land Com
mee, by which II proposed TO obtain cesson of lands
for railroads in Illinois and other States YOU will find in
all these reports that the principle upon which the ces-
sion is justified, is, that the land retained by the govern
ment will be the more valuable Now, if the govern
ment can give lands to State, and the country, or
appropriate the public domain render the land re-
served the valuable, ask why the government NAV
not directly dig canal, open ditch, straighten a
lagoon, upon the very same prlnciple'
Mr. JOHNSON resumed The works referred to were
performed by the respective States and by the general
government II very true the works which he al
tip ,ltc lands
bic, but that was not the object of the grant 1t 10
enable the States to perform great national works-works
the gentleman will refer the proceedings OF Congress-
he will find that those grants made for that pur-
pose not with the view OF rendering the retained lands
more valuable, but with the view OF enabling the States
to accomplish great national works.
Mr. UNDERWOOD (inerposng) ! beg my friends
pardon bat he will allow me. The condition,
stated with reference to one side OF the House 1t
understood IT correctly, the democratic members claimed
the right exclusively upon the ground put IT. The
other party oonended for the right, independent OF that
consideration entirely, TO make the improvements direct
y. NV allusion was reports coming from the Com
mittee on Public Lands, to show that it upsn the
principle of making the reserved lands valuable,
that the reports based asked, then, if that could
be done why could not make improvements in Flo-
la, or Louisiana, or elsewhere!
Mr. JOHNSON resumed. The United States ACQUIRED
the State of Louisiana in 1903. The States assented
rhe government reserved the public lands within the
State, and within all States they respectively came
in. II has been seriously oontended upon this floor many
years ago that Congress had no right to make such a
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