Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1848-01-21

The following brief sketch of de-
bate in Convention on Friday the 9TH inst;
will be interesting to many of our readers,
relating as it does to vc=y important sub
ect. 1t was on Il proposition Of Mr.. Low
ell lhat our patrmony lands, the 100000
acres, or the avails thereof, together with the
five per centum of the nett proceeds of the
sales of the public lands, TO which the State
of Wisconsin will be entitled, shall be an
nually applied to certain purposes of inter-
nal improvement, rather than to the support
of schools. We take the report from the
Tr-W eckly Express:
Mr.. Lowell supported this amendment at
considerable length, contendlng that it was
more proper 10 apply the proceeds of the
grant BY Congress Of 100000 acres of land
/ 10 works of internal Improvement, than TO
apply them all TO the support of schools.
| lie was n friend to common schools, but he
/ thought large school fund was not calcu-
| lated to benefit them; that proper interest
| will not be felt in them by the people, I'M
less they are taxed for their support. lie
/ thought il could not be the desire of the
| convention to raise fund sufficient to sup
/ port schools without a tax upon the people.
! He thought it was not best to apply the
whole amount of the donation of Congress
/ to this purpose, as had been contemplated
! in the old Constitution. lie went into a
/ calculation 10 show that the sum would be
| a very large one, and referred 10 the school
/ system in several states, and cOntended that
in Connecticut, where they had the largest
school fund, according 10 her population, of
any State in the Union, the common school
/ system was nj low ebb compared with
some of the other States. He thought that
common roads and bridges required atten-
/ ton, and proper application of 5 per cent.
! of the funds raised from the sale of this
/ land, would do more good than IN any 9TH
| or way in which it could be applied. He
/ believed in raising fund for carrying on
! internal Improvements, before any work
/ was commenced, and keep out of debt but
did not believe in tying up the State and
saving that she should do no work of inter-
/ nal Improvements, as the first section of the
article on internal Improvements which he
! proposed to strike out provided. By his
( proposition, improvements might be carried
on by the fund appropriated by Congress
/ for that purpose.
/ Mr. Harvey made remarks in opposition
/ to the amendment, which are not vet
1 published.
Mr.. Chase was opposed to allowing the
( State to take hold of any internal improve
menls. and he had not heard any one advo-
cate the propriety of it. He believed that
nine-tenths of the people were opposed to
distributing this fund on the plan propo-
sed by the amendment. He would provide
! for the State to carry on work. of internal
/ improvement where fund had been speci-
/ iicalIy granted BY Congress for that pur-
pose.
/ Mr.. Root thought il this money was ap-
/ propriated 10 the improvement of roads. the
people would become careless about attend
ing 10 them. lie hoped the amendment
would not prevail.
/ Mr.. kllboun was opposed to taking
away the sum, as proposed by the amend
ment. No article of the old constitution
gave so much satisfaction TO the people as
the one on schools: and many had support
/ ed that constitution in order to retain this
/ provision. \ general system of education
/ is the only system that will preserve our
I Institutions. He did not believe the whole
fund which il was proposed to withdraw.
would be more than sufficient for the sup