Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1848-06-10
CONGRESSIONAL.
ADMISSION OF WISCONSIN.
Continued from last .reek.)

Mr.. Collamer replied, that the subject OF
graduation was not understood by him as il
was by many gentlemen. g Graduation
was a technical phrase. 1t referred to the
system of chasing public lands by the length
of time they had been in market, and fixing
the price accordingly. The practical effect
of which was, to induce man who wanted
certain piece of the public domain to .waii
awhie, because ue would then get it at a
lower rate. That was graduation. This
had nothing to do with that, nothing at all.
MIR. C.. now wished to call the attention
of the committee to what had been effected
by this principle of granting alternate sec
tons, and selling the residue at double
price. By this system, the Ohio canal, ex-
tending from Portsmouth, on the Ohio rlv-
er, all through the State, to Cleveland, OH
Lake Erie, had been made, and the grant
never cost the Government a dollar. SO
the Erie canal, extending from Eel river to
the Wabash and down that river, running
all through Indiana and part of Ohio, had
been constructed in the same manner, and
had cost the Government nothing. The ex-
tension canal, from Dayton to the Mineral
river, connected Lake Erie with Cincinnati
through the other two. All these canals
were now in actual operation. They had
all been made on this same principle, and
all without costing the Government anything
ut ALL So the Illinois canal had been con-
structed-a work which had essentially aid
ed that State in re-establishing her credit
The Wabash canal TO Evansville had ena-
bled Indiana to redeem her bonds. He
might refer to various cases of the same
kind. The railroad from Cairo to Chicago
had been built on this principle.
But what Mr.. ID. wished to show was,
that if, after reserving alternate sections OF
the public land, and holding them up at
double the minimum price, Congress AFTER
ward, by subsequent law, threw open
these reserved sections for sale at the mini
mum price, Government got nothing back,
and the State got the whole. This brought
US round again to the principle that the pub
lie lands were fund for the internal inn
provement of the new States, but not of the
old ones
The moment Congress assented TO the
fifth resolution the convention of Wiscon-
sin, they did just this thing. He did not be-
leve that this could Understandings be
done.
He had another objection to the fifth res.
olution. Nothing had been done on the
Wisconsin and Fox river canal. he did
not say but that in some cases, through in
advertence alternate sections bad been gram
ted by Congress without doubling the price
Of the sections reserved. Such case had
happened, he believed, in relation to the inn
proyement of the river Des Moines. fIe
had not then been present, though he bad
been when the grant was made for the ca
nal between the Wisconsin and Fox rivers
The Des Moines grant had not undergone
much examination, and he did not think il
constituted any precedent TO be now follow
ed.
He would further remark, that the State
of Wisconsin was entitled, with other ne'y
States, to FIVE hundred thousand acres OF
the public domain for the purposes of inter-
nal Improvement, and her convention asked
that the avails of this land might he, instead,
applied to the support of public schools
TO this he had no objection.
In granting Wisconsin alternate sections
for the Sac s. Fox river canal, Congress had
said that she might have them, but not that
she must. Let the Legislature say they de-
cline taking the grant, and then the State
would be entitled to her five hundred thous-
and acres, and would not need the help OF
Government. But she asked to keep her
five hundred thousand acres; to keep her
per cent for roads; TO keep her Fox river
grant, and then that Congress would throw
offthe additional dollar and quarter on the
reserved sections. The compliance with
these requests was in nowise important to
the admission of the State into the Union.
The first and second sections of the bill
might be stricken out without disturbing
that at all. The provisions IN the fifth res
olution, however, he should move to strike
lout. file here designated the lines which
must be stricken out in order to effect this
purpose. All the residue of the bill he
was willing TO leave undIsturbcd.
Mr.. Morse said he would avail himself OF
the apology made by the gentleman from
Vermont for discussing other sections of the
bill, when, according TO strict rule, he could
only speak to the first, and would follow
the remarks of that gentleman with some
words in reply.
He considered, that in reporting the bill
as il stood, the Committee on the Terrific
ries had done no more than an act of sheer
Justice to the new State that was now about
TO come into the Union. The gentleman
had urged objections 10 several features in
the bill, but had graciousIy consented TO
waive them all, provided the House would
strike out its compliance with the fifth reso-
luton of the Wisconsin convention, IN rela-
ton TO reducing the price of the reserv-
ed sections granted for the canal between
the Wisconsin and Fox rivers.
Mr.. NJ, after adverting 10 the general
grant of 100000 acres of the public land to
the new States, referred more particularly
10 the grant by Congress Of alternate sec
lions for five miles on each side Of the Des
MONIES river to aid Iowa, when Territory,
in improving its navigation. At the very
same session il had made a similar grant 10
Wisconsin for the construction of canal 10
unite the Wisconsin aud Fox rivers, but had
added a proviso that the reserved sections
should not not be sold for less than 81 so
an acre. Now, Mr.. NJ. Ia ! been in hopes
that a gentleman who had so shrewd an eye