The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-10-26
A Monsirous Measure.

shameful manner in which our state
legislature has year after year been
humbugged BY the Cairo Company,
attracting considerable attention.
One is puzzled to decide whether to
be amused or indignant. is GER
tainly disgracefal to any state where
there is such reckless legislation,
yet the history of the Cairo Compa-
ny is not little laughable. 1t has
been Incorporated under some hall a
dozen Of different names, and corpo-
rate powers to any extent and of ev-
cry variety have been conferred up
on it. 1t has borne the corporate
name of the Cairo City and Canal
Company the "Illinois Exporting
Company" "Central Railroad Com
pany,'' "Cairo Banking Company"
&C., &c. and finally all these COM
panies were united and consolidated
into one grand canal, railroad, man
ulacturing, insurlng, Transporting,
and banking company, of which huge
monopoly d. B. Holbrook was pre-
silcnt, directors, and sole stockhol-
der, as he had also been of every
other organization, shape, or name
which the company had assumed.
Bat the most monstrous Of all the acts
Of legislative folly which have been
committed to benefit this company
is charseable to the last legislature.
Mr.. Douglass, in the speech we have
referred to, gave history Of the va.
rious steps which had been taken in
congress to obtain grant of land in
aid of the Cairo railroad, stating that
an act for that purpose had, by the
exe-tions Of himself and colleagues,
been got through the senate at the
last session, and had been defeated
in the house by but one vote, and lie
said he was surprised, after This, to
find himself instructed by the last le-
gislature to vote in favor Of the bill
which lie himself had originated,
and which at the time had already
passed the senate, and he thought he
could see the finger Of the Cairo
man in these INSTRUCTIONS
Accordingly, said Mr.. d., when on
visit to Springfield, few days a.
90, he went to the secretary ofstate's
Office to see what he could find there
relating to Cairo, the Central rail-
road, Illinois Exporting, Cairo Bank
or to the president of all the compa-
MES. He there found law, passed
by the last legislature, but not yet
distributed, by which the legislature
has donated, as sort of Christmas
present, to the Cairo city and canal
co various small triilesamong Which
are the following:
lst, Tie right Of way which the
state owned to the Central railroad.
ID, All the work done by the state
on said railroad, costing nearly one
million of dollars including materi-
ais,
3D., all the lands which the state OF
Illinois may hereafter acquire or re-
ceive from congress by any bill now
pending or hereafter to be passed in
aid of tie railroad.
There were various other kind to-
krns of remembrance of Mr. Holbrok
in ibis bill, but these are the princi-
pal items, The bill referred to as
now pending before congress was
the one introduced into the senate
by Mr.. Douglass; and which had
passed tie senate and was then PEN
ding in the house, on the table. The
bill granted to the state of Illinois
about three millions Of acres Of land,
which at dollar and quarter an
acre, would amount 10 four millions
Of dollars. Very pretty Christmas
present this!
Doubtless Mr.. Holbrook must feel
very grateful to the Legislature for
this testimonial of their aft ectionate
regards. What made the present
more acceptable is that the whole
matter is nicely covered up in deli
cate language, so that the casual
reader would not at first glance dis
Germ that it was a gratuiious gift.
Besides, this bill gives MIR, Hol-
brook between thirty aud forty years
to make the road, and when made,
the land and road are both all to be
the private property of the company
without accounting to the state for
the receipts and proceeds of either.
Hayinu thus secured all the lands