Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-05-04

cause he Is proper that the price should be ncreas
ed as the value increased by road being made through
the land by the berality Of the Government Pray sir
what bera,y is exercised by making grant of this
Dies the Government grant any thing Not penny
granted, because upon just many Congress give
away it doubles the price, So that consequently much
ney is received from the land would have been received
noae was given away. How does this operate Il is pro
posed by this bill to grant acres being hal
the land the route Of the road 1t is proposed doub
the price of the other half that the actual will
10 pay ST. 800 900 additional price for these lands.
But let call the attention of the Senate another feet
If this principle is to obain another principle go init
the bill That is that the price of the lands which grant
ed must be increased also. If this done the lands
held by the company might come in competition with those
of the Government the aternaes reserved by the Govern
be increased in price to obviae competition
less price, you have got to increase the
price of the lands you grant to the State of Illinois. 1t il
plain that 000 acres, at So SO acre, in
petition with the same amount OF land of the value
less price, say Sl25 acre, it cannot be sold, your
land will be undasoli By this proposed increase in the
price the reserved lands you the settlers the
of 49, $40 900. This is hberality with vengeance Th
increasing the value of your lands through the bealy
the Government in queer kind of way You increase the
price of this land, by doubling it 3d. Who
pay this amount for the construction of this road is the
whose enterprise leads him to the West who desires
occupy portion of the Western country his home 1t is
be- sir who will have pay this. 1t is embarrassment,
upon the settlement of the country, and which, if posi-
BILE in our action here, we ought to obviate
SHALL consequently, persist in of two propositions.
II fail in having that part of the bill stricken out, shall
Cor if do not, hope it will be moved by
ese that the lands granted the State shall not be sold
less price than those reserved by the Government.
Mr.. BRADBURY. have observed defect in the bill
which regard in direct conflict with the principle upon
which it is advocated. understand the Senators from lii
and Michigan advocate the bill upon the principle that
the Government is great proprietor OF lands through which
this road will pass, and that as prudent proprietor can
make grant of portion Of these lands and thereby increase
the value Of the residue think that is the principle which
has been distinctly stated by bJh gentlemen Now in the
second section of the amendment the bill provides that where
lands have been already sold along the line, other lands shall
be granted to supply the deficiency.
Mr.. KING, lin his seat.) They to be adjacent
lands. ...a...
Mr.. BRADBURY II, for instance, on any portion of
the route half Of the lands have been sold by the Govern
men the bill authorizes the selection of the other half else
where. would like TO know what lands, them the Govern
has which, prudent proprietor, it will have increased in
vaues
Mr. KING. In authorizing the taking of unsold lands else
where when cannot be obtained directly on the road the bill
still requires that they shall be adjacent to the cons along
the road 1t is not to be taken all along the road the Sen
utor seems to suppose, but in alternate sections.
Mr.. BRADBURY. The explanation of the Senator does
not relieve the bill at all from the objections have urged. IF
the lands have been sold, then the selection is to be made
from other lands upon the road but quite from
the road, and remote that think principle upon which
the bill is advocated cannot fairly apply. There could be
reasonable objection, think, striking out that portion
the bill which uhozes the selection Of lands elsewhere
when they have been sold along the road The bill grants
than million and half Of Of land, and grants
them to the State for the purpose of constructing this oad
without any definite location of the road and without that
cuate information which, appears me, ought have
when bills of this character presented We ought to
have before evidences the extent of the road of the cha
acter Of the country through which passes, and all that
which could be got to show prudent proprietor that he
would be benefited by such grant.
There another objection which applies to the amendment
of the Senator from Alabama, and that is, that it would be
dangerous practice to adopt that of connecting bills of this
.Il.o A.
character being connected might command majority in
Congress, when neither OF them could alone. not pre-
pared to say what the facts to the merits Of the pro-
posed grants in Alabama Illinois; for have not the in
formation before upon which could feel satisfied to act
Mr.. FOOTE. did not rise with view of entering upon
extended discussion Of this subject but must say had
informed myself in regard to it through the medium of the
public prints before had the honor OF seat here have
examined all the various discussions that have taken place 10
Congress the precise points before have read the
arguments offered to the Senate years ago by the Senator
from Michigan and the ilustrious Senator from South
Carolina, no longer here Before saw the speeches OF
those two Senator'S years ago. must confess doubted
extremely whether the power claimed by the Senator'S
Alabama and Illinois the Government actually existed
but since read those two luminous arguments which
have been repeated successfully in hearing this morning.
entertained the least doubt that the Government
being the large andhoder Of the country, had the right to
dispose Of reserve, improve the public domain Having
this right it does to to be the ceare proposition In
the world that it is only authorized to beow alternate
domain still remaining, but tina. is hound to do SO by
every obligation Of patriotism.
Mr.. CASS. One difficulty has been suggested, and that
is that this road in many instances does in mme
date with the public lands and that them Of course
the selection Of the land granted they must recede from
the road The here in supposng that the road will
be of value to the public land except where it comes in
immediate contact with it. The road built will very
much increase the value of the land for many miles in its
neghbohood In the present state of the Western country
plank and other roads will be built connect with
it, and the immediate effect will be to increase the value of
all lands lying within any reasonable distance OF it. There
FORE the objection that the land in the immediate neghbo
hood road may be sod Invested OF all its oce Under
any circumstances Of that kind the value and benefit to
suit from the opening of such avenue to the Government
and the country will still remain.
Mr.. SHIELDS. / am gratifed at the amendment that
has been proposed by my friend from Alabama 1t is one
which has been examined by every member Of the committee
and may also state that every OF the points presented
here this morning also fully discussed in the committee
the Senator from Alabama, will form great national tho
roughae, connecting the northern part Of Illinois, by the way
of ST. Louis with Mobile well connecting Boston and
the other Eastern cities by the route through Illinois,
with ST. Louis, and New Orleans, and Mobile. Perhaps
there States in the Union interested in this work
than those in the East represented by Senators Directing
this BILL For the benefit of Senator'S who speak Of the
less which the United States Government may suffer in
sequence of this grant, wish state that when land has
been ten fifteen years in the Market the receipts heefrom
do not defay the expenses of the machinery OF Government
employed in their SALE In this CASE therefore, the Govern
ment lose nothing for these lands generally have been
in the market for twenty years. and this road will be the
Of rendering them saleable And am not that
the Government would in the end be benefited by laying
down general principle, that where lands have been
in the market for fifteen twenty years. they shall be ap
propraed to this purpose, than which know none more