The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-10-29

construction, which are designed 10 traverse
said State IN different directions, and to cross
each other at right angles;t hat said railways are
extremely important to the welfare of the in
habitants, and indispensable to proper deyel- |
opcment OF the immense natural resources of
the State; and that Of SAID railways will ex.
tend from Dubuque, the heart of our mineral
region, 10 Keokuk, at the head of uninterrupted
steam navigation of the Mississippi river, and
the other from Davenport, at the mo teligible, If
not the only practicable, point tor bridging said
krivcr, and at the western terminus OF the Chica-
20 aud Rock Island railway, via Fort Des
Mones, to the Council Butis-thereby forming
an important section, upon direct line, OF the
contemplated railway from New York and bos-
| ton to the Pacific Ocean.
/ They further represent that the pecuniary
means of iowa are inadequate to the speed con-
s'ruct,on of said railways; that their routes will
extend through, and adjacent t., many hundred
! thousand acres Of government land, which by
/ their construction will be rendered available to
/ the general treasury and become the happy
abode of an enterprsins population, but which,
without such improvements, must continue a
valueless waste for long series of years or
! forever; and that said railways would, in addition,
be of immense direct benefit to the general
government, as means for the certain. speedy,
and cicap fransp lrtation of her troops, lnunit
tions, property, mails and dispatches to and
from her extended frontier posts and settle
/ mcnts.
| They fnthcr represent that in view of the
manifold national and State interests TO be pro-
| Noted thereby, the people of Iowa have bacn
| for several years past urging upon the favorable
consideration of Congress their requests fnr that
degree and species Of unob jectonable aid in the
premises, whicil~has been extended to our sister
states; and that in addition to large numbers oil
al, I'll,
scented their views through the official action Of
their General Assembly; Of regularly costtuted
conventions &c, as VIII more fully appear from
an examination Of the documents hcrcunto at
tached as exhibits, and numbered respectively
| from to 10 ncusive:s
They here renew their application for aid
which is founded in equity. and supported by
every consideration of policy; and as they have
already suffered much from procrastnaton,
they respectfully ask the Honorable Congress,
to pass into law at an early day, the bill which
will accompany this memorial, and which, in
every essential particular, ponds with the
act, passed by the last Congress entitled "An
act granting the right of way, and making
grant of land to the states of Illinois, Mississip
pi and Alabama, in aid Of the construction of a
railroad from Chicago to Mobile
BILL
Granting the right Of way, and making grant
OF land to the State of Iowa, in aid OF the
construction Of railroads from Dubuque to
Keukuk, and from Davenport to the Missouri
river, at or near Council Bluffs, in said State
Sec L. Be 1t enacted by the Senate and
House Of Representatives, Of the United States Of
.7merica, IN Congress assembled, That the right
Of way through the public lands be, and the
same is hereby, granted to the State of Iowa,
for the construction Of railroad from the city
OF Dubuque to the city of Keokuk, and also forthe
construction Of railroad from the city of Dav.
export, via the town Of Fort Des Mones, to the
Missouri river, at or near Council Bluffs, in said
State; with the right also to take necessary
| ma terials Of earth, stone, timber, &C.. Tor the
| obstruction Of said ads: Pr0rided, That the
right Of way shall not exceed one hundred
! feet on each side of the length thereof, and
copies of surveys of said roads, made under the
authority of the legislature, shall be forwarded to
the proper local Land Officers respectively, and
to the General Land Offices at Washington,
within ninety days after the completion of the
same.
! SEC. 2. .4ndbe ufurther enacted, That there
be, aud is hereby granted to the State of Iowa,
for the purpose of aiding in making the rail.
roads aforesaid, every alternate section of land
designated by odd numbers, for six sections in
width, on each side of said roads but in case
it shall appear that the United States have
when the routes Of SAID roads are definitely
fixed under the authority aforesaid, sold any
part of any section hereby granted or that the
! right of pre- enption has attached to the same,
then it shall be lawful for any agent or agents
TO be appointed by the Governor of said State,
to select, subject to the approval aforesaid, from
the lands of the United States most contiguous
to the tier of sections above specified, so much
land in alternate sections parts of sections as
shall be equal to such lands as the United States
| have sold, or to which the right of pre-emp-
ton has attached as aforesaid, which lands, be-
ing equal in quantity to one half of six Sec
tons in width on each side of said roads, the
State of Iowa shall have and hold for the pur-
poses aforesaid. Prorided, That the lands to
be 50 located shall in no case be further than
| fifteen miles from the line of said road find
| pror,ded further, That the lands hereby grant
ed shall be applied in the construction Of said
roads respectively, in quantities corresponding
with the grant for each, and for no other pur-
pose whatever.
SEC. 8. find be it further enacted, That the
sections and parts of sections of land which
shall remain to the United States within six
miles on each side of said roads, shall not be
sold for IS than double the minimum price of
the public lands, when sold
SEC a. And be 1t further enacted, That the
said lands hereby granted shall be subject to
the disposal of the legislature thereof for the
railroads shall be and remain public highways
for the use of the government OF the United
States, free from toll or other charge upon the
transportation of any property or troops OF the
United States.
SEC 5 ind be it further enacted, That if
the said railroads, either of them, shall not be
completed within fifteen years from the approx
al of this act the said State of Iowa, SHALL il
thereto required, be bound to pay to the United
States, unless further time be granted, the
amount which may be received on the sale OF
any part of said lands, by said State, the title TO
the purchasers under said State remaining val
Fl id and the title to the residue of said lands
shaft re-nvest in the United States, to have and
hold the same in the same manner as if this act
had not been passed.
/ SEC 6. find be further enacted, That the
United States mail shall at all times be trans
ported on said railroads, under the direction Of
the post Office department, at such price as the
Congress may by law direct
Resolved, That this convention will appoint
delegation of five individuals to proceed, by
concert, TO Washington, at an early day of the
approaching session, to urge upon Congress, in
every honorable and legitimate way, the passage
of the foregoing bill into Il law and that said
delegation be distributed as follows one from
4 Dntuqne, one from Keokuk, one from Daven-
port, one from Iowa City, and one from Foit
Des Moines.
On motion of Mr. Cook, Of Scott, the follow
ing persons were appointed committee to
report the names of delegates to Washing
ton under the resolution reported by the COM
mittee, viz Mrssrs. Cunning, Taylor, Rider,
Godrcll. Walker, Finch, Durham, Merritt, Full
ton, Preston, Webber, Hull, Bosquet, Shelle-
day.
Mr. Fulton, from the above committee, re-
1 ported the names of the following gentlemen az
delegates to Washington. viz: Hon. James
Grant Of Scott, Gen " 2. Van Antwerp, Of
Lee, Hannibal Emerson, Esq, of Dubuqss,
George S. Hampton, ESQ, of Johns IN, and
Barlow Granger Esq, of Polk; which report
MAS adopted
On motion of Mr.. Byington,
Resolved That in The event that any Of the
above named delegates shall be prevented from
attending upon the ensuing congressional ses-
sion, he be requested to call meeting Of the
people of his county and vicinity, for the pur-
pose of appointing substitute TO attend in his