Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-10-02
BURLINGTON HAWK-EYE.
Das Moines Riyar Grant.

AVAAVO
In our columns TO day, will be found the opin-
ion OF Attorney General Crittcnden, given at the
request of the Secretary of the Interior, on the
claim of the State of Iowa to the lands above the
Raccoon Fork, for the improvement of the Des
Moines River. -....
This opinion will be found complete and
thorough justification of the course of the Secre-
tary of the Interior aud the Administration, in
the decision they have thought proper to make in
reference to the claim of Iowa, for The extension
of the Grant to the head waters of the Des Moines.
As we attempted to show in our article few
days ago, the blame belongs to Gen. Dodge, who
introduced the bill, 10 the committee TO whom it
was referred and who reported it with the letter
Of Gen. Shields. the Commissioner of the Gener-
al Land Office, to Gen. Dodge, estimating the
number of acres to be granted, at POI 900 acres
to the constituted authorities of the Executive
departments respectively, of the United States
and of Iowa, who took the exposition of the bill
as given at the time of its passage and during its
progress through Congress, and carried il into
execution by the selection of the alternate sec
tons of land below the Raccoon Fork.
We wish to be distinctly understood as to our
views and feelings on this subject. We are will
ling. and even anxious, that the State should get
al. the land claimed, if il is proper and right that
we should have il, under proper construction
of the law. If il is obtained, we have no doubt
it will be applied TO good purpose. We are,
however, unwilling that this should be made
party matter, as has been attempted by the De-
mocratic papers of the State. We are unwilling
that any fault or blame should be attached to the
present Administration for the part it has taken.
or for the decision the Secretary of the Interior
has felt himself bound to make, as to the proper
construction of the law.
The fact that the democratic presses have
sought all along TO manufacture political capital,
first ont of the decision of Secretary Walker in
favor of the State. and next out Of the decision
of the Secretary of the Interior, under the pres
ent Administration, against the claim of the
State, looks very much as if the whole measure
from the beginning, was but an electioneering
scheme Success in whatever degree it might be
achieved. was TO enure solely 10 the benefit of
the democracy; and if the State was prevented
from obtaining all she claimed, by any decision
of the Wing Administration, so much better
prospec, was there of bringing the Wing party
into reproach. The alleged hostility Of the Ad-
ministraton to the West, and TO Iowa in partc-
ular, has been standing text, from which De-
moeratic editors have read long homilies TO the
people of the Des Moines Valley, on the corrup
tons of whiggery, and the precious beauties of
.h.tt b.~ L,,
They have robbed the State of near a million
acres of land, given by Congress 10 improve your
beautiful River"
The people of the State have heard this story
so long, that it will be difficult TO get them to be-
heve any other. All we ask, however. is that
they may be induced to give careful perusal to
the letter of Attorney General Crittenden. They
will then understand on whose shoulders the
blame ought 10 rest. They will see that Gen.
Dodge in drawing the bill, never intended TO Sc
cure 10 the State more than the 26l 900 acres of
land lying below the Raccoon Forks. That the
Committee who reported the bill had the same
understanding as TO the quantity TO b, granted
So also had Gen. Shields and Mr. Piper, Com
missioners of the Land OfTice-and Governors
Clarke and Briggs, who had the selections made
in accordance with the instructions and plats re-
ceived from Washington.
Where then ought the blame 10 rest? Mr. Sec
rotary Ewing, and Attorney General Crittenden,
have only decided the question as Gen Dodge
and his democratic friends had previously decided
it. They have moi taken away from Iowa foot
of land that Gen. Dodge and Congress intended
TO give her. The proposition is too plain for ar
gument. There is only one side to il, and on
that side we find Gen. Dodge, the Congress of
the United States, Gen. Shields and Mr. Piper,
Gov. Clarke, Gov. Briggs, the Board of Public
Works of Iowa, Mr. Ewing and Mr. Critenden.
The two last who have decided the question
against extending the Grant to the northern lm-
its of the State, at least found in good demo-
cratic company.