Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-02-15

retention the pledge OUT OF that iund
On this motion Of Mr. Holmes, Of Maine, the vote stood
twelve for striking out the words Illinois and Missouri and
trythee against il and amongst the thirty three who voted
against it, who voted for making the pledge proposed hnd
both of the then Senators from Missouri They both voted
the negative thus positively expressing their consent to the
pledge Of the two per cent fund for the reimbursement Of the
General Government do not mean to follow out all the
various of appropriation There will be found however,
in others of them which shall call the attention of the
Senate the reservation OF the right oil
An passed providing for the construction of the road
west Of GAINESVILLE, in March, 1929, which provided
That the of hundred thousand dollars, Of any
money otherwise appropriated be and the same hereby
Tor the purpose Of opening ana making se Cum
Ohio which sad OF hundred thousand dollars shall
replaced the fund reserved for laying and making
roads, under the direction of Congress- by the several
passed for the admission the States OF Ohio Indiana
no and Missouri into the Union on an equal footing with
the original States"
In hs fifth volume of the Statutes at Large, page IL,
find An act for the continuation of the Cumberland
road in the States of Oho Indiana, and Illinois," by which
il is provided
That the hundred thousand dollars be the
hereby appropriated for the purpose OF continuing the
Cumberland road in the State of Ohio that the OF
hundred and fifty thousand dollars be and the is hereby
appropriated for continuing the Cumberland road the
OF indiana including materials for erecting bridge the
Wabash and that the OF hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars be and the hereby appropriated for
tinuing the Cumberland road in the State OF Illinois which
sums shall be paid out Of money not otherwise appropr
aed and replaced OF the fund reserved for laying and
making roads under the direction of Congress- by the several
acts passed for the admission Of the States of Ohio Indiana IL
nos and Missouri the Union equal footing with
the original States"
Here, again, we find the fund specifically pledged. BY
another act which will take up the Of the Senate
by reading, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars hun-
ded and fifty thousand in each of the three States ap
popated to the object, and the two per fund
pledged to the reimbursement of this amount The amount
10 be appropriated by this bill is presume about hun
dred and thirty thousand dollars think that official
document files will show that two hundred thousand
dollars the of the per fund.- arising out
Of the sales Of the public lands ia Missouri shoa ago
has probably increased since that time about hundred
and thirty thousand dollars This bill proposes immediate
appropriation othe whole ofha sum- and prospective appro
priaon of all the that shall hereafter accrue within the
State Of Missouri in consequence Of that reserved per
cent fund. Now the Senate will find, from the appropr
atoms which have called their attention. that vastly
than two hundred and thirty thousand dollars has been
pended without making Missouri at all chargeable for any
part Of the road outside Of the State of Illinois.
The deficit of reimbursement for the construction of the
whole road from Cumberland Vandala about four mil
lions and half and if Missouri is liable for her portion of
that four millions and half it would be perhaps twenty
thirty times the amount of 00O But admit that she is
not liable for any thing expended in Ohio for any thing
pended in ndana and that her liability begins when the road
reaches Illinois. Upon reaching Illinois, Illinois had right
ask Of to expend dollar. and only on
Of the reserved fund to Missouri that could be called upon
to make any expenditure of money within the limits of Hi
nois Then you charge Missouri only what has been
expended within the limits Of Illinois, II will exceed three or
four times the amount claimed in her behalf by the bill under
am that the road has not actually
terminated at the line Of Missouri The Government was to
begin the road somewhere and the compact did require
that the Government should begin the road any particular
place. contend that the literal Interpretation which would
require Of you to carry the road up the very line of the
State Of Missouri is not the true and just Interpretation of
act The question is whether Missouri has has de-
rived benefit from the construction of the road As have
already stated every Western State has derived benefit es
peciay those States through which passes and which
runs The General Government had discretion the sub
jec they had right begin the road where they thought
proper Suppose they began the line at Missouri, there
might then have been gap from Vandaa Indiana about
equal in extent to that which is complained Of between
Vandaia and Missouri.
But the law invested Congress with discretionary power
and that contend has been faithfully exercised by
Congress. the road not carried to the Missouri line
there were various reasons for it, One the exhaustion
Of the fund.- The fund may hereafter accumulate If unap-
popated perhaps to amount sufficient carry the road
to the line Of Missouri No tire is xed in The compact as
to where the road shall be the road is to be carried
passu with the increase of the fund. The fund will 90 on
increasing until the whole of the public laus in Missouri
shall have been sold, and possible if it
and wasted away that may hereafter be sufficient to
plee the road.
With respect the road ITSELF after reached Illinois il,
was found impossible to gravel to stone it. There
proof before this body, recoec fourteen years ago.
when member that for the purpose of grading
had been carried thirteen miles. There no stone or
gravel to be found within the limits Of that State convenient
to the site OF the road to make made in Ohio and
part OF Indiana. And according to the last appropriations
made for carrying the road through Illinois especially
provided that the money should be applied paving with
stone graveng the road This because of the enor-
nous expenses which would be otherwise occasoned by
porting the stone and gravel The opening Of the road
all the Government stipulated There nothing that
qured the road to be macadmzsd In point of fact there
road now existing from Vandaa to Alton and st. Louis
and the Missouri line road made under the authority
OF the State OF Illinois, but makes continuous the line
Cumberland to the Mississippi river At this end Of the line
from Cumberland to the seat of government Baltimore
and TO the eastern Cities roads made not by public
thorty or public MEANS but by private corporations and in
dvduas, that both ends Of the road there are about
100 or 200 miles executed by the enterprise of individuals
and not at The expense either of the General Government
any State Government The whole the road as far
as It goes-sO0 mles-s beneficial merely to Missouri
but TO all that group of States through which passes and
those States emigration to which will be promoted by this
means of travelling.
think have shown, first thai the General Government
was not bound to make any particular specific kind Of
road secondly that 1t not limited the time when
the road should be constructed hrdy exercising the dis
creon expressly vested in by The compact between Mis-
souri, and the General Government the General Government
expended not merely $3.50 O0O probably more than hr,
times that amount admitting Missouri not to be charge
able Tor any thing expended he road prior its reach
ing Illinois
One word now with respect tt the document which nv
friend from Illinois presented IN quite sure and think
may venture the belief that the Committee did not attend 10
these special appropriations and se express
repeated act that the two per fund arising from the sales
OF public lands in Missouri ledged to the reimburse
ment OF the General Government M its expenditures this
road My friend has presented document from the General
Land Office showing that eigh, Of the twelve land States
have received the whole of the two per cent fpd and