Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1852-03-25

consequently yield nothing TO the General
Government. In this condition Of things,
one Of the States proposes TO the Govern
ment, that if its aid is extended IN the con
struction Of railroad by grant Of part
Of this unstable land, that she will con-
struct a road that will at once give valu. to
these refuse a1ds, The proposition goes
further; it is, that the refuse lands will not
only be made available, but that those lands
which before would not sell for 81 25 per
acre, shall be advanced to 50 80 per acre.
The State also proposes that she will trans
port all troops, all the munitions of war, and
all the supplies for your army, all the annui-
ties for your Indian tribes. over the road she
proposes TO make, without one cent Of cost
to the Government. And further than this.
the State proposes that she will carry the
United States mail over the road for what
ever sum Congress may agree TO pay for
this service. Now. sir, let me ask gentle
men nf the cd States whether. as landhold-
ers. they are not greatly gamers by the
grant? II is at least certain that they lose
nothing.
There is one fact which thinl; the his
tory of the settlement of the Western States
fully sustains, ard that is, that those lands
are always most eagerly sought for, where
there is not too great disparity in the fertility
Of the soil, which are contiguous to our
great navigable streams. The reason is OBJ
vious: it is because of the facilities which
those streams afford for the transportation Of
produce; and the cmigrantS will often select
inferior lands near to those great through
fares, in preference to those of more beauty
and greater fertility, but which are more
remote. Hence the refuse lands are most
usually found in the interior parts Of the
State, remote from the navigabc streams.
1t will be found by a reference tot the facts
to which | will call the attention Of the
House, that they fully prove and sustain
the position | have taken. In thir:y-two
counties lying upon the Missouri and Mis-
sissippi rivers as is shown by the late cen
sus report. there arc l,762. .222 acres of i'm
proved land while in the other siAty-eight
counties OF the State almost double the num-
ber-there are | 1.li9, 200 acres of improved
land, making $4,000 acres less OF improved
land in sixty weight coui'tcS remote from the
Missouri and Mississippi rivers, than in the
thirty-two counties which lie upon those
, streams. Now, IprcSumc This state OF fact.
, will be found 10 exist in every state of The
West. Those lands are fast sought after
= which lie upon the great rivers. Task YOU
if you make a cana!--if you make road ol
: highway where nature has furnished no ad
vantages, will not the result be inevitably
5 the same. and the land upon the line ot thos,
: roads and canals be as eagerly sought aitet
: as lands lying upon the Missouri and Mis-
sissippi rivers?
e beg leave 10 refer 10 some other statistic
, which have gathered from the report OF tht
= Superintendent OF the Census. Willie Mis-
e souri, is only the thirteenth State in point Q
, population. and the fourteenth in quantity 0
E improved land she is the tenth State in valu
= of live stock. the eighth in value OF manu-
Y facture, the sixth State in quantity of corn
a the fifth in the number Of pounds Of tobac
i co. She is the second State in the produc
= ton of dew-rottcd hemp. and the first Stat
e Union in the production Of watcr-rotte
t hemp. The fact to which desire TO call tn
o attention Of the House. and prove the pc
, sition | have assumed, is, that where ther
i are Ithoroughtarcs and highways opened
/: either by nature or By art, the lands will b
|, in greater demand. and people will select al
+ settle upon them. Take the case of the al
I .ticle of Tobaceo. The whole amount of tC
v bacco raised in tie State of Missouri j
it 1850 was a little upwards of sevntce
$ millions of pounds. and of this amount moi
= than twelve millions was raised in tr~cnt
II counties upon the Missouri and Mississippi
C rivers. Out of one hundred counties twei
t ty counties produced more than two-thnc
n OF the whole amount of this great staple
! And why? Not because those lands upc
of the Missouri and Mississippi are bctt,
Of adapted to the growth OF tins article. b
1t because of the want OF facilities fer tran
,r portation of the article taom the interi,
in counties of our State to onr great rivers.
v Take another artcle--that of dew-rottt
lc hemp, one of the great staples Of that Stat
" and that in which Missouri stands second
lie hundred counties comprising the whole nun
TO Der of counties, there is prodrced lit
of over sercntecn thousand tons. Or I'll
to quantity there are fifteen thousand five IN
m drcd tons produced in twenty counties up
mt The Missouri and Mississippi rivers, VIII
~ in eighty counties of those rivers there a
on but one thcusend five hundred tons produ
ed. appeal 10 gentlemen upon this flo,
he and ask them. what would have been I
Is effect in the eNtenuation OF tradt and CO,
c. merce of the West, had thoroughfarcs be
nut opened through these counties in the inter-
n part OF my State, and they possessed l
he same facilities far the >portaion of pl
ms duce as the counties lying upon the Nilsson
ed and Mississippi river? Task you, how va
30 " would this amount Of trade and co
10 merce have been augmented. The VIII
is, amount of commerce noated upon our ",
ed tern rivers for the year 1850 has been
'c- timated at 1920, 900, ,00O--nearly double
he foreign commerce. With the foregoing ia
de in relation TO the amounts Of prediction
nd my own State in counties lying upon
le- Missouri and Mississippi rivers, what
his may ask, would have been tina vastly incre
IDS ed amount of that commerce had the gr
,ed railroads of the West which have been p
or, jected and in proces, Of construction, b
I of cOnnlate1y