Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1852-03-24
Grant Of Lands 70 Iowa.

Grant Of Lands 70 Iowa.
an the United States Senate, Hon. A. Felch
Of Michigan. on the Sd and 4th days Of Feb.
ruary, delivered most able speech in favor of
our Railroad Bill. which il publishsd in the
Washington Union Of 18th of February. Its
great length. % colums in the Union) prevents
its publication in The Statesmen entire. We
extract the following:
"one Of the great objects designed by the
cessions of the public domain to the United
States was. have already said, to build up
new 81 ates, and to enlarge and strengthen our
common country. We are in danger Of over.
looking the importance to cur nation, and to
all the members Of it. of this great object -
Already the advantages thua derived from the
expansion ofour country are incalcuable.
Let the Atlantic States say whether they
have received no benefit from the settlement
and prosperity Of the West. Lat manufsc.
tvrsss ssy e thsy havs tsssss
tie profitable traffic WIN IL We II ~
seaports Of the Atlantic declare il the immense
trade with the West has poured no treasure
into their Golfers.
The twelve States have brought no ordinary
offering to the altar of our common country. -
They exhibit an annual production Of IS .OO0..
900 bushels Of wheat, 295, ,00O, 100 bushels of
corn. $4,000 900 pounds of tobacco. 535, ,OOO,.
600 pounds of cotton, 10000. 600 pounds of
wool. %. 100000 pounds of hemp. 32l 900. 900
lbs of sugar. In all Of these articles the twelve
States not only rival in AMOUNT all the other
States in the aggregate, but many Of them are
almost the exclusive producers. The irhabi.
tants Of these States have paid their share of
the pub ic burdens. They have added their
strength to the army and navy. They have
contributed their force to the impetus which
in little more than half century has pushed
on the national growth from it's infancy to its
present magnitude and strength.
The great feature that marks the, history of
this nation is its unexampled growth. The
great characteristic which marks the century
will be found hereafter in the historic page to
be the rapid increase of this united nation in
all that constitutes national greatness And
whoever analyses this growth will find one Of
it's most important elements doing its work in
the basin of the Mississippi and the lakes, and
adding there State after State to the Union.
If once again. shrinking away from our pres
ent broad extensions and noble proportions.
We fancy the nation compressed within its ORR
ginal limits. and again transformed to the
dwarfage of the days of the Revolu: lion. we
should realize to some extent, the value of our
national growth.
For the promotion of this growth the care of
the unsett ed lands was committed to the gen
eral government. IT, in advancing the great
object, tsey had found it necessary to use eve
ry acre Of she domain to settle it and build up
s'ases-is ssasld hss< bssrs fu.hsulg adaninis,
tered. 1t would have bean small price to
pay for the advantages accruing to The confed.
eracy. in which every member participates
For the purpose Of administering that great
trust, their power over it is unlimited What
ever is needed to promote the sales--whatever
Is advisable to be done in cunnexion with it
to bring it into market. or to induce settlers to
come upon it.or to foster the prosperity of the
community upon and about it, with a view to
the sales and settlement-they have full pow.
er to perform. policy which should appro,
pirate portion of it in securing these objects
would be approved on every principle The
right given to dispose of it without defining
the manner necessarily implies this: and the
clearly def ned objects and conditions of the
grants to which have before alluded to impose
this. in case where interest would prompt il,
as duty. All net proceeds after such faithful
administration of the funds. must 20 then to
the treasury of the federal government
This principle was adopted from the begin.
ming. State-houses. jails, court. houses, and
roads. have been built from the public treasury
in the territories, under the constitutional pow
er giving the charge Of the "territory and 9th
er property to the general government. And
all the grants for schools and universities, and
other public purposes. have been made under
the authority requiring faithful admnistra
ton OF this trust To deny the authority
would be to repudate every act Of the govern
ment connected with this subject from the first
A construction denying this power at the be-
ginning would have defeated every obec: of
the grant. 1t would have left the domain a
wilderness, and. instead OF enlargng our con.
federation by the addition of new States, would
have restricted it to the Old Thirteen.
But this more liberal policy has received the
sanction of every administration of our gov
eminent and of every party. 1t has had the
approval Of the voice Of public orinion. and
IL is sanctioned by that best of all tests--com-
pete success in its results. There is no cues
ton, then, of the power to devote the land to
the use contemp'a ated by the bill. The right is
founded on principle entirely distinct from
that involved in the question of internal i'm.
provements in the States where the government
has no special interests to be subserved. Nor
should spirit of jealousy. lest the State where
such grants may be made should receive more
Immediate benefit from them than the more re-
mote, beindulged. From the organization of
the State, this must often necessarily be sy
in the administration of public affairs.
When we have been told OF the lands granted
for improvements in the new States, as though
these States alone received benefits from the
hands OF the government, in which the West
have scarcely participated If roads and ca.
nails have been made in the West, the East also
has had expenditures for the same purpose
The enormous expenditures for the navy, the
large advances of money for steam vessels and
The steam service. the great expenditure.
Tor the coast survey and in the construction of
dry docks. have afforded immediate benefit IN