The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-05-12
NUMBER 35.
speech IF Mr.. Dodge Of Iowa In TN. Senate.
March Z and T. 1852

T..
March 3 aud I, 1852.
Mr.. ., dLr. ] am rpioiced To- bear IT.
have knuwn that State long and well, and wisi
ii the greatest possible prosperity. l referred
to il because OF The fact which had noticed
that during the time when this Union was sup
posed 10 be cnnyulsed on account of sectional
difficulties, her talented and chyalrous repre-
sentative in the ether branch Of Congress in
an address to his constituents the subject oi
those difficulties, cited, as one of the reasons
why thai State should in cerIaln contingencies,
look faynrably upon disruption OF The Union,
The long and cru. neglect and iliiberai pol V
of the federal government towards it and lis in
habituu.s in relation 10 the public domain II
will be borne in mind that the American gov
ernment is the only one tina, hus ever speculated
off Of lis own citizens hy selling tlIeui the soiI
OF. their county. The Eag!ish, French, and
Spanish governnents, which preceded ours on
this continent, made grants and donations to
their people without stint price, and of double,
treble, and quadruple the quantity which this
government has granted even in Oregon. Many
of the led mines in Missouri, to which have
alluded, and which once agiiat-d large porticn
of the Old World, and were the exciting cause
Of the operations of the celebrated John Law,
were granted to individuals. The governnen nts
which preceded us in the management Of these
lands granted miles to their citizens, whilst our
citizens, setting and working by their side, have
had to pay two dollars and half an for
mineral land, and dollar and a quarter for az
ricultural land
Mr. President, what could you get now for
the richest lands that the sun may shine upon In
Nebraska, in Utah, or in those other Territories
over which you lord it, aud have the owner
ship. If you were to expose them for sale to-
morrow, could you get SIX and a quarter cents
an acre? You could not get one cent, nor can
you ever sell, al any price, until the people OF
the country have encountered Indian hos tllities,
braved the elements. and every other species of
hardship and difficulty, and have overcome them,
settled the country, and made it to bloom and
blossom as the rose. Then it is you follow them
with your land officers, and take their last dollar
in payment Of those lands which their lab, r
and enterprise alone have enabled you to sell.
The senator from Kentucky twice-tllrce
tmes-referred to the grant of an additional
section which was made to the citizens of the
Territory Of Oregon for educational purposes.
He deeply laments this, as he seems TO regard
it, large appropriation of our domain in tina. in.
fant and distant Territory, and calls attention
to the fact that he had asked the yeas aud nays
on that grant, and, for reasons doubtless salts
factory to himself, had voted against it. Sir
men are differently organized, and what is sweet
and pleasant to some Is bitter and disagrceable
to others. Of all the votes which it has ever
been my destiny 10 cast, non ever afforded me
more sincere and heartfelt pleasure than the
vote wnch give in behalf Of the children of
Oregon-tbose poor title children who follow
ed their fathers and mothers in the exodus
which took place in lo43, under the strong in
ducements held out by DR.. Linn's bill, which
passed this Senate, ard which, am sorry to
81, ,,,>l,
pioneers. The provisions Of the bill to which
| refer proposed to grant to the emigrant, his
wife and children, twice tie quantity Of land
which has been given to them by law. | have
ever regarded Linns bill as pledgng the faith
Of this government to the early settlers Of Ore
gon, male and female for the au,nitv rf land
which it proposed to give; aud shall, when.
ever an opportunity is offered, most willingly
vote to redeem that pledge. If you have al
Oregon Territory--if You have planted you,
star of empire on the Paciic-to whom d. y"u
owe it To those people who, with theil
wives and children, crossed your desert plains
scalded the Stony mountains, and took posses
sion of the valley of the Columbia and the iror
bound coast of the Pacific. Unaidcd by thi,
government, and even in advance Of it, these
pioneers have encountered the fierce Ca'nalcIie
and other barbarous tribes Of savage men, VIII,
have even eat Of their flesh and drank Of ,heil
blood, and who have carried their children int,
| captivity still they have pressed on; aud the
known fact that they would not reccde forced
settlement of the long vexed question Of boun
dary on the narthwes. between the Unitet
Stites and Great Britain
Sir, the appeal Of the senator from Ken
lucky, that, although we are now young State
we will soon be old enough to have no public
lands, and Will then be deeply interested III hi.
partition policy, is lost on me, as trust it viii
b. on my successors for all time to come
want the people Of Oregon and the distant Ter
ritores - profit by that domain which Goo
and their own enterprise and valor have given
them.
Mr. President, trust that the senator from
Kentucky has the magnanimity to excuse me
if have referred to him in terms OF appa rem
harshness severity. beg that he will bea
in mind that am not 4 trained debater, ant
speak under some excitement, but with no pur
| pose to wound his feelings for in all the rela
tions Of life. there is not man IN this body no
in the country whom | more highly respect
there is not one in whose patriotism and dcvo
ton to his country have a higher confidence
| for, however Numerically opposite and ia
apart as the poles we on every question o
politics or public policy, trust thai we are non
| estly so. But The senator, in one Of his severa
speeches, declared-ieokng ine in the face
that this government was uniformly kind to tn.
people of the new States never sued. neve
ha-ass cd, never annoyed our people and tha
we were allowed in addition to our other priv
iIeges, to go on the public lands and use tn
timber on them. ] know, when the senate
| said that, he did it not to wound my feelings
/ but he spoke without that knowledge of III
subject wn cl possess, and which have bee
determined to possess from the records, that
may be accurate in what | say What is h
fact ? There are HOW in Alabama three suits
in Mississippi two suits, embracing six persons
in Louisiana two suits in Ohio ihirty-ciel
suits, for trcspass on the public lar DIS in linn
four suits, embracing eleven persons, for cutt,n
timber in Michigan forty suits tor cutiin
timber; in Minnesota seven for cutting tiulbe
) in Wisconsin seven for cutting timber; an
for,v-four to recover notes given for seize
timber; and spventv-seven IL that 5 ale sine
January /, 1852 in Iowa twenty for cuttin
timber upon the public llnds. That my sta
ment may not be taken alone in citation "a, the,
!, fmatters have here letter from a respectab
LAWYER in Clayton county, next to the mo
northern county in Iowa, dated February
1852, from winch I Wi. read an extract:
"rherc is still anothc grievance, If which "
3 bitterly complain here, and this is the contem
tible trickery resorted to by government atfce
to ind,ct our citizens ior cutting timber Oh pu
lie lands. 1t is true that npne Of Us yet ha
gone /" the penitenIiary but this IL not t!
evil it drsgs our citizens from their homes Vi
der heavy expense; they have TO p,y the
money to Inv, els to get them clear, besides b
ing subjected, in some instances, to be throw
inlo that d,riy hole, The Dubuque jail , whi
lawyers, mais sla!s, and clerks, are making mon.
. bv the operation. And how long is this state
things to c n,inue'
: 81 have actually known. myself the marsh
to travel long distance (nleage and per disr
: and seize upon few cords nf steamboat wnt
cut frou an island that alternately ov-rf Nv
and Sc Il It back 10 the man who cut it tor two
three cents a cord, bringing to the govrrnme
so Ee two or three dollars, while she was pa
t. iur the marshal some two er three hundred d.,
lars, for doing the job of selling Aud now Il
e system, has come to this: A uian cuts two
three or four hundred cards Of wood on publ
;, land as liz has done so he sends o
0 lite note to the marshal inf ,rlning him Of Il
o fact the marshal sends him a note that he "
$ be at his wood pile ON a certain day and,
l. true as the needle to the pole, he is there. Al
e here commences government auction, wi
L Il t..