Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1852-03-18
sIissoafi,nniIrOad DilI. /

c oirespcndeliee of the Missouri Republican.
~ . WAsnINoToN, March 4.
I wrote You, yesterday, that an attempt would
be made 10 Te-oonsider the vote by which the
Missouri Railroad Bill was sent to the Commit
tee OF Tie Whole, The Object Of IT'S enemies bein.
TO clinch the vote by which it received this d-
reotion: and The hope Of its friends being 10 OBJ
tain reversal of the sentence Of the House,
Accordingly, to-day thSsmotion was made by
member from New York who was opposed to
the bill, and the melton made was sustained by
a majority of about thirty. This was decisive
enough. a.
The Committee on public lands then report
ed other aimilar bills One fs a Eailroad fFoM
Toledo Ohio through Springfield, Illinois, to
the Mississippi river, at or near Harmibal.--
Another for Wisconsin road; another for
road from Louisville to the Mississippi river, at
St. Louis; and another to certain rivers in Ten
nesseo and Alabama; but they all met the same
fate. They were quickly sent to the Commit
tee Of the Whole.
Pending ono OF these bills, Mr. =. Edwards
Grey, Of Ky, tried to get in an amendment,
appropriating two or three millions OF acres Of
l2.,II ce rs5Ira2S,-, ;a,Keo'paky, the land, Of
course. TO be selected elsewhere than in that
State; but it was dSfeatcd.
These votes look bal enough, bu. the friends
Of the bill do not despair of tie passage Of
those that are m3ritorious Some Of those who
yotcl for the commitment say they will vote
for these grants of land, bat they have bad
way OF showing their love forthem. ImS truth
is. our legislation has become perfect system
Of barter and exchanges, and quite frequently
Of bad faith and knavcry. | say nothing now
OF the influence brought to operate in carrying
out particular measures from which great bene-
fits are expected to flow 10 Individuals and
: companies. In rcgard TO grants Of land for
; railroad purposes there is strong opposition
from the old States, including Kentucky, Ten
: nesscc and Ohio. They lay claim 10 some
portion Of the public domain for themselves, and
hence il is that they resist the passage Of these
laws, At the very moment Of voting TO defeat
the bill for Missouri, members of Congress
: from Kentucky and Tennessee had the temerity
TO advocate bills Of precisely similar character
2 for their States, as if they had entitled them
selves tosuccess by the liberality of their con
J duct.
But the delegation from New York and Penn
sylvania have pursued even more extraordi-
$ nary course. OF the thirty-four members from
| New York, three only voted for the Missouri
bill; and yet they are here, asking for the ex-
] pcnditure Of few hundreds Of thousands of
r dollars in the encouragement Of lines OF mail
steamers few hundred thousand dollars for
the erection Of a mint in that city; not few
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars, to be expend-
ed in various other ways in that city--to say
nothing of the millions which are asked for
California, and in which New York has d.
rect interest. Their heart is bent upon the es-
Enlistment Of mint in New. y ork, and this is
to be done hyyotes of the western, ol land
y States, and by way of testifyng their regard
for us, thrty-One of their representatives refuse
= an inconsiderablc favor demanded by the new
' States.