The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-03-09

when you get TO my own State--one Sf the
Youngest of the Old Thirteen, and one Of the
humbIest, kept down for years because she could
not extend her government coextensive with the
land within her limits, a portion of it being in
the possession and occupancy Of the Indians
you find that when she saw the condition in
which this great country was placed--North and
Southland that connexon and facility for
rapid intercourse was desirable, in order to bring
them more near to each other and increase our
affection for one another to make US love our
government and love one another, she did
what, Mr. President! In the midst of her pow
crty, she commenced the line upon the Georgia
bank Of the Savannah river, where the railroad
would cross from Charleston to Augusta, and
with her own enterprise, and her own money,
she ran that road not only through Georgia, but
to the valley Of the Mississippi; and it is now
in operation. She went over to Tennessee and
asked act of incorporation, and permission
to run the road through Tennessee until we
should strike the waters of the Mississippi; and
it was DONE
Let me now invite the Sena' or from Missouri,
who sits furthest from me, Mr.. ATcHIsoN,]
who said that Georgia wanted her share of the
land-I have no doubt with the best of feelings
Ito take trip upon that road, and we will car
ry him over it at the rate of twenty miles per
hour, over mountain and through tunnel. will
then place him upon the waters of his own great
West. lie may travel by steam from one end
of Georgia to the other, and to the steamboat
communication with his own State. And then
will ask him to tell me how was all this built
And now we want Il communication from Cairo
with that road We have run road for 100
miles, with capital of something like seven
millions of dollars, at our own expense, continu
ing the road to the valley Of the Mississippi-
But when you get to Cairo, and want to 60 up
to Chicago to see the President, if he should
ever be there, what do you find You land
from the steamboat opposite Cairo, and you find
a railroad extending with its branches for 600
miles. And who built that road! The people
of the State of Illinois stand upon that road, and
look as magnificent and consequential as if they
had paid for it out of their own purse, and as if
it was upon their own land. But those 600
miles of railroad were built at the expense of
the United States. They cost S6,9OO,0OO and
by the contract the company make nearly TWEEN.
ty one millions ont of it. And yet the gentle
man says that Georgia wants her share. If Hi
nois was entitled to this, tn IN she ought to have
it, and only ask for Georgia what she is emit
tied to receive. Because Georgia has already
completed this work by her enterprise and her
reasonable man should get up and say, You
have done the work already; you have expended
the labor and the money, and you ought to be
satisfied? No, sir, the questions which ought
to be propounded are these: Whose money is
it! How shoudit be divided To whom does
it belong! But my friend, believe, will 90
with me, and when he gets into Georgia will
say, BY the-by, you ought to have your share
He says tn; now, but he is fearful of endanger
ing the bill by the adoption of this amendment
But, Mr.. President, | will hasten on. wish
to say that was astonished when saw the
course of senators and representatives of the old
thirteen States upon the land bill, some of whom
have come out and indicated the idea of the
rights OF the new States to take up all these
public lands. | read speech made by gen.
tleman in the other branch of the Legislature
with perfect establishment to find him vindica-
ting these vast appropriations of the public
money and the public lands, leaving his own
State without any equivalent but when came
to search the matter out, found that he be-
longed to one of the companies which purchased
the 100000 acres of the public property.
state this rs no charge. have no doubt that it
is an honest affair; but can say what the fact
is. A gentleman to day jumped upon the "Bal.
tic" because it was the representative of capital
and denounced the idea that capital should be
brought within the view Of this capitol to infu.
ence members in their conduct here And yet
you are doing acts here that give capital to the
amount of twenty-seven miionsto a company
to construct railroad. trust these gentlemen
will become alarmed at the idea that the public
lands are to go into the hands of capitalists
Where is the Senator from Wisconsin, Mr.
WALKER, that he does not raise his voice
against this accumulation of wealth and property
in the hands of great landed proprietors? Not
a word is said of that. But let Georgia, Massa-
chusetts, old nth Carolina or any one of the
other old States, come and ask even for what
justice would give us, and they tell us, No; we
never can submit to such great landed proprie
tors within the limits of individual States. Look
at it, gentlemen See what is already the result
in Illinois.
But where is the power to dispose of the pub
lie lands rs we are doing? have taken occa
sion to look at this thing, and let me state what
Congress has done. Congress has made grants
to communities and individuals for various pur-
poses. They have made grants to the States
for education, for internal improvements, for
public buildings, and have even granted land to
corporations, colleges, &c, for educational pur-
poses; and they have granted it for the deaf and
dumb. Where did you get the pow er to do all
these things? From the Constitution If You
can benefit all the rest of the world, why cannot
you benefit the States-the old States? Where
is the, principle in the Constitution which gives
you the power to do that for Others which you
cannot do for your own States? 1t is an insult
to the understanding, and calculated merely to
awaken the minds of the people and when
they are aroused upon this subject, and have
heard the loud demands upon them, and have
seen how the lands are taken away from them,
wo to that man and that party which seeks to
deprive them of the public lands! You give
the land to cultivators of the olive ard of the
grape for making wine; and where did you get
that power2 You cannot give the lands to
Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, or Massachu-
sets, for they are States. You can give it to
individuals who wish to cultivate the olive or the
grape; and then you stand up before an honest
and intelligent community and tell them that
you cannot give the lands, because You have not
the power. 1t seems to me tn the argument
shows very little respect for the intelligence of
the old States feel amazed at it; and yet
feel still more astoni,hed to find that these opin
ions prevail in some sections of the community
where the lands are nearly or quite gone