The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-02-18

road.
Bu', sir, with regard to this BIZ and others
Il ike nature, the argument is stronger than
the case OF The Illinois bill. It is this: II
road will not only run through your publ
lands and increase their value along the lin
but IN this case it VIII run from tae Msslssip
! river to the Indian territory, and thereby op,
market for all the lands which you have we
of the Missouri river to the Rocky mountain
And insist that the construction of railro;
through the State of Iowa to The Missouri won
enhance the value of your lands west Of tn
river more than ten times the value of the Ian,
granted in aid Of the road The same Won
be the result in regard 10 the east and west lin
through the State of .iissouri, and also in r
gard to the Arkansas road, and presume gel
orally in regard to the other bills which hay
been referred to by the senator from Virginia.
These bills, however, are not now under co,
sideration. 1t will be time enough to Juda
of them when they come up for action i,
sides, sir, more than one half of your transpo
tatlon: on account of your army and the indian
Is aiming to 60 to that Indian territory west
Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. These rnae
run through the very section of country ov.
which your supplies and munitions must
transported. The government, therefore, has
peculiar interest in the construction of thes
roads
But the senator from Virginia has told US tha
the question would stand in different postin
in his view, if we were to be confined to th
lands which lie on The line of the road WHY
sir, this is the very proposition of the bill Th
grant is confined to the line of the road.
asks for alternate sections Of the width of 81
miles on either side, with stipulation that yo,
shall not go beyond fifteen miles in the even
that any of the land has been sold in the sec
tions to which you would be entitled by the bill
| ask, then, if the construction Of a railroad i,
country distant from market does not enhanc
the value of all land within fifteen or even thr
ty mies' Are not the beneficial influences ftl
to the extent of even fifty miles? If, then, W,
select the land no further than the benefits ex
tend on each side otthe road, the principle applies
with its full force. We might extend this lmi
from fifteen to fifty miles.a then find ourselves
clearly within the circle of the beneficial Unfit
ences resulting from the road in enhancing tn,
value of the remaining lands. But we wishee
not to go into extreme cases. We wished t.
coufne ourselves to the principle that the Uni
ted States is in fact receiving more benefit from
the granting of the lands than they are likely
to lose by the grant, and that the public domain
as common fund, will thus be enhanced rath
er than diminished, IN value by reason of the
grant.
In reference to the remark of my friend from
Virginia in regard to the great number Of bills
proposing similar grants, | have only to make
the same answer which Mr. Calhoun once
made on this floor to the same objection He
then said that, the principle being right, and il
being the true policy of the government to
make grants in aid of the construction of rail.
roads through the public lands, the longer the
road the greater the bene fit to the government
and hence the objection was an argument in ia
vnr Of the grant
Now. sir, if the principle is right-if the line
OF the road conforms to the wants and interests
OF The government and the connry-ifthe gov-
is to derive more advantage than iniu-
~ by aiding in its construction-the fact tha,
the State is also to be greatly benefited is M
against the passage Of the bll. But.
as have already remarked, we will Judge Of
the bills for other States, when those bills come
up tor consideration. 81 far as have exam
med them, think the Committee on Public
Lands have exercised wise discretion in pre-
par'ng and reporting them. have not exam
med them all but so far as | have been able
to investigate the subject they have exercised a
sound discretion both with regard TO the lines
themselves and he benefit to be derived by the
government Of the U. States
But the whole d fficulty in the way of these
bills is This: While We have not the SLIGHTEST
trouble IN demonstrating that the goycrn;ncn,
# the United States is to be the gamer by
hese grants, still it is said that the a,es also
ire 10 be gamers. Genllr men do not seem to
De able To comprehend bow il is that two partie.
can make contract by which both parties will
be benefited Why, sir, it is only upon that
principle that the world is benefited by the ex-
change OF different productions The whole
system of exchanges and Of commerce is pre-
iicaled upon the principle that the EXCHANGE
IS benehcial t. both parties. If one party must
necessarily be cheated while the other is bene
fted, it would do away with all trade and COM
merce at once. 1t is true that while these
grants are beneficial to the United States by
enhancing the public domain and bringing a
arger amount of money INTO the treasury, they
10 at the same time immensely benefit th+
states to which they are made. Is it any OBJ
ectton that while the general government pro-
notes Its interest, it thereby c"nfers peculiar
1enehts upon the new States. We do receive
advantages, peculiar advantages, Which, the
balance OF the Union do not participate in to
he same extent. But is that a valid ground
u objection The same objection would anply
o the mill ons expended at Norfolk and Old
Point Comfort, to all large public works, to the
navy yards and Notifications throughout the
country, wherever the public money is expend-
"a tor public uses. These Notifications and
navy yards are constructed for the pnbIic bcne.
IT. YET the immediate l. calites of these vast
WORKS ana expenditures derive a peculiar brne-
lt wh'ch IS not common to the other portions OF!
he country. Is it any argument against the
establishment OF navy yard that it coniers a
oca benefit in addition to the public interests
which were the objects of its establishment?-
lhe same argument may be urged against all
and public buildings which
been erected for national purposes in diff
rent parts OF the country, and even gains, the
"catl"n OF the capital of the Union here
W ould IT sound argument for the remote
ma border States to say that because the ma
l"nal capital is located upon the banks Of the
Fot"Inac. where millions of money are annually
spent and sGuandered, and because the people
III around are receiving peculiar advantages
winch do not extend TO the Pacific, or even t j,
he Valley of the M ssissppi, n ,r to the erea,
axes or the st. Lawrence, therefore the capi
al must be removed for no other reason than
nat It's location necessarily contcrs local aud
'rcuiiar advantages upon few in its imnlcdi-
I,e vicinity winch cannot be participated IN bv
II portions of the Union? Or will you pull
lown your pubic buildings and destroy all the
'ubllc works which have been erected for rreai
"'N uP'ii tiV SdHl' icSPll!lW principle
I is impossible to instruct public works Tor
purely national objects with ut producing loca!
benefits.
So it is with those grants of land 10 behalf
If railroads. The national pecuui1ry benefit
esul's from the SPEEDY sale OF these lands at IA
,rice winch could not otherwise be obtained =
The States receiving the grants no, only partic-
pate equally IN this national advantage with
heir sister States, but in add,to derive ne
euliar and special benefit as consideration ,,r
ma king the roads whic. produce all the advan
,agrs, both natinnal and local 1t is on this
principle that the friends Of this pclicy inslfy
md defend it. We are firmly convinced ,ha,
t there were no local benefits resulting fron, the
passage ct these bills, if their merits depend
solely upon the fact 'hlt they enhanced the
value of the public domain aud increased the
revenues, we would have no difficulty in de-
Tending them.
feel at liberty to speak mere freely on this
subject now, for the reason that nv State has
10 l"ngrr any peculiar or special interest in this
system. Illinois has been well served she
lsks no more. If you make any more grants
20 Illinois Tor raIlrocds, you will do it on the
application oil delegations from other States,
'or the purpose of csnneciing the great lines of
roads to the cast and the west of us, aud not
as special favor t. Illinois. CHM, there