The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-02-19

varable grades presented bg the prairIes, !
may lie safely put down as much be, on
the mems nfihe present inhabitants # tn
Slate. They are conscious Of the vital in
2oriance Of the roads TO their future well
being, and enough has iranspired 10 show
their readiness 10 afford all the aid in lhei'
power. Still they are unequal 10 the per
fnrmance Of the undertaking, and hence
ihev fall back upon the Government as ihf
power or pnrlv most interested in thei
prosperity, ard bound by the strongest iic'
10 reuder The needfnl assistance. i is mo-
alledged that any obligation exists on ,hf
Ioari of the Government 10 expend nation
u resources for the advance ment Of laca
objects; it is not coniended that the Gov
lernment may and should tax New York o,
Louisian, 10 enrich Iowa; but il is main
tained that the Government, being deeply
indebted to Iowa, in common with ell othel
States in which the unsold public dpmaiu j.
Gated. ought To do something towards dis
lcharping that Indebtedness without further
delay. The plea that grants OF iaBd my
lister recklessness. or give rise 10 an IN
health, spirit Of speculation. is not available
ii this instance The projects requiring
id we're promulgated long ago; The need
that exists for them. their prucicabiliti
aud their ultimate advantages, have al
pcen discussed; ihev are now admitted
he necessary by every man acquainted
With the State and with The general char
acieri>,ics oi the West; and the grants m,s
therefore he pronounced al once parti !
,ns mcni of = long standing debi. and al
easy method Of creating prosperity il
which the whole country will participate
That the country will share ihe prosper
" resulting from the carr ing "ui Of ihes,
lnae rtakings is fact which effeciu1llt
lisposes oflhe objections urged by the rep
resentaiives If certain of The oder States
who see in the plan nothing more than i
means of defrandng those States Of somt
# their proportion Of The public domain
IS member of the Confederact, each
State has Of course substantial interest in
the unsold domain Of any ether State or
Territory, not such an interest aS ihti q
which Mr. UNDERWOOD. in his amendment.
laws claim. but an interest through ihs'
treasury ofihe Nntioual government. The
snrih Of that inieres, depends apon the ex-
tent Of The sales ef The public lands. and
whatever destroys or limits their sale .,he
value. 10 that extent injires the interest Of
The older STATES. Now il is admitted illa,
/, large par, of Iowa-judging from the
nap, and from what we know OF The caun
,rv, we should say nearly one half-mu>i
tnng remain unsaleab'c. and therefore val
ueiess. if means of trave! and transport b
moi provided hetweeo The Mississippi and
the interior. A dozen or two counties ma,
he p.in,ed out on the mp. which, from
The scarcity Of timber, remoteness from
markets, or other similar causes, are abso-
iutelv worthless, but every one Of which
will be available for settlement SO SOON rs
= trunk line Of railway shall be consiruc'
ed. |, appears TO US, ihen, that the old
States are in reality bound bv regard 1,
their own welfare, commercislv consider
ed, TO cede TO Iowa the lands claimed. B
snrrendering alternate sections, ns propos-
ed, they will bring an immense ierritor,
into The market. and. bv aft riding motives
to settlement, MS well as facilnies for H..
they will give an impulse TO the land sales
infinitely greater than can be produced in
any other manner. As a matter OF prin.
ripie. we submit that 'owa--wheiher re
garded bv itself or the type Of class-is
certified TO the aid for which its Senators
and Representatives plead; as measure
Of expedencv, their plan is we'll entitled 10
the support Of Cngress; and with both
principle aud expediencv to snstain them.
We hope and believe that their effbrts will
he crowned w,rh success.