The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-02-11
AEAaTIc
Senate
Debate on the nnal Passage OF the BIZ
60. ascn nj Of I. ands to IOHYa for Railr O0als

he whole, TO consider the bill IS y granting !.
he right Of way and making grant OF lana ;.
o the State of Iowa in AID of the construction :,
,tc,c rtain railroads in said State; which was
cad through.
The PRESIDENT stated the question TO De =
upon substitute reported from the committee !,
N Public Lands,
MIR. HUNTER should like To know from
the Senator who reported this b II how much !
land it is proposed 20 appropriate under it.
Mr. DODGE, of iowa. MIR. President,
reported this bill, and Will answer the Senator
from Virginia, Mr.. Hunter that, according TO
an estimate received from the General Ian"
Office two years since, when this bill Passeu 'iio
Senate, it would grant to the State al iowa
about SOC, 900 acres OF land Tor the constrac-
,n.n Of ia lroads II Is several hundred thoas-
and acres les than was granted To tue o'at'
ot Illinois for her pr!acipa roud aid ITS branch
The Committee on Public Lands have be-
slowed much time and consideration upon inns
bill, for the reason that the wished t. make IL
the model hll If the scssinn. 1t was revised
and amended in many particulars, to SUIT the
views of the senator from Kentucky. Mr., on
derw ood,l who usually examines with care
whatever is committed To his charge. In al
lis essential provisions it conforms to those %
the Illinois bill which passed two years ago
and Will add that all the other bills repotteo
from the COMMITTEE on Pablo Lands d, '"'S
! ses sion fr railroads have been made 10 cohiotn'
IN This one In its pres ut shape it received me
] unanimous sanction of the Committee on fuoic
| Lands. #sa
will remark for the benefit of my esteemed
friend from Virginia, mir. Hun;erl-as know
he SITS heavily upon the monty chest OF THIS
| ,,,Ye,pment, aud dislikes almost equally as
much 10 part with his acres az his do!lars-that
he will not lose a great deal BY the grant which
his bill makes To my State. There is contain
ed in this bill that oner us and outrageous
Il clause that we all from the new States have had
to submit to, to wit; the two-and-a halt-dti!ar
clause for the remaining or government sec
tons If land, and when you give us grant OF
500 eco or $40, 900 acres ct land to aid US IN
the construction of our railroads, you impose
| Flax upon our people by requiring them to pay
4 two dollars and a half per mere For the lands
which the government has remaining on the
lines Of the roads, instead of one dollar AND q
quarter, as it now is. We are really asking
grant Of but Little, and hope the Senate WI
pass i, without any special opposition from my
4 trend from Virginia, mir Hunter
= MIR. HUNTER | do not think we shoult
/ tnx the constituents Of my friend from Iowa
mir. Dodge i and it such is TO be the opera
i,un of this bill, think it is an additional rca
son for laying this matter over until we can ex
anime il a little further. There seems to be
great many applications for grants OF land L
aid in the construction Of railroads, and before
long we shall have probably granted away II
detail all that portion Of the public lands iron
which We are likely to derive revenue Now,
Y bt lieve, If this thing is to be done, 1t had bette
come up as system, and we could then Sc
!, what we are doing. hope the senator Will III
sent to postpone this bill until some future day
Us that we may have more time to look into i. :
trU.. g
t should examine it well bt fore we make 1t.
/. Mr.. JONES, of iowa. l most sncerel
hope the Senate viii not pos'p ne this bill, NJ
% President bnt that we will pass it to-day, al
nd b fore the Senate shall adjourn. This bill
nj preeiselg similar in all its provisions to Tn
:. which was passed in September last for 1t
States of Illinois, Mississippi, and Aiabama-
y for what is called the Central ralroad-and
the SAINT. III which introduced at the sessif
K. of ls4S-'4o, and which passed through til
=, body With Ut opposition, the principles involve
=" IN it having bs en thoroughly discussed whe
'u' The Chicago and NJ ble railroad bill, to whi'
n / have referred, was passed.
nd The bill makes provision tor the right OF W;
and grant III land for the contemplated ra
!i roads IN Iowa which are 20 run from Dubuque
Ia on the Mississippi river, (the northwestern te
H.. minus OF the Central railroad to the city
:. Keokuk, and Fir, IN Davenport, the terminus
the Rock Island and Chicago railroad, to {
p near the Council Bluffs, on the Missouri rive
II on the most direct, economical, and leash
nd route for Il railroad to California and O,egn
for the construction Of which there appears
ofs be but one opinion in the minds OF the people
nd the whole North and Northcaa tern States OF I
Ia. United Safes.
H.. The iitic If the bill is wrong, as it indica'
:: a grant of tund; when in :ac' there IS no gfa
III 1t all, unless it be the 100 feet on each side
las the railroad 1t makes M grant or gratulty
rrv tie STATE since the alternate sections resefv
by the United States are doubled IN price, a
bee me, therefore, heavy burden or tax up
ca the sct,l.rs along the line OF these roads -
ok as these reserved sections cannot be entered I
~ on by the spectators who deal in bounty la
warrants, the general government is Certain
n' greatly the gamer N the passage OF this bill,
ma IN maxim these quasi grants, as hey Will
CO. ceiye fer the Whole tract, including the gra
ho 81 25 per acre. instead of from 90 70. % ce
mr acre. which is the ma mum cast of The Ia
"o. Ia tho sc who locate bounty land warrants Up
18th them And, sir, the lands for many miles
Inv either side OF these railroads will not only
20 enhanced in value, as has been demonstrated
I'VE been the case in the grants, as they
IN termed t. Illinois, but the land for thirty, tol
zee and even fifty m.l,s, on each side, Will be,
re- consequence CT the proposed construc i
:, # these reads, brought into market a
sold many years before they otherwise wo,
IA be.
TIA Ii the passage of these bills granting Ian
10 The Safes, Tor aid in The construction OF the
railroads, be deferred, the lands al.ng The In
- Of III. roads viii be covered by the holders
"at military bouniy-land warrants, ana therety p
YES ventng Their sale at the 81 % I;r 2ccse for
ubt VIII lie .fthem, including those syfi to b era
ed 10 the State.
~. :. ~ L
''h ony be Of ia.lsfise benefit to the pioneers "
ing have settled Il, The country throu. Ii which til
are to pass, bait, tie Who'll, country, in
~s}1asssincrsase of the mnerce and trade
tive Ell the States-Nprth and South, East 4
ms w, s.-as well as TO the nations OF the OIL
lay hemisphere, 10 which these roads, and 9th
~. that will sos n follow Them, are to Lead. A
=, not only vii! they beneti: US in commerc
~ p int OF view, aud in cpenng the way to
up sale IT millions Of acres of land to the west
them. now inhabt b, Indian nations, but t.,
:, must become of ncalculable importance VIII
another war shall be waged against our comm
"e county.
Of This bill having been upon the desk Of Il
lis honorable friend from Virginia { Mr.. Hunter
- ti1r The last two years, and having followed hi
: in the prin'ed. public documents Of The Sena
Is t, his home in the Old Doniion, think
ought not t, ask for its further postponemer
he but pernt it now to be acted upon, even if
cannot haze his sanction-the which | vel
" mGch regret
NJ. ArCHlSON. wish to say 4 &c
a. words in r, laton to this mn ter There is a
eel other very ouerous provision attached 10 IL
bill besides he one mentioned ly the senat
~ iroia Iowa, [Mr. Dndge.l Tie govcrnmcl
ng as he says aud has shown, grants nothing,
mates II thing, gives nothing. Yet this b
~ psov:les-and believe it is ,,,d bil-t
upoa these IA lfoads t,e soyernlis ut stoies a
I'VE to ps sllill be tran ported free OF charge.
at Tina. provision, if adopted, Will be pecu.al
he oEerous upon the roads # the states OF Nilsson
H.. aad Iowa, from the Mississippi river 10 he II
souri river, aud across the Statc II Iowa +
I'' haps one-third of the government stores
MS New NJ, xco ana Calf, rna VIII be transport
ov. r tins very road reerr, 10 in this bill a
tn Missouri rord inclusivey. Now | inc
az 10 test the sonse Of the Senat. upon this qu,
~ ton, aud shall move to strike out tina.
'N dn not consider that this b.li grants VI
great favor. IL IS uot!,a, more, so tar as
or pecunlary consideration is involved, thai