The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-03-30
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No e Sd


are encountered now by Tie POST.
master General in making contracts
for CARRYING the mails over the fail
roads of the country. There Is
scarcely a railroad company lii the
United States that does hot avail sit.
self OF the opportunity presented, to
extort from the Government larger
compensation for the Transportation
OF the mails than it is justly entitled
to. But by this bill yod reserve to
yourselves the right to say at sWhas
price the mails shall be carried. Thae
is one great point gained. Tie dis.
tance from st. Joseph to Hannibal
IS about two hundred miles, and the
cost of transporting q heavy mail, be.
tween those two places would be
$500 per mile. There would be
$4,000 paid ont by the Government
icr the transportation. of the mails
over that road for one single year.
That is more than tits worth; and
Congress by adopting this policy can
apply corrective, and vote to these
railroad companies a fair compehsa.
ton. But there is another adyan.
tage to the Government in this bill,
which was not included in8the Mis-.
sissippi bill or in the first Illinois bill,
1t is this: the bill provides that the
troops of the United States shalltbe
transported over these roads through.
out all time without charge; and also
that munitions of war, and property
of the United States Of every describ.
ton, shall be transported free Of
charge. \ atss'i, s.5 J! .'I.'s ~
Now look, at this Missouri road.
1t points n'the very direction which
you are compelled to go in travelling
to Utah, New Mexico, Oregon; and
California. And again let me ask
gentlemen, how long are you to have
an. Indian frontier between those re.
mote States and Territories on. the
Pacific and the western borderSof
Missouri ? ItaMill be, perha ii.
lllnildrdel ise rcd Nj III
the forest is exterminaied and {itiiE
ing the whole of that time it Will BE
necessary for the Government 70
keep up troops and stations upon tbs
frontier to guard against the incur
slons which these Indians may aysmake.
Now take the transportation ofishe
mails and public property over these
roads for fifty years time, and I ven
ture the assertion that it will pay you
an interest of thirty per cent. upon
every dollars worth of land that YOU
donate to these companies-perhaps
an interest of fifty per. cent. upon
every dollar. sFff 4
Here let me say, that all the bills
the Committee on Public Lands have
determined to report to this House
are bills Of a national character--are
bills. which, if passed, will be of inEn.
ite service to this Government in time
Of peace, in the transportation. Of
troops and munitions of war. e,g. d..
Well, sir, there is another clause
N this bill which was in none Of the
bills previously passed, and tits one
which should commend itself to the
favorable consideration of sall the
members of this House. tt is this:
the donation is made, not to. the com.
panics, but to the State, upon condi-
ton the State shall faithfully appro,
pirate the fund for the benefit Of tho
particular companies. But the cues.
ton may be started,s how are YOU I'd
guard against an abuse on the part
Of the State? 1t may be asked,
what if the State sells these lands and
| pockets the money Well, VIC guard
against that offectually. We provide
in this bill that when the road has
been surveyed, and the certificate
forwarded to the Secretary of the
Interior, tho Secretary Of the Tnteri-
or shall order that twenty miles Of
the road may be sold, and when that !,
twenty miles has been sold, no other
land olong the route Of the road shall
be brought into market, or be subject
to sale, until the Secretary Of the
Interior has certificate from tho
Governor Of tho State to which the
donation is made, that twenty miles
of that Identical road have been com.
plctod. When the ccrd6cate is re.
ceiycd, then the Secretary Of the In.
terror will discct that another twenty
miles may be sold, and SO on until
the whole work is constructed. So
that tho only fraud---if the State
was disposed to practice fraud, andI
hardly suppose that any State Of
this Union would do it--that could
be practiced, could not extend TO q
greater amount than one hundred
aud twenty sections. ofland, II
This bill does not, as somo Of tho
bills formerly did, establish tho rela,