The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1852-04-08

ioWeu 10 go distance OF hfteen miles
for the putpose of making up this quota.
Well, that feature, am free to acknow.
ledge, did not meet my appreciation fully,
but | hsHe waived the objection. The
Government is amply compensated by al
lowing this extension from six to fifteen
miles. In the first l'lace, it is provided
that the mails shall be carried over these
roads, not at such prices as the Company
and the Government shall agree upon,
but at such prices as Congress may fix
leaving it absolutely under the control of
Congress. suppose every gentleman on
this foo, familiar with the operations of
the Post Office Department, knows the
difficulties that are encountered now by
the Postmaster General in making con-
tracts for carrying the mails over the rail-
roads Of the country. There is scarcely
railroad company in the United States,
that does not avail itself of the opportuni-
ty presented, to extort from the govern.
ment larger compensation than it is just
ly entitled to. But by this bill you re-
serve to yourselves the right to say ut
what price the mails shall be carried
That is one great point gained. The dis
tancc from st. Joseph to Hannibal is a.
bout two hundred miles, and the cost Of
transporting a heavy mail, being within
the first class, over a railroad between
those places would he three hundred
dollars per miles. There would be sixty
thousand dollars paid out by the Govern
ment for the transportion Of the mails over
that road for one single year. That is
more than it is worth; and Congress bv
adopting this policy can apply correct
i've, and vote to these railroad companies
"a fair compensation. But there is anoth-
er advantage to the Government in this
bill, which was not included in the Misss-
sippi bill or in the first Illinois bill. 1t is
this, the bill provides that the troops Of
the Uuited States shall be transported over
these roads throughout all time without
charge and also that munitions Of war,
and property Of the United States Of every
description, shall be transported free of
charge.
Now look at this Missouri road. 1t
points in the very direction when you are
chmpeiieI! :" 60 Ill ,.."Veling to Utah, New
Mexico, Oregon, and California. And
again let me ask, gentlemen, how long
are you to have an Indian frontier between
those remote States and Territories on the
Pacific and the western border Of Missouri!
II will be, perhaps, hundred years before
the red man of the forest il estcnninated,
and during the whole of the time il will
be necessary for the Government to keep
mp troops and stations upon the frontier to
guard against the incursions which these
Indian NAV make.
Now take the transportation of the
mails and public property over these roads
for fifty years time, and venture the
assertion that it will pay you an interest
of thirty per cent. upon every dollars
worth Of land that you donate to these
companics-perhaps an interst Of fifty per
cent. upon every dollar.
Here lie, me say, that all the bills that
the Committee on public Lands have
determined to rep 'rt to this House arc
bills Of national character-are bills
which, If passed, will I've Of infinite serv-
ice to this Government in time Of peace, in
the transportation Of the mails and public
property, and in time Of war in the trans
portation Of troops and munitions of
war;
Well, sir, there is another clause in
this bill which was in none Of the bills
previously passed, and it is one which
shnuld commend itself to the favorable
consideration Of all the members Of this
House. 1t is this the donation is made,
not to the companies, but to the State,
upon condition that the State shall faith
fully appropriate the fund for tie partic-
ular companies. But the question may
be stated, how are you to guard against
an abuse on the part Of the State II
may be asked, what if the State sells
these lands and pockets the money! Well
we guard against that "a cc:"sliy. We
provide in this bill that when the road has
been surveyed, and the certificate forwar-
ded to the Secretary Of the Interior, he
Secretary Of the Interior shall order that
twenty miles OF the road may be sold,
and when that twenty miles has been
sold, no other land along the route Of
the road shall be brought into market,or
be subject to sale, until the Secretary
Of the Interior has certificate from
the Governor the State to which the
donation is made, that twenty miles Of |
that identical road have been completed. |
When the certificate is received then the |
Secretary Of the Interior will direct that
another twenty miles may be sold, and |
so on until the whole work is constructed.
SO that the only fraud--if the State was
disposed TO practice fraud, aud I hardly
suppose that any State Of this Union
would do it-that could be practiced could
not extend to a greater amount than
one hundred and twenty sections Of
land.
This bill does not, as some Of the bills
formerly did, establish the relation of
debtor and creditor between the state AID
this Government In the bills passed
come years ago, it was provided that if
the State sold the lands and did not con.
struct the road, it should refund tn the
II sal