The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-02-25


as understand IT, The limitation, then, is TO be found
in the conditions OF cession
Mr.. BELL. The power given in the constitution is
simply TO make all needful rules and regulations in dis
posing OF the public lands But the honorable main
tains that all these plans unconstitutional upon the
ground that there were preceding contracts. ordinances,
or obligations entered into by The old federal Congress
when these lands ceded do not understand that
he means to assert that these ordinances and contracts
extended 10 the cesson OF Louisiana made by France,
and TO the cession since made by Spain.
| MIR. FELCH. They do not
! Mr.. BELL. They extend. then, only TO the cessions
made in the northwest by Virginia, New York. and Con-
necticut
Mr.. FELCH The conditions TO which referred are
those which are found in the cessions OF the original
thirteen States. The senator will recollect that several
Virginia, and North Carolina In regard 10 the cessons
made by France and Span there is no special condition
Mr.. BELL inferred much, and took il fol granted
that it was The cessons BY the other ctatesfen-
| nessee and Georgia--contained conditions also.
Mr.. FELCH Those contained conditions as to the
manner in which the lands TO be appropriated, viz
for the common benefit Of all the States, well those ad
mitted after as the original thirteen.
Mr.. BELL. alluded to the ordinance OF 17s0, to
which all the cessons made by the States conormed
should be for the benefit of all the States The
conditions OF those cessons of applied only to the
territory lying east OF the Mississippi and do not touch
the territory or the pnbc domain in Iowa, Missouri, and
Arkansas
The senator then says have no power to make these
grants to any OF the old States by reason OF the prior OBJ
for the common benefit OF all the States. think he is
pressing this argument little too far when he employs 1t
in defence of this bill of the entire batch OF bills re-
ported at this session because if il is condition OF these
cessons Of the public lands obligatory upon u.s. that they
must be disposed of for the common benefit OF all the
e b he ina, sn Ss 0l
these large grants for the separate benefit OF the States in
which they le and not to the common benefit OF all the
States II will not do TO say, in answer 10 this, that
railroad in any one State improves the property cond
on commerce, and resources OF all the States That IS
not the meaning of this ordinance OF the conditions OF
the cesslon-acs The lands shall be disposed OF or ap
propated to the common benefit OF all the States When
he undertakes BY this bill to appropriate this large fund
10 the benefit Of PARTICULAR State and not to @ Inc h Gom
has been committed to Congress clearly as he would
by giving these fourteen Millions asked for by the sena-
tor from Kentucky to the old States; and even more
garngly, because the fourteen millions proposed 10 be
granted TO be granted to the old States are no more than
they would be entitled TO under the ordinance OF l7So
and the various of &ession the ground that an
equal or equivalent quantity granted 10 the new
States heretofore But there is no approximation either
TO justice good faith in the management OF this great
trust fund the plan persisted IN OF making large grants
to the States, TO TO their separate beneht II
will do that the ungranted lands will be in
creased in value thereby; for that increased value would
follow upon making the roads, without giving the tolls 10
the States. II is just much violation OF the ordi-
and cesson to give lands in that way, what
ever the pretext may be, as in any other
/ Now, will my friend from Michigan answer me
on one point, because there may TO be gap
il this aEgumsn He says i we I'D! DO no, grant
this session. there will be no increase in the value
Of the public lands lying in Iowa. Missouri. Hi
nois &c. But we say that we are ready to grant them,
and upon plan that will nure to the common benefit OF
all the States of the Union. What does the senator say
10 that Will he agree to III We are ready TO give
portion of them for extension OF the Iowa railroad
We want to extend that road from ewa to the Rocky
mountains and California and that will enhance the value
of all the lands in Iowa-sold and unsold-still more
but the road TO be public and TO be free to the
whole peopeto emgrants 10 travellers, the soldiers OF
the United Sates-and to carry the mails, forever We
want il TO inure strictly as il can be made so,
TO the common benefit of the whole country. We
are ready TO give on a principle you admit to be
sound. We have the power OF giving part 10 enhance M
the value of the remaining lands We consider that
the public lands can be improved in value more IN
this way than in any other. Now will the honorable
senator answer whether what propose would or would
not be n-accordance with the ordinance OF $780, and the
cesson acts, in regard to those east OF the Misss-
spp And when you get beyond the Mississippi how, or
upon what principle II that you undertake 10 say 70 u.s.
"You shall give of land in Iowa, Illinois,
and Missouri TO make loot OF road beyond tne limits OF
those States, though il may improve the public lands IN
those Staesl We admit that but we have local policy
which will not allow you improve your lands by grant
ing part OF them, unless you give them to the States IN
which they ie TO constitute fund for the separate pene
fit of those States, and TO relieve their inhabitants from
taxation forever" call upon the honorable senator TO
state The principle upon which he and the other senator's
from the new States conceive they have night to hold
this language TO the old States. know that am ma
] king a useless appeal 10 the honorable senator
The honorable senator from Michigan did not pretend,
any more than the honorable senator from Illinois, Mr.
i IL
of the new States by reason or authority. They as.
sumed il policy which their States had adopted; and
whether right wrong, just unjust they supported It,
do forget that the honorable senator did urge some
Arguments rather some extraordinary reasons Tor ad
herring this ungenerous policy. propose TO advert TO
a few OF them stated by the honorable senator from
Michigan.
He says these States ought to be dealt with iber
ally and bountifuy by the general government. See
he says, the bardshps and disadvantages under which
they were planted in the wilderness See how they have
extended themselves to the far West See the amount
the vast amounthey have added 10 the productive in
dusry OF the whole country annually They ought to be
dealt by with great beray, he says, on account o the
prvatons and drawbacks under which all this has been
accomplished. Sir let what those disadvantages
we're. The honorable senator from Michigan admitted
that the policy of the general government bad not been
altogether illibera, but eontended that il had not been
liberal enough when the extraordinary claims OF these
new States were considered They had been driving Oh
the Indians and extending the frontier from the western
borders OF the old States until they had reached the Upper
Mississippi and Missouri rivers Let us see what nave
been the ehardships OF their condition. and the Pecua
disadvantages and drawbacks which they have aoored
under when contrasted with the circumstances un-
der which the old States were settled none OF us
are old enough to go back from recolleeuon 10 tne
settlement of the old States, but by recorded history
| and tradition we know something oil the dIfncuiues
and embarrassments they had TO encounter | DO
not refer merely to the old States proper, but TO
those also which we may call the old States
and more particularly Kentucky and Tennessee. How
were they settled As general truth, II may De slated
that the inhabitants of the colonies, or OF the old States
had TO exinguish the Indian title to the lands within
their settlements and 10 subdue and drive out the hostile
tribes at the expense Of their own blood and treasure