The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-03-03

refer 10 Iowa out OF any unkindness 10 her. but /
am only illustrating the principle by reference 10 that
State as the bill before US proposes grant 10 her.
look al the great whole am opposed TO this principle
OF exhaustng the public treasure oil the county, whether
Il 10 IN land or money ior local o. SECTIONAL ooeG.s
after day. calling for these public lands by mere petitions
whether they have any incorporation or not-wheiher
the legislature has asked for the appropriation or
not and strange TO tell, often have we appropriated
millions OF without legislative resolve, or
an act passed asking for such appropriation put sem
ator will rise IN this house. and, guided py ms own I'M
agnaion, viii ask for portion OF these Landslide can
tell for what purpose-and the appropriation made
| | do not now refer to Iowa.
refer here the amount given TO Illinois but laeiy and
sorry TO observe that the colleague OF my friend there
Mr. DouGLAsl is not in his seat But SIR beg now 10
present this part OF the subject You recoect, srand
many others OF the senators who also here when
the Illinois railroad bill was passed will recoect-hai
stated TO be 400 miles ong-rom Chicago 10 CARO-
in other words, from the furhest northern boundary OF
/ Illinois down 10 lis utmost southern limit The lands
were appropriated sections, five or ten miles
deepo uid this great railroad opposed then upon
principle. proclaimed lis Djustice but was not aided
and sustained by my friends from the old States
that the rights OF the old States would be tramped
upon by such grants 10 railroads yet In embryo But II
turned out that the road be 900 miles length and
1900 900 Of were granted will show presently
how il is to be made road TO the White House Tor the
senator who obtained the grant, and thai ne is travelling
| there m
n Mr. DAWSON Yes sir but do no, wish to pay for
his platform Laughter - ,uh,,
have in view. have got the statement before me show
ing the lands granted under the Illinois bill and call
upon senators and upon the country look at iook il
in the face and whether pass these bills and
Justice TO all parts OF this great confedeacy Here II 49,
The length OF the road from Chicago wish to be cor.
eced if any senator upon this floor desires TO say that
wrongbut that road which was not surveyed not To-
Gated except in the imagination OF senator's and about
s roa n 81
four hundred miles, turns out TO be SIX hundred and
ninety miles in length.
branches.
4, Mr.. DAWSON There are two hundred and ninety
miles that we knew nothing about when we appropriated
these lands TO build this road And although you will
not dollar to build lighthouse, or for forthca
ton, any other improvement in the old States, unless
surveys have been made and estimates presented yet you
will suffer the senators from the northwestern States to
come here and take in millions than you will grant
to the other States in thousands; and at the same time
you call this correct legislation and charge those VINO op
pose and make these presentations OF facts to the conn
try with liberaly and injustice, Instead OF granting
lands for railroad four hundred miles in length we
were granting lands railroad six hundred and ninety
miles long, and we did not know IT,
But let us go little further. The lands granted under
this and taken up by Illinois wee-how many acres
VIII the senators inform me 27oo,ooo acres OF land
My friend the senator from Illinois, INF SHIELDS
knows to be So do not blame the senator's from that
State for it, They only came and presented the claim
they made no Misrepresentation about IL they were
asked for information on the subJect they sad II
you are willing let il pass" and il did pass and Will
show YOU how It has been carried out and who received
the benefits from it,
/ Mr.. SHIELDS, win the honorable gentleman allow
me to ask upon what basis his calculation is made!
Mr. DAWSON It'll based upon information gwen by
your colleague
MIR SHIELDS The distance was called four hundred
miles think is not quite four hundred; but find that
the gentleman has included in his statement the branch
to Gaena. and The other branches
} MIR DAWSON. The branches are all taken INTO the
same survey, making in all 600 miles. II is mmaterla
about that whether is firing direct hrIng-t is
/ quite sufficient 10 show that the lands gone The
mel q he
not involve any principle have never said that you
acted wrongly il bad been one OF your constituents
should promptly have approved OF your course There
is $50 miles in length making 100000 of land
Now, sir what do you suppose, what does The Senate
suppose what does The country suppose has become Of
this 900 OF land which said 10 be some of
the finest lands in Illinois, and all the land is first rate IN
! that counlry' II is most beautiful country. was
reading remarks upon it only the other day BY
gentleman who says sit is the finest portion of the
globehe finest country upon which civilized man ever
seltled-promsing, heahful, and fertile" There are
OF the best land on the face OF this coun-
try gone And where has it gone TO!
Why, sir, has been but little than year since
we passed thus oi sghonzng the aPpoIrla4Sh o. this
the money and the land Illinois, through her legisa
ture passed act authorizing an agent to dispose OF
these public lands companies who woad construct
these railroads A company formed in Boston and New
York Through their agent, MIR, RANTouL, who made
speech this subject recently in the other House
which astonshed me, when read H. coming as II did
from representative OF of the old Saies) obtained
these lands and undertook build these roads and have
them completed Tour years IRON hls date-lln0ls
being entitled a further compensation, 10 per cent.
OF the proceeds OF these railroads. There is, sir
These 900 of land in the hands OF a
company formed in Boston and New York, who IN their
corporate character the sole and exclusive owners OF
these lands
Mr. SHIELDS. MIR. President there should be more
explanation about this, and will take occasion to state
lest there should be msappehension the subec-hat
this company only gets control OF the lands as fast as they
make the road. They not the actual and absolute
owners they only get the proceeds OF the land in pro-
portion TO the progress OF the roadand the lands are 10
return TO the State if they fail.
Mr. DAWSON. That is exactly So they get their
payments by instruments, instead OF all at once. And
what contractor ever did pay man millions OF dollars
for labor when only part of the labor executed
Now sir this act OF the title contngenty
condionay ia the contractors, and they finish the
road from point point the title absolutely vests in them
But let carry out this estimate by which these roads
can be built They be built IN that country al cost
notexceedng $40, 200 mile, including making excava-
ons embankmens. and laying down the iron, and Tor
furnishing the road with all the engines and upon it,
1t this company, then, for hundred and ninety
miles of road S6,900,oo0. And what is now the esti
mated value OF that land by the corpoators themselves
and the gentlemen from Illinois, who passed this act by
their legislaure II is OF the finest land, says
worth at least ten dollars There 100 900
OF land, worth ten dollars acre, gone into the
hands OF this company TO build railroad which will
cost them So 900 900, and the land will average TO them
$4,000 900 The balance goes into the hands OF this
corporation by legislation here, when il might have
been received by the United States, and the work
could have been done, while the profit would have gone
into treasury And yet you call this honest legisla-
uonjust 10 every section OF the country why, SIR u