The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-05-05

IL. rfr M Ke, tuck, rMr. Unds " .od
,.W.rds, indc-a. would h- things. were that
to be adopted; aud Interpretation, ask you, Is
I" attach !" The language ssrd in the net for orr
admission. when it says that We are admitted
wi h the same rights of sorereignfy, JfccdoTa,
a nj inaeprndsncs, as th- ether States. Sir, IL
tn- n.- States. on coming into the Union, have
The same rights of sovereignty es the "other
States have, where do you find vour power to
give all The land in Iowa to those Stairs whose
gal she Is declared to be- Old States, s~erse
As NIL Of them arr, 10 losing their population,
might hold up their lands in a new State at a
nr'ce 40 nigh AZ TO fore yer prevent the State
from becoming settled
Mr.. President, in the elaborate speech which
h" senator from Kentucky made on IN reducing
his proposition, he mentioned, in pointed terms,
and more than once, the swamp lands which
were crd,d to tho States in which they are
situatcd, at the long session of 1880, as
'n"iher at the many acts of bounteous gcner-
'sty I" the new States II WINS in VAN that the
senator from Arkansas mir Berlandl endeavor.
I'd to represent that, however desirabe ii was
hat the States should have those lands for the
purpose OF 'recaimng them, in their presen'
condition they W. re of no very great value to
the United a'es. The senator from X entucky
'hlnss otherwise, and seems deeply to lamcn,
that The e deral government had not retained
| them, and entered on the work Of rcclaiming
thet,,'ltself, And here, Mr. President, allow
me To do an act of justice to the senator from
Arkansas, Nlr. Borland Its to say that. IN
| IN. opinion, the new, S atcs are indebted to
HIM more than to any nther man for the indus
! try and talent with which he undertook this
matter aud pressed it TO successful con.umma-
ton. For more than quarter Of a century i,
had occupied the attention If The members from
| Missouri and Arkansas-men indefalirable,
untiring, and If no ordinary ability who
sought in every way possible to invoke some
action on the part Of this government, having
for it's beet the reclamation of these lands but
/, TO no purpose.
That the topography and photography Of
these swamp lands may be better understood,
and the value Of the gift more correctly appre-
cia,ed, will trouble the Senate with an extrac,
| Of letter from late senator from Missouri
| Or. Linn-written in 1884, and addressed Ia
to senator from Massachusetts, now in his seat
! MIR Davis then chairman of the Committee
N Commerce, descriptive Of that region OF
country, but for which no swamp land bill would
have ever been asked or passed.
| DR.. Linn writes as FLOWS:
"From the town of Cape Girardeau Tn
Helena, below the mouth of the ST. Francis, is
a distance OF several hundred miles, and from
the banks of the Mississippi to the high grounds
IN Missouri and Arkansas will average sixty OF
seventy m.s. The greater part of this area
with the exception of a narrow belt stretching
along the border ofthe Mississippi,is covered by
an Immense mnrass, inundated by the overflow
! ing of the Father of Waters, or submerged
| by use Nushing torrents from the neyhborlng,
\ 1, H. a. e - A.
These streams. haviBg their origin In elevated
regions, when flushed by heavy rains or dissolv.
Tag SHOWS, fall into this great basin with ire
mendous f'rce, and, either from distractions
which actually exist, like the RATS on Red river,
or from not having sufficient descent to carry
Oft the rapidly accumulating waters, spread over
the country, giving it the appearance of vast
| lake, over which magnificent forests Of cypress
aud other gigantic trees wave their branches in
| gloomy solitude.
| In the midst of this W ldcrnass, islands OF
rock and elevated portions of land appear, OF
various dimension like oasrs in desert, and
denominated by the French scotc sans dessein,
or hills without design. How came these lost
hills in This position? The most reasonable
answer that suggests itself tn that question, in
nay opinion, is, that the far greater portion oil
this gloomy region annually covered by water
4
thick cane brakes, closely interviewer by many
| plants of the convolvulus order, was once ,gl
ground, bu during some CONFUSION of nature
sunk to its present general level, leaving snots
| unaff' cited. to tower in grandeur over the sur.
ronno ing scene of desnla,ion. At the same
time the St. Francis, forced from it's bed or
ancient channel, was compelled to seek its de
vious way to the Mississippi through lakes,
Iagoons, and Shiny quagmires Nor is this opin-
ion altogether unsupported by facts, or based
on mere conjecture. The mem .rable earth
quakes of December, 1911, after shaking The
Wiley of the Mississippi to its centre, vibra,td
along the courses OF the rivers and valleys, and
passing the primitive mountain barriers, died
away along the shores of the A lantc ocean -
| In the region now under cons:d ration during
the continuance OF SO appalling phenom non,
which commenced by distant rumbing sounds,
succeeded by discharges as ifa thousand pieces
of artillery were suddenly exploded, the earth
rocked to aud fro, vast chasnis opened, from
whence issued Columns of water, sand. and coal,
accompanied by Kissing sounds caused perhaps
| by the escape of pent-up steam, whilst ever
| and anon Pushes of electricity cleaned through
the troubled clouds of night, rendering the
darkness diubly horrible. The current Of the
Mississippi, pending this elemental strife, was
driven back upon its source, with the grestest
veliciy, for several hours, in consequence of an
elevation OF its bed But this noble riv, r was
| not thus to be stayed in its course, Its accu-
mulated waters came booming on, and, over or.
ping the barrier thus suddenly raised, carried
everything before them with resislc>s D. wpr
Boats, then floating on its surface, shot down
the declivty like an riw from bow, amid
roaring pillows, and the widest commo.ion A
few days nction OF its powerful current sufficed
e. wear away every vesti5e Of the barrier thus
strangely in crposed, ard its waters NOV
ed on their wonted channel to the ocean
The day that succeeded this night of terror
brought no solace in its dawn. Snock followed
shock: dense black cloud Of vapor overshad-
owed the land, through which sunbeam
found its way t. cheer the despond M heart Of
man, who, in silent communion with himself,
was compelled to acknowledge his weakness
and dependence on the everlasting God. The
appearances that presented themselves after the
subsidence Of the principal commo,ion were
such as strongly support an opinion heretofore
advanced. Hills had disappeared and lakes
were found in their tead, and numerous lakes
become eeyated ground, over the surface OF
which vast heaps oi sand were scattered in
every objection, whilst in many places the earth
for miles was sunk below the general level of
the surrounding country, without being covered
with water, leaving an impression IN miniature
of a catastrophy much more important in its IF
fcets, ,raieh had, perhaps preceded 1t ages before
One of the lakes formed on this occasion 10
sixty seventy miles in length, aud from three
to twenty in breadth. 1t is in some places very
shallow, in others from fifty TO one hundred feet
deep; which is much more than the depth of
the Mississippi river in that quarter In sail
ing over its surface in the light canoe, the voy-
ager is struck with as.onishment at beholding
the giant trees of the forest standing partially
exposed amid a waste of waters, branchless
and leat1ess. But the wonder is still further
increased on casting the eye through the dark.
blue profound, to observe cane brakers cover
ing It's bottom, over which a mamoth species of
testudo is occasionally seen dragging IFS slow
length along, whilst countless myrads Of fish
are sporting through the acquatic thickest."
That, Mr.. President, is truthful description
ofthe country for whose recovery from its pres
cnt depnrable situation the senators and repre-
sentatixes from Missouri and A kansas had r
thirty years mplored the interposition of the
federal government, but without success. The
4. II 49,