The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-08-21

this constitution do not say whether il is wise or
nnw one but i seems TO have been constitution
made upon the hghpessuTe principle, going the whole
hgure IN this business OF excluding the Legislature from
al power 10 enter into works OF internal Improvement
We may give the lands TO the State Tor this canal but
me State can organize no body OF men to construct IT,
There can be no body polite 10 which the properly
can be transferred for the purpose OF constructing the
work. Then we are brought down TO the question,
whether the state, itself can take, the land and
make the canal Here again we find the State ham.
pered and manaced completely tied up in every posi-
BILE way with cords running about lis in forty diff
eten directions In the first case we have the decree
which has gone forth, asineversble the laws of the
Medes and Persians that the legislature shall contract
no debt whatever exceeding $4,000, for any purpose
on earth IS true there are certain exceptions to this
which will name. The State shall contract no debt
except 10 make up deficiency in its revenue, and that
debt shall IN no event exceed $4,000 excepting how
ever says another section that the State isnvolved in
war, there is insurection may contract debts FOR
the purpose OF defending ITSELF suppressng the nsur
rscton, and the money thus borrowed shall be applied to
that object and TO that object alone That is going
good way. They seem to pile on the agony. Not con-
tent with saying in general terms that the State shall
contract no debt beyond S5oooo they lake up in detail
50 constituted that they could not trust themselves
Let us see how they manage 1t:
" The credit of the State shall be granted in aid
OF any person. association, or corporation"
In the first place. they cannot corporatons but
II some other State should make corporation TO go there
and build canal within the limits of Michigan, the State
shall NOT ad that person or corporation
Again: AN l".
No scrip certificate or other evidence of State ndeb
edness shall be issued except for the REDEEM pon of stock
pr vously issued for such debts expressly auhor
lied in the constitutional
So that they cannot issue any scrip for this work, in
any shape or form.
The eighth section then says:
The State shall subscribe be interested in
stock Of any company, association, corporation"
II shall grant any scrip; il shall not any
poIaiion. Ii corporation gets it under general law, it
shall not give any credit; II shall not grant any aid
Then the ninth section says:
:" The State shall not be party interested in any
works OF internal improvement, nor engaged in carrying
on any such works"
II would be agreed by all that here is complete end Of
the matter, were not for the fact that the convention
which made this constitution had suspicion that thew
might get some land from the of the United
States to build this canal, and therefore this clause was
inserted except in the expenditure OF grants to the
State OF land or other property" am very sorry they
did put grants by the United States for that was
really what they referred 10. They thought that they
might get land TO build this canal therefore that
exception presented Here find the State Of
Michigan placed IN this condiion-whout the power OF
raising dollar wlthou, the power OF issuing scrip any
shape, without the power OF lending It's credit without
The power OF creating corporations, but simply with the
power of taking what lands may choose to give them
of selling these lands time other, and applying
the avails TO the object that is indicated by the grant,
This the condition OF the State. We TO hand
the 500 900 of public lands, the 100000 acres,
and then know if the public derive the
benefit from that which we expect them TO derive from
10 Illinois would be TO build the railroad; we knew
that its etiect-at least believed-would be only
build the rairoad bur TO enhance the price OF the re-
served sections that the treasury would be lndemni-
fed, as it will be, have no manner OF doubt We eX-
peced 10 get equivalent Tor grant, but how are
get equivalent here for this grant OF land, and
when are 10 get it! can demonstrate TO you, by the
past experience of the State, that Michigan do
il you grant her 900 acres) would build canal
under years and in the mean time the British will
build canal there Then, according my friend from
Illinois, Mr.. DoucLAs,l all that we would have to do
would be 10 get into war and TO capture IT, He says
he wants TO have the British bEld all the canals they
caa, and then can have war and capture them.
Well, sir, that might be cheap way OF getting along,
but might cost more money 10 pay Tor the war than TO
build the canal for ourselves. But say can demon
sate from the experience of Michigan that the canal
will not be built BY the means proposed in less than ten
years.
And here have TO refer TO past circumstance We
have had little experiment in Michigan We granted
her once out OF the public lands half million of
refer now to what is called The distribution law OF
1Sll. My friend from Kentucky lMr. UNDERwooDl
was in the House OF Representatives. at that time, and
concurred with me and other gentlemen in passing that
act. We undertook 10 distribute the avas OF the pub
lic lands among The States OF the Union. sNe wanted
to treat the States with very great lberaly, aud
expected 10 get return ourselves we expected
10 have some lte benefit from that large fund. We
commenced by giving 10 the State OF Michigan and other
new States 900 of land each; or in they
had received some previously enough TO make up 900
acres. But there unfortunately thrown into that law
what is called the twenty per cent clause on the motion
Of gentleman recently member of this body from GeoT
ga MIR BERRIEsl to the efecthat whenever Congress
should lay duties any article OF import exceeding
twenty per cent il should suspend that distribution We
had TO make such a tariff We passed the tariff OF
s42; and therefore the distribution bill stands suspend
ed TO this day II has not been repealed II law OF
the land but il is a suspended law. But somewhat
nequably did not suspend The grant OF 500 900 acres
to Michigan. That State got her grant OF land What
did she dol She went on and Organized land system,
and, | am told, got up land office had number OF
officers 10 cell those lands and she has been selling,
and selling for eleven years. and has not yet sold them
all.
Mr. DOUGLAS I would ask. at what price does
Michigan propose TO sell her lands!
Mr. SMITH do not know. Any price she plsases'
suppose
Mr.. DOUGLAS. Does she sell them at 81 25, or al
three, four, or five dollars per acre
MIR SMITH. do not know anything about but
am told that she has not sold the whole amount from
that day TO this, but has had large number of Office
holders supported by the fund believe nobody has de-
rived any benefit from the grant except those office hold
ers do not know bat she has taken some lands in
the midst OF settlements which she holds at this day at
i've dollars per acre but when she TO select the
500 900 acres proposed by this bill, she will have TO
20 INTO the wilderness But would like 10 know when
She can sell them II is 10 be borne in mind that she
will have 10 encounter difficulties which she has not bad
to encounter heretofore. She will have 10 meet the dt
6cutes OF the land warrant syslem and TO what extent
il is TO proceed do not know. There are the bounty
land warrants coming readily into the market; al
what price they held do not recoect, but believe
they at about twenty five per cent discount at this
time and when the whole amount comes into the mar
ket, they may fall down fifty per cent, or even more,
| Mr.. BORLAND. Does the honorable senator mean TO
say that the last issue OF bountyland warrants has
duced the price of them in The markell
Al 4 a. IL tht