The southern press., 1852-03-16
speech Of nos. ). I. Orr, Of south tar0ilna,

speech OF non. ). L. Orr, Of South carolina
On the Bil t5saniing Puddle Lands 10 Missour
10 Aid in Constructing Railroads; DetiUsre,
in the House Of Representatives, Fedruar!
"a, 1852.
ICoNcLUDED.
This bill proposes to donate one-half of tn,
public lands within six miles, on either side o
the railroad, to aid in the construction Of tina
work. Does this reduce the revenue accruine
from the sale of the public lands into the treasu
ry of the United States Not farthing anc
why Because the bill provides that when you
give away alternate sections, that those reserved
TO the government shall be doubled in value
and those which you are now trying TO sell al
$ 25 per acre, lands which have remained un.
sold in the market for twenty, thirty, or forty
years, at that price, are raised in price to So so
with the confident assurance, founded upon uni
versal experience, that those lands will sell
more rapidly then at the enhanced price, than
they do now at 81 25 per acre. II this was q
proposition simply to give the alternate sections
without those remaining being increased in val
ue, or If it reduced the revenue of the treasury
OF the United States from the sale f'the public
lands, then admit the objection Of my friend
from Tennessee Mr.. JoEEs] would be a valid
one. But that objection does not exist to this
bill. 1t is phantom fitting before his imagi-
nation.
| have demonstrated that nothing is abstract.
ed from the treasury by the grants for the con
structon of these works, and that all the re.
sources out of which and from which the funds
are to come into the treasury, are not reduced.
lfthis is so, how can il be charged that it is in
yolving the government of the United States in
q system OF internal improvements, which has
been varied against by the Republican or Dem
ocratlc party throughout all time. My friend
from Tennessee Mr.. JorEsl also in the same
speech intmated that 1t was clearly anti Demo
cratic, as we'll as unconstitutional What are
the facts Almost every one Of the present and
late leaders of the Democratic party have sup
ported bills Identical with this bill in principle.
believe Mr.. Polk, while he was member of
Congress here in 1928, voted for bill similar
to this, to aid in the construction of canals. Mr..
McDuffie voted for such bills, as you have al
ready heard from some of the gentlemen who
have preceded me in this debate General Cass.
Mr.. Douglas, Mr.. DIvis, of Mississippi, Mr..
Calhoun, and Mr.. Houston, in fact the whole of
those who are now or were heretofore looked
up to as the leaders of the Democratic party,
have advocated and supported bills identical in
principle with the bill now upon your table. 1t
is not, therefore, anti Democratic Ii You are to
form its articles Of faith from the principles and
acts OF its high priests, you may take the vote
by which the Illinois bill passed the Senate, or
the vote by which the Mississippi bill passed,
and you will find that a majority of the Demo
Gratis voted for it. Upon the Mississippi bill
there were but eight senators, of the entire Sen
ate, who voted against IT, | think ! shall be
able to show that this bill, as reported by the
Committee on Public Lands, is infinitely better
bill for this government than the Mssissippi
bill. will show when come TO speak Of the
bill itself, that 1t is not to be secuted from this
hall, flrst, either upon the plea that it is uncon
situtional, or second, that it is anti Republican
or anti-Democratic. do not credit ii that either
of these pretexts will be available to drive the
bill from this hall; and the gentleman from
Tennessee Mr.. JONES does injustice to his own
tparty when he makes an imputation of that sort;
for take it that even in this House there is a
majority fthe members of the Democratic party
who will vote for the BILL
Having disposed of this constitutional ques-
ton, more by authority than by Argument, and
having also disposed of the question of Democ
racy | desire to direct the attention OF the
House TO the advantage which is to result to
the government from the passage Of these land
bills
| What advantage will the government derive
The first is this Il will bring lands into market
which have been exposed TO sale, and have not
found a purchaser, for thirty years The road
for which this identical bill provides a grant
passes through portion of the public lands in
Missouri that have been subject to sale and EN-.
try from fifteen 10 twenty-five years Those
lands have not been sold, and why Because
they are situated 80 remote from market, so re-
note from nayigable waters, so remote from all
the conveniences Of life, so remote from timber
for large part of the land consists Of pra;-
ries-that persons have been deferred from oc.
cupying and settling them. Give them the Ia
cilities ola railroad; give them the opportunity
Of bringing timber to these prairies give them
facilities for sending off produce TO market, and
you will find the lands reserved 10 this govern
meht selling rapidly at 81 80 per acre, when
they haze remained now in market for twenty
years, not bringing dollar and quarter per
acre.
This Missouri bill provides for donating al.
ternate sections Of the public lands between the
towns Of Hinniba, on the Mississippi river. and
ST. Joseph, upon the Missouri river. For
distance Of thirty miles west Of the Mississippi
river and an equal space cast Of The Missouri,
the public lands have been taken up, so that
although the line Of railroad is n long one, vet
there are sixty miles Of that distance where the
company will not receive an acre Of land The
settlements there 90 to illustrate the trnth of
The theory which laid down, that when settlers
are brought within convenient distances Of nav.
gable rivers or Of railroads. the publ ilnds are
tlken up. Where these facilities are not con.
yenient, the public lands lie idle-are Of no sort
of use 10 the States or the general government
In many regions Of the country there are public
lands, az have already stated, which hsve been
exposed 10 sale for many years for 81 25 an
acre, but remain unsold, and will remain unsoId
for fifty years TO come, unless improvements Of
this kind are projected, and The land brought 10.
10 market
|. might speak % the lands in Florida The
Committee on Public Lands will report a bill,
for the purpose Of constructing railroad there,
extending from eighty 10 one hundred miles IN
length, where there are no settlements at all In
my own State, a railroad was constructed from
Charleston to Hamburg, passing through pine
country, where the land was not worth more
than from ten 10 fifty cents per acre. These