The true Democrat., 1854-12-20


 summation of the fraud?
 What rich piece of business is this, to stand recorded against the selfstyled "Guardian o the tax payers.''
 The Disposition of our Railroad
 Lands.
 In our last we touched upon this subject very briefly. Its importance must be our apology for referring to it again. It is subject to which we have given much thought and rehection.- We know that we differ with many who are honest in their views, but 1t would be unpar- donabe in us to maintain silence longer upon a subject of such vast importance to our State; and, one, for the action of the Legislature upon which, our people are waiting with breathless anxiety. The disposition to be made of these lands is the allabsorbing question of the day, not only in the halls of the Legislature, but through out the State, among all classes of people, By means of these lands, the people see clearly the hope of finally extricating the State from all of her endorsements and of restoring her long lost credit. Whether that hope now so bright and cheering, will ever be realized, is a question to be determined by the disposition the Legislature shall make of the grant of lands. The issue hangs upon mere thread, and we are unable to predict the result.
 The law making the grant to Arkansas is plainly and wisely drawn. By its provisions, 1t protects fully and amply both the interests of the National and State governments. It is inn possible for any company obtaining the grant, to squander more than few sections of land without building the road. Such is the nature of its provisions that the utmost security is afforded against corruption and mismanagement. While it is the interes of the Nation and the law makes it also the interest of the company to build it, by requiring it's construction before surrendering up the title to the lands.
 But with all the strctness, precision and care taken in framing it, the congressional act is 1 liberal--aad it aoas tranaed puposely so Those who drew it up knew the circumstances and exigencics of the case. They knew the grant was asked for the purpose of building railroad through new, wild and sparsely settled coun- trv, and, as, when making the grant, they de- sired the construction of the roads proposed, ] they knew stronq inducements must be held out to secure the necessary capital for the under taking Congress, therefore, made liberal and high bid im our behalf. It made the grant ot lands to the State, giving 12O sections of land an cdya,lce of the completion of each and every 20 mles.
 ! Such is the action of Congress--such is the result of it's wisdom and experience and knowl- edge of the subject upon which it acted. That it acted wisely in being liberal in its restrictions and conditions, any one, who will investigate the subject dispassionately, will be forced tc admait Let him remember the condition ot the country through which the roads pass-itS wilderness and its scarcity of populaton--and let him remember the condition of the DO. pulation itself-poor and unable to contribute anafeylally to the construction of milroad-and he will be forced to acknowledge that iberality on the part of the gr;lntors is necessary to in duce capitalists to step forward and invest thei millions in these projects. Men of wealth vii not invest their means in any project tied dowr by restrictions and conditions that may ever possibly cause a forfeiture of the project itsel and all the labor and money they have bestow ed upon it, while there are so many other op portunties daily occurring to invest their capita proftably and safely.
 Of the necessity of tying down the Cairo anc Fulton company with restrictions and condi tions, much is said by the journals of this city 1 We do not understand the force of the position Who are the Cairo and Fulton company? The are citizens of the State, who have their mean invested in the Cairo and Fulton road and wh are deeply, deepsy interested in having it bull Why then cripple them with restrictions an conditions that diminish the value of the gran of lands and thus destroy their power to pro cure the aid of capitalists? What will be ac complished by it? Anything? but destruction of the grant, and with it, tn booo dheA pA heooo AAoPOo OA OAC otttC. w II suspect the Cairo and Fulton company? Is not their interest to build this road? Undt the bill now pending in the Senate, they cannc get, and they do not ask, a single foot of th land donated to the State until they build given portion of the road--say 20 miles, Wh then suspect them of motives in asking tn grant, other than the motives that actrlate ever other citizen of the State in desiring the col struction of the main trunk of the Cairo al Fulton railroad?
 To support our position, that Congress h done sufficient to protect both the interests
 the State and the general government, we ca as good authority, point to the action of Al
 bama and Mississippi. These States, in ord 1 II lI1