The daily union., 1854-02-15
ton The bill making grant OF land 10 the State Loss

ion the bill making grant of land 10 the State Of Loes
lana
MIR. DAWSON. Not at all. was speaking OF lhs
general principle OF these appropriations.
Mr.. SLlDELL The bill now before the Senate -
making grant of land TO the State OF Michifaas
Bat very ready TO respond TO the nierrogatory Wiki
the gentleman has put to l contend that the cen.
slrucon put upon the Louisiana bill by the chairman OF
the Committee Public Lands, Mr. DoDGE. OF Iowa,
and by the senator from Arkansas, lMr JoHEsosa -
the correct one. Ii is, that when twenty miles OF lhe
road shall have been made, then one hundred and tweay
sections OF the public lands lying on either side OF those
twenty miles OF road within the distance oil fifteen mss,
may be taken by the Stale OF Louisiana and sold for pe
purpose oil appropang lhr proceeds 10 the payment Of
the that has been dsbursed for the twenty miles oi
road which have been built. The honorable senator
from Georgia was laboring under Il false impression,
aud 80 was the honorable from Maine, when he
considered that, because this road was three hundred
miles in length, one hundred and eighty miles OF when.
stated passed through lands which were not public
lands and for which, in all probability, no public lakts
could be appropriated within the distance oil fifteen mas
either side Of the road, therefore could 70 beyoAd
that part OF the road, and anywhere within the dsiaSe
OF fifteen miles from the road and take the amount whN
would have been appropriated 10 lie three hundred nfs
Of road the road had passed through puslic lands iof
the whole distance Upon examination OF the bill =
and think does require very careful examination
tor the purposetis evident that the construction which
place on Il is the correct one and u entertained any
doubt on that subject should most willingly defer to The
opinion OF those gentlemen whose particular province i
has been examine the subject carefully and report Their
views 10 the Senate They also say that their constfuc-
ton is the one which put the bill by the Secretary Of
The INTERIOR and by the Commissioner of the General
Land Office Am ! not correct in this
Mr.. JOHNSON. / understand tha, to be the case,
MIR. SLlDELL. Then, will assume such to be The
effect Of the bill Now il has not been pretended in any
case that railroad pass exclusively over the public
land and it has not been pretended that the benehca ei
ecs OF The construction OF railroad confined to the
strip of land which Immediately adlons The road The
theory OF this bill and the report OF the Commissioner OF
the General Land Office, go upon the presumption that
the benefit OF the construction of the road will not be con
fined the strip OF land Immediately adjoining III but all
experience has demonstrated that the land lying either
side, within range oil thirty miles OF that road, is bene
tei by ts construction. Then, even il the view taken
be demonstrated that the interests OF the United States
and OF the treasury would be promoted by making this
grant OF land, because large section OF country now cut
of from market, not lying upon any navgabe stream
and which present aerly inaccessible uncutvaed
and unsettled because there is market for its produce
will, by the construction OF the road be brought into
settlement venture 10 say further, that al the poin
beyond which cultivation and settlement on the ne Of
that road 10 which have referred now exist, and wbe
the land is owned by Individuals by the Stale OF Lou
sana the value OF the land will be increased ten fold by
lis construction. Tha land really at this moment has
convertible value. Its value will depend entirely upon
the construction OF the road
The honorable senator from Delaware asked upon what
principle these bills could be supported and sustained
He said that when appropriations were made for internal
they were accompanied by reports and e.
Inmates from some acknowledged authority on the sub
lec-from the Secretary OF the Treasury, or from the
head OF the Engineer Bureau; So that we should know
exactly what be done in each case, how was 10
be done, and what il cost Now, say we have
ali the elements of Certainty n hs BILL and in all other
bills which framed alter the same model because they
are all alike First know that II there be any pubic
land on either side Of the road within range OF htsen
miles, alternate secons OF land will be 20 the State
OF Louisiana aid in the construction OF the road There
cannot be than that, and herr may b much less
In the instance TO which have referred, suppose the
road to be three hundred iles in LENGTH that according
TO my calcuatlon would requre about seven hundred
thousand eight hundred thousand acres OF public land
Mr.. DODGE, Of Iowa. ony SIX hundred thousand.
Mr. SLIDELL. The chairman of the Committee on
Public Lands tells mol more than six hundred thou
sand acres There at eas, is element OF absolute
certainty II may be much les, and II cannot be more
Then we have another element OF certainty. We know
exactly the points OF inception and termination OF The
road We all know that il leads from great commercial
emporium OF the country 10 the boundary OF the State OF
Texas We all know, and have reason TO believe that
when that ailfoh shall have been made 10 that point i,
will be extended much further and carried probably to
the extreme limits OF Texas; and we have reason to be-
eye that II this road is completed, (and will be com
pleted either with without the aid OF the general gov
ernmen it will be the terminus OF the great California
road That, however, is not the point to which wish
now TO address myself.
The next element of certainty s that where railroad
is not called for By the wants OF the counry-whee is
likely 10 be producye-where II - not national TO
certain exent-io consider everything 10 be national
which tends develop the resources and wealth Of the
country-where 1t does not hold out prospects OF ad-
vantage and remuneration 10 those who intend 10 make
either The form OF OF IN oil
dividends The subscriptions necessary 10 make il will
never be obtained Now IN this instance. suppose we
receive six hundred thousand acres OF land from the
United Saies-and conceive that under the operations
of the bill passed This morning we shall not get more
than three hundred thousand four hundred thou
sand
Mr.. DODGE, OF Iowa. -Four hundred and twenty
thousand acres is the exact amount
MIR. SLlDELL That, at the minimum government
price, would be S525 600 The road, the lowest cal
cuaiion, will, when equipped, cost $4,000 per mile.
Then it will require expenditure OF at esstss7 500,
600 for The completion OF the road Now, TO show that
the road is snclful afsirand think the honora-
bic senator from South Carolina qualified by that term
some OF these billsbut that II is real and substantial
road TO be carried out from which the stockholders and
those VINO contribute 10 lis building, expect 10 derive
some benefit may state that the city OF New Orleans,
with The greatest onanimy, imposed tax of 81 800,
900 upon The properly holders of that city 10 aid 10 the
construction Of the road The State OF Louisiana also
slockboder TO the extent OF S0e000o or 81 900 900
II am wrong the statement oi this amount my coll
league Almost very parish in the State
though which the road has 10 pass has also voluntarily
taxed itself to aid in its completion Then, It is no.
fsnciful affair.
II am not mistaken in these facts ii appears to me
that have demonstrated that there every degree OF
lanly which the honorable senator from Delaware can
require to know whether the bill which have referred
should should receive The sanction OF the SEN
ate We know how much II will cost the government !;
we know that The road will he built and we are bound
to presume that 1t IL udicionsy located, and win yield
profitable results, or the NECESSARY amount OF capital will
not be subscribed 10 IL Now, ask him, there are not
sucien, eepen,s before him at this moment 10 enable
him Judge whether he with propuely give his
lion 10 the bill
Sir have been led into discussion perhaps in some
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