Washington sentinel., 1854-06-01

proper extent for these objects; they have been
made from the first, and every new State that
has come into the Union has received lands for
these purposes, granted by Congress not as
free gifts to the States and Territories, but as
means of attracting settlers and enhancing the
value of the public lands generally; they have
been voted for by all parties, and so lar as
have had time to examine the Journals, they
have passed without even a division. The
same may be said Of the grants for seats OF
government and public buildings, amounting
to 35, ,254 acres, granted to louisiana and
other States.
AS to the swamp lands, they were acknow-
lodged, on all sides, to be useless to the general
government; theycould not be disposed Of at any
] price. shall not go over the ground so ably
/ occupied, some time since, both by the gentle
man from Virginia Mr.. BAYLY) and the gen.
tleman from Ohio, (Mr DIsNEY,) who showed
very yconclusively,t there was no other course;
they were considered nuisance by the citizens
of the States in which they lay, which the gov
ernment ought to rid them of. The gentleman
from Louisiana Mr.. PERKINsl stated that those
in that State had been drained since the grant
was made, at an expense Of SO per acre. And
! hardly think my colleague, or any one else,
would have voted an an appropriation equal to
that sum for the purpose Of draining them, in
order to render them saleable. | have exam
ined the jousnals only in reference to one OF
these bills, that granting 8,960,0l6 acres to
Arkansas, and find that neither Mr. BADGER
i or Mr. MANGUM thought these lands worth call
ing the ayes and noes on. The bill passed the
Senate without division, while in the House
twas voted for by Messrs. Outlaw, Stanly, and
Clingman.
The table contained in the speech of my col
league shows, also, that grants have been made
for military services amounting to "a, ,84l 1878
i acres, ,and that these grants have been made to
! thirteen new States; and yet nothing can be
| further from the truth. My friend has fallen
into the error of supposing that these grants
have been made to these particular States,
when, in fact, they are nothing more than the
| bounty lands which a generous and grateful
nation has bestowed upon the brave and patri-
otic sons Of America, who perilled their lives
upon many bloody field, and bore aloft to
victory the stars and stripes Of their country !;
and, among the rest, the bold sons of our own
| Carolina, who have already received, on ac-
count of their services to their country, nearly
100000 acres of these very grants, which my
colleague seems to think were made to the new
| States.
NV colleague says that several millions Of
acres Of the public lands have been granted for
internal improvements in the new States, and
asks, "why it is unwise and unconstitutional to
! make grants for improvements in North Caro-
/ lima, when it is wise and constitutional to make
grants for similar improvements in Illinois," /
will tell my colleague; it is because the general
government owns no lands in North Carolina,
and does own large bodies of lands in Illinois ;
and because, by granting lands in alternate
sections to aid in the construction of improve
ments in that State, through the government
lands, the lands reserved by the government
are enhanced in value; and such as had been
many years in market without finding o pur-
chaser, are thereby rendered saleable. To illus
| trate: suppose that the general government
owned the lands along the proposed route Of
the western extension of the North Carolina
Central railroad, could not Congress grant al
ternate sections of those lands, either to North
! Carolina or to company who would under
4 take to complete the work, to aid in its con-
struction? And does not my colleague believe,
and does not every man in North Carolina
know, that the reserved sections would be so
much enhanced in value that the government
would lose nothing by the grant? Surely no
argument is necessary to convince my coun-
trymen of SO plain proposition.
But, says my friend, experience proves
that there is no force in this argument" and
he tells us there were granted to Illinois, Mis-
sissippi, and Alabama, for the Illinois Central
railroad, 3,751,711 acres of the public lands
that the reserved sections were brought into
market in July, 1852; and yet, up to the 30th
September, 1853 only 284,OsO acres had been
sold at double price, and the amount received
over the ordinary price was only $355, 100 to
repay the government for the grant made to
those States. Now, would ask my colleague
in all kindness, for / have, as he knows, no
other than kind feelings toward him, if this is
a fair mode of arguing this question? Why,
sir, any one unacquainted with the facts, would
infer from reading this part Of his speech, that
this was all the government ever would receive
!. and yet no one knows better than my friend,
that these lands have only been in market since
July, 1852; he has himself so stated and that
the balance of the reserved sections for six
miles from the road on both sides, through its
whole length wherever it runs through the pub
lie lands, still remain to be sold at So so per
acre and they are now being bought up at
] that price, as am informed, as fast as the
/ land agents can do the business-such being
the press upon some of the officers that they
| have been compelled to close their doors from
time to time in order to bring the business up.
/ But, says my colleague, q the act only requires
these reserved sections to be offered at the
double price before they are sold at the ordi-
nary rate y actually italicising the words "to
be offered, thereby plainly intimatng that they
would never be sold for more than ST 25 per
acre. Now, desire to ask my colleague if he
ever read the act by which this grant was made?
If he has, he ought to know that it expressly
declares that these reserved sections shall not
be sold for less than 50 so per acre. will
read the third section:
4 SEC. g. And be IL further enacted, That the Sec
tions and parts of sections of land which, by such
! grants, shall remain TO the United States, within
six miles on each side Of said road and branches,
shall NOT be sold for less than double the minimum,
| price of the public lands when Sold"
But my colleague says that the argument that
these grants increase the sale of the lands, and
render saleable such as had been long in mar
ket without finding purchasers, is not sustained
by the facts in the case, as he attempts to prove
/ by showing that in 1886, before this system had
been adopted, 20.074,871 acres of the public
lands were sold, while in 1852, after it had been
put in operation, there we're only s94, 779 acres
disposed of! Mr.. Chairman, if it we're not for