The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-03-12

enterprise or capital IN increasing Their Price without
combustion my part and. therefore, you shall have
the whole benefit Tor ten OF the sales OF the lands
within hiteen miles Of the road and you may sell Them
for the highest price you can Obtain and when you sell
them you need only pay the minimum price OF the lands
in Their unmproved state and will issue patents to the
persons to whom you choose sell them" Is not that
iar and liberal proposition Is not that The utmost ex
tent TO which, any principle OF equity the land States
have right to ask the general government 10 go This
allows State which makes road 10 receive the entire
increase OF value resulting to all the lands both sides
OF the road from its constructions and the government
under any circumstances gets nothing more man lhe
minimum price of her land II the lands should happen
to be Worthless, the State could sell the valuable pornon
but need not take the worthless part The State Is under
no obligation 10 pay until she sells and the usle does
not vest until she pays.
il provides for should like 10 hear some gentleman
show how. the ground OF any distinction as TO the
duty of the general government as andholder not TO
take advantage OF State capital aud State enterprise with
out remuneration, the States object 10 the prn
cips Of my amendment which provides that they shall
ments II be true that those improvements have the
effect which has been stated here-and do not doubt
1.-THE grant 10 the State which propose is lar more
valuable than the grant which the bills passed by the
Senate contemplate Let illustrate the difference by
reference to the bill which the Senate passed the other
day, granting lands to the State OF Louisiana for rail-
road.
BY that bill, according statement which has been
prepared for BY the clerk OF the Committee on Pub
within six miles each side OF the road which would
belong to the United States take it for granted
there would not be much, If any difference in the aver
age result to the quantity in the odd and even sec
tOns respectively, and hence we may presume that the
State would receive $4,000 acres The United States
reserve that amount whether they ever get or not
The State will certainly get IL because she has right TO
go back nine miles further II she cannot get the land
within six miles Of the road and hence she always
Of the lands appropriated BY thai bill at 81 IS an acre.
would be $2SS, $50; or doubled in value at ~ SO per
acre, $577,50O Now, take the grant which propose to
make by my amendment propose TO gran, the entire
lands to the State, to be subject to her unrestricted
troll for period OF ten years That is surely long
enough; but il gentlemen wish longer tme shall be
willing TO agree 10 it, Suppose you 10 the
whole. without reference TO alternate sections, there
would necessarily be $4,000 within six miles of
would have the control OF this quantity for ten years,
could sell for whatever she pleased, only paying to the
government the minimum price OF 81 rs per acre. IT.
however, you nine miles further back. as to in
clude the land within fifteen miles Of the road you find
tat according to my amendment, the State would have
right 70 control jor ten years The sale OF ll55. 900
The State Would have the right 10 sell that whole
quantity for what she chose within ten years
Gentlemen have stated this floor that where roads have
been made through the public lands, there is no difficulty
in selling them al W so the average and they
have assumed that The average increase OF the value OF
the lands within fifteen miles OF the road will be equal
that Then, according to my amendment the State would
receive 81 rs Tor million one hundred and
hity-hve thousand acres and would thus get more than
twice much as she receives IRON the grant OF Two hun
dred and thirty thousand acres at the increased value
OF 81 so per Then the value of the grant, under
The terms winch propose for settling this question:
would be al least twice. not three times great TO the
States The value OF The which have been made
10 The States by The bills which the Senae has passed
The difference between The two propositions is simply
this UHdtr The provision which have submitted for the
consideration OF geA,lemen the government OF the United
States retains Der public lands, and gives nothing; but
she merely says 10 all the land States, make your own
Improvements we will mol interfere with them; will
make the interest OF the State concurrent with that OF the
governments will authorize you, and you Alone 10 sell
the lands within fifteen miles each side OF The road oT
The next ten years II that road improves the value OF the
land. believe does, Will be
amply demonstrated iot The expenditure which yoa make in
The construction OF the road IT, ON The other hand, the
principle Incorporated into the bills which have passed
The Senate be adopted what but illusion from be
ginning TO end You admit that you give lands,
money Arising from them, to the States generally
Geniemen say that is unconstitutional, and they draw
distinction between the power TO appropriate in that way.
and The duty OF the government landholdeT, holding
the lands the individual States and they upon an
equity which recognise. In the mode 10 which they |
propose 10 apply II, u an individual The and
granIor supposes him 10 be great fool as to make
the grant without any benefit TO himself, and that re-
moves the whole equity, and leaves in the of the
government grant Tor general internal improve
meats, confined TO palieuiar States Do gentlemen sup.
pose bat individual andhoder would make such
grant hnless be could ia some way, derive benefit from
1T II Son grant away two hundred and thirty zone
Thousand Tor road, clear donation OF that
amount On the principle OF increasing the price,
TO justify this donation, you authorize the doubling OF
The minimum price OF reserved sections, and you with
hold them frUn private entry or presumption, for sale
YET IN point OF ac this is entirely usory for, before
the lands reserved for the government by the definite
location oil The road, they taken up by private entry
and thus The government actually gives away the land,
without the slightest benefit 10 the nation land
holder, though internal improvement made par
by her assistance advances, through the increased
wealth aud prosperity OF the Stale, the PROSPERITY OF the
Union bot this moce OF advancing the prosperity OF the
Union. by government Donations Ii held 10 be uncoDst
iuona when applied 10 States IN which public lands
held.
Then, bin President, admitting, do. the distinc-
ton which gentlemen draw To the night to appropriate
The public lands The land States for purposes OF inter-
nal Improvement asd admitting the equity OF the prnci
pie, applied 10 those States, my proposition carries
that equity 10 the iull extent Of the Improvement and
gives The whole vaue OF il 10 the States which the
improvement II effects what any great aodboder might
do. Ii gives the whole benefit OF the Improvement TO
those who make II, and retains The value OF the lands
unimptoyed lands The proposition In the bills re- |
ported from he Committee Public Lands and passed
by lie SeDaie is ilusofy and IN fact, nothing
than making appropriation Of public lands for general
purposes OF internal Improvement TO the States in which
ihey be, under nominal distinction which abandoned
The mann.F IN which II u carried out by those bills
Sir, cannot distinguished such power in this gov
eminent, between the States in which the lands lie
and States IN which they do no, he fou might well
tusliy receive into yonr treasury twothos OF your
clam dsbuts from the national governme
mensnrae with the receipts from Imposts, to tell me
that because other property OF the United States is su
right to claim that that property shall be disposed OF Tor
their peculiar benefit
tie language of the constitution as TO land or territory
Il. Zen. hall 49,.