The daily union., 1854-07-19

and thus force him pay four prices take the land of
inferior quality.
This Bill proposes to grant every alternate section Of
land designated by odd numbers for six sections in width
on each side of said road"
Now suppose you hold the remaining sections at double
the ordinary price 1t not apparent that the farmer who
buys SIX miles out has to pay Just double as much for his
land as he who buys seven miles OUT is this just2
also take issue with the Secretary and the friends of
this bill when they claim that "by of the improve
ments made with such grants large tracts OF land that had
long lain waste have been brought into market and found
ready sale the surrounding country has been peoped
the has been augmented by the increased eonsp
ton of foreign merchandise and the State in which the
Improvements have been thus made and not unequentiy
the adjacent States have been largely benefited That
settlements have sprung along these lines OF roads, and
that the lands have found ready sale in their
mediate vicinity will not pretend to deny but do de-
that either the aggregate sales the aggregate people,
the aggregate consumption of the whole country has been
augmented Does any pretend that railroad makes
more people, that the people eat and that
il takes more land to supply the same people, than II the
road did not exist2 Fit does not then where is the
gregate increase augmentation claimed by these men
My opinion is that il makes but little difference for
it is found that population is increasing at given
ratio that the industrial classes constantly employed
and that both the consumption of food and clothing must
necessarily go and that far the actual result is
to be taken into the account it is the whether the
people hudded together in cities along railroads,
scattered the country but if there be difference the
preponderance should be in favor of the latter
BY drawing large bodies of people together in particular
locations you only reduce the number in others for in
the end the aggregate is not changed The husbandman
who sows his seed broadcast wecutvated field
certainly has TO expect good crop and fair
reward for his labor than he who drills it along burrows
piles it in heaps in particular localities The former
has chance to spread its roots develop nature and add
TO the comforts of while the latter erments, sours
and ros and sends forth its noMous fumes and pesen
tia vapors, and destroys everything within reach of it.
The thing is true with regard society and popu
laton In the country aud the rural districts the popul
ton is spread out like the dew of Heaven Every has
sufficient sphere to make himself useful and improve
his faculties and although they may not have the
show of pomp and spendor yet if there is any such thing
as true happiness on EARTH here is where il is; while in
your fourishing cities and densely ypopuaied districts
with all their show of weah and comfort there is moth
ing but one continued of anxiety and strife which
you add all the vice. degradation and corruption of
the land The society there is like the grain piled up in
heaps in the field it becomes putrd and rotten sends
forth its decterous eiuvia, communicating and destroy
ing everything within its reach
But aside from the injustice such system is calculated
to work. and the faacy OF the arguments used sustain
it, the principle upon which it is based is radically wrong
claim it as principle that will hold good in both law
and morals that the government cannot or ought not to
do anything indirectly that she could not under the
sttution, do directly. tns a
that the general has right commence and
carry general system of internal improvements and
if this be and we cannot go directly and build these
roads whence do derive the power give the land
States or companies TO build them Admitting that we
have the right to give these lands for this purpose or
even to go ON and build the roads by order of Congress
does not follow that should exercise that right On the
contrary ft is manifest that the exercise would any
injustice to any State the people thereof it is the duty
Of Congress to discountenance it.
Now, it is manifest to my mind that giving the public
land away in the manner proposed in this bill is only
wrong in principle and unjust in its operation but that ii
is opening door to spectators and and
laying foundation for set of monopozng corporations
which will in the end override and cush OUT every other
interest
BY holding out bounties and making large grants Of the
public land for the encouragement Of spectators and the
building of towns and cities give impetus that
wild and unrestricted speculation which has always proved
SO disastrous to the trade commerce. and business of
country In my opinion small share of the embarrass-
men OF tue country and bankruptcy of individuals from
1888 to 1872 grew out of the act dividing the surplus in
the treasury among the several States and making
State banks the repositories of the national Penn
sylvana my own Stae) got S2oo0oo0 of it, and in
sequence increased her debt about 20O0O0O0 and her c
zens have been borne down with taxes since pay
the interests and now after struggling for years to extr
cate herself is obliged to sell her public works great
loss to pay her debts and fear the last evil will be worse
than the first "Come easy 20 easy" is trite and bomey
saying, yet it is very true Let man. corporation
or State come into the possession Of money property
begets like and credit will beget credit and all things
time may go on swmnlingy but "the end is not yet
Payday will come, and with it disappointment
Then he keepers OF the house shall embe and the strong
men shall bow themselves and the grinders shall cease
because OF their proiigacy. isf FHN aBsu Hg
not opposed to the building of railroads nor TO
having companies chartered and restricted by State gov
ernments to build them. On the contrary, am in favor
of it. and desire to railroads built in every portion of
our great and growing country, provided it be done
without risk embarrassment to the country
The citizens OF the old States have built their railroads
far less favorable routes and much greater expense
than roads in the States We have crossed our
largest rivers tunnellcd mountains cut down hills
and filled up our valleys with means, and the
West receives just much advantage from these roads as
we do am, therefore, unwilling to vote either the public
land the public money the public credit for the excl
sive benefit OF the new States any portion Of hem
for corporations created by them for sir corporations are
dangerous things and more especially when they have
the general government to back them up Corporations
mere ideal or imaginary beings; they neither ac
countable TO God they have neither soul nor
body and therefore, neither be punished in this world
the world to Gomez and hence the great necessity of
keeping them within due bounds Corporations sir never
relnquh any Of their powers but always asking for
more
To establish this fact il is only necessary refer one
in neighboring city, which, less than hundred years
ago incorporated burial ground but has grown
by additional grants OF power, to of the strongest
moneyed institutions in the land, and has much to do with
regulating the exchanges of this country with Europe and
has in fact millions of money at its command
might also refer to similar institution the
water which about three hundred years ago received
charter from the Crown for the purpose of supply city
with water but has gone increasing its power by
grants still holding what it had before until now ii
actually controls the and trade of than
half the civilized globe. Sir not willing TO admit
that railroad corporations likely be selfish than
those oany other class On the contrary have abund
proof that they little disposed yield any
other "The monopoly MS il is called in New Jersey
formed by consolidation OF the Delaware and Raritan
Canal Company and the Camden and Amhoy Railroad
Company, which took place, if remember Alright in the
year 1891 1882, is exactly in point. BY their
original charters and subsequent legislation this monop
oily has the exclusive right to transport freight and pas
sengers the State between philadelphia and New
York and although the people of the State have repeat
edy made it question at their elections and succeeded in
returning members in opposition to it, yet somehow or
other when they take their seats they either do