The true Democrat., 1855-07-24

ted, until after they have compiled trbp", with tb provisions of this section." i 'ne
 These provisions may we'll be regarded as;u conflict with, and repugnant to the ohv;o'1l policy and express provisions of the law of .I
 United States, making the grant of said l.~H ,nS ana considered as an act of State le sislaton simply, as Vold, on account of such rermr nancy 1et II this company should vie5 It's assent thereto, and voluntarily agree to tata sad lands, on the conditions and subject to tbo restrictions in said act prescribed different 0 suit might we'll be expected, and the act b,. such agreement, become valid and binding n,os both the company and the State, and tberrpI,. all the lands acquired under it, be placed ae < were In abeyance neither subject to "soze ~ use," or taxation even, for an indefinite neriod of tune, certainly not less than 20 years, after the comp etion of the road, or the expiration of the time limited therefor by the act ofcoD or ot the declaration by the company of div;' dend on Its capital stock of ten per cent per on num-the right to sell or use the same ba;na express y made dependent upon the happen;roo of some one of these contingencies. If tbisnn derstandmg of the act in question, is not tba true one, what other or different interpretst;ou
 will it legitmately bear? If it be the trno depreciation Git certainly accords with the itn ral reading of its provisions, in the anguaaa 'o r
 which, nothing ambiguous is perceve6 Iiro. ot only perverts the grant from the purpo,e co.
 which it was made, by explicitly and peremN
 torly forbidding the sale or use of any of tto
 lands for period of 20 years after the comnIa tion of the road, but thereby inhibiting also ou settlement or improvement of them. Cl the rood shall be builD for quarter of a century at lpsSt
 If they may not be sold or used, while the roaJ is being constructed, how, we enquire can tbeH
 be considered an aid in its Construction? Ara
 what could De more prejudicial to the common interests of the country and the company tbon the Withholding from sale, settlement and tav- ation of so large body of productive lands along the route of the road traversing the State through its center, from N. E. to s. w. for a period equal to the average of human life? Wa trust this company may never be justly charoe. able with inficting, or in the remotest degrea aiding or asSentlng to the inhiction of any such injury upon the country.
 We have thus referred to, and presented spe. cially, extracts from the second section of said act, not because it contains the only provision calculated to prejudice seriously, if acceded to the interests of the company, but mainly be- cause It's provisions appear to us so palpablv op- posed to the design of Congress ill granting the lands, and the progress of the improvements to facilitate and expedite which, the grant was made, as we'll as to the true interests of this company, and the country at large as to exclude the possibility of any company of ordinary in- telligence and integrity adopting or acting under them.
 We feel constrained by sense of duty to you, to ourselves, as stockholders and your agents charged temporarily with the preserva- ton of your interests in an enterprise of im- portance, affecting alike the common interests of our State, counties, towns and people, as well as the promotion of that enterprise. by every appropriate available means in our DOW er,to decline taking the lands granted by Con- gress to aid in the construction of is road. in virtue of any provision in said act of the Ge- neral Assembly of this State approved January l6, 1853, granting or purporting to grant the same to this company, on conditions and sub- Ject to restrictions as therein specified and pre- scribed.
 With the view of obviating any real or imagi- nary obstacle to the progress of this great work, arising from any action or want of action, on the part of either the last General Assembly, or of this company, and so far as 1t is competent advance the same by every legitimate means not involving the sacrifice of their capital in- vested therein, this company will hold itself ready at the meeting of the next General As- semb y to renew substantially its proposition submitted to the last, to surrender to the State
 being first reimbursed its actual expenditures made or incurred, the franchises with which it is invested.
 In this view of the subject, the said act nav we'll be regarded as important for the interests of the State; although it prohibits the lands from sale or use as therein provided inasmuch as thereby the line or route of the road is def- nltely fixed, the lands granted by Congress &C., cepted by the State in such manner that their selection can be made; the residue of the gov ernment lands released and restored to market, and those granted be held as contemplated by the act of Congress making the grant and be ultimately appropriated in aid of tho construc. ton oi the road - securing thereby the con- struclon of this important link in the great national lines of railway, traversing and destin- ed to traverse this union of States through their center rom northeast to south h-west; from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, as we'll as from the great chain of lakes on their northern. to the gulf of Mexico on their southern border with and intersecting at the center of the great inland lines of travel and com. fdQlatlnU thence to the circumference in every directiou- the programme of which, as of no other con- nected system of roads, has obtained the ap- proval ot the whole country, as is evidenced by the acts ot Congress granting public lands in ald ol the construction of the most important oi these lines, viz: the Illinois Central, the Mo- bile and Ohio and the Cairo and Fulton roads
 It will not be out of place for the committee to say that they remain unshaken in the confi- dence they have always felt and expressed in this great value and ultimate success of the un- dertaking, and they are satis6el that its value and importance will appear the more clear, the more thoroughly it Is examined and under stood.
 It IS road that must stand without rival Ill construction or the value of its stock and in- come It will run for greater distance through the State, than any other railroad projected by our citizens or penetrating our borders from abroad. It's importance in this respect, is evil denceo by the consideration that every addition al mile of road constructed within the State that can be proftably worked, not only adds to the aggregate of its internal improvement, but the amount of 1 Is taxable prOperty by