Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-02-27
Remarss of Is~n. Jame. Harian
III he Senate 81 he laird States, FIJI. II, 1855,
rsiatirst 10 ad< frs PR esatsH on tie proceed. u
f.,s sssss Of The PstJirr Lnads IN the STATE 81

relation 10 the i've per ceninm on the proceeds /
Of the sales ofpublic lands in the State Of Iowa.
which was read twice by Its title.
Mr. HARLAN, more the reference Of this
bill 10 the committee on Public Lands; and de-
sire TO submit briefly the reasons on which the
inal passage of the bill viii be claimed.
In the passage OF an act supplemental 10 an
act for the admission OF Iowa and Florida into
the Union. Congress granted 10 the State of
Iowa the sixteenth section of the public lands in
every township for school purposes, seTensy-two
sections for university purposes, Eve sections TO
aid in the erection of public buildings, and ccr-
tain lands in connection with salt springs in that
State, and lastly, 1--we per cent. of the proceeds
Of the sales public landaIying within said State,
which have been, or shall be, sold BY Congress,
from and after the admission of said State, after ]
deductng all the expenses incident to the same
But these several grants were made by Con-
gress ION condition that the Legislature of the
said State, by virtue ofthe powers conferred up
on it by the convention which framed the constr
tuition Of the said State, shall provide, by an ordi
nance irreyocable without the consent of the
United States that the said State shall never in
terfere with the primary disposal of the soil
within the same by the United States, nor with
any regulations Congress nay find necessary for
securing the title in such soil TO the bona fde
purchasers thereof and that no tax shall be i'm
posed on lands the property of the United States
and that in no cases shall be imposed on lands
| the property of the United States; and that in
| no case shall nonresident proprietors be taken
| higher than residents: and that the bounty lands
granted. or hereafter to be granted for military
| services during the late war, shall, while they
| continue to be held by the patentee or their
4 heirs, remain exempt from any tax laid by order
! or under authority of the State, whether for
/ State, county. township any other purpose,
| for the term of three years from and after the
| date of the patents respectively" IL is to this
| last clause that | request the attention OF the
| Senate and especially the members of this COM
| mittee, to whom / ask a reference of this bill.
| In the ratification of this law, which is the
| compact entered into between the State of Iowa
| and tht&Government of the United States, as
| consideration, in part, for the several grants
| made to her. Iowa agrees not only 10 lose the
| five ner centum to which she would have been
| entitled on The value of these lands, if sold for
! cash. and not entered with warrants, but also to
/ exempt them from taxation for three years from
/ the date OF the patents. At that time, however
/ there were but few warrants of this class in exiS-
| tencc and but few lands were subject TO he thus
| located within her limits. In corroboration OF
! which will ask the attention of the Senate and
of the committee to an act of Congress, APPROX
! ed July II, 1912, which provides:
| lands for military services in the war of 1872
| with Great Britain, which remain dissatisfied at
the date Ofthis act it shall be lawful for the per-
| son in whose name such warrants shall have is
| sued his heirs or legal representatives to enter
at the proper land Office in any of the States or
| territories in which the same may lie, the guam
| titv of the public lands subject to private entry
TO which said person shall be entitled in virtue
| of such warrant, in quarter sections Prorided
such warrants shallbc located within fire gears
from tie date Of this act.
This law also provides that all applications for
| land warrants under previous laws revived and
| extended for five years thereafter, not disposed
of within this period of five years. shall be iorev-
4 cr barred.
This act was approved, as before remarked,
July 81 1912, and expired by limitation July 81,
1917; the State of Iowa was admitted into the
Union December %, 1916; so that the provisions
of this Jaw had nearly expired when Iowa was
| received into the Union as 4 sovereign State. On
the eth day of July, 1877, all claims for war
rants contemplated by Iowa in acceding to this
condition of the compact, aud the location of al
such warrants within her limits, would have beer
forever barred. But small quantity of lane
has been located with these warrants between
December 2S, 1916, and July 81, lS47. The five
percentum on the minimum value of this and tht
taxes relinqushed would have been comparative
ly small in amount; but on the Goth Of jane
1913, subsequent to the date of this compact ant
the date of the admission of Iowa into the Union
Congress- again revived and extended the pro
visions of this law for the additional period 0
five wears; and on the 9Th day Of February 1854
these several acts were third time revived ant
extended. and are now in force by virtue 0
! which, large quantities Of the public lands il
Iowa have been located with land warrants 70
| -, III Sc
| tcmpated by either the State Of Iowa or by III
Congress of the United States in the cnactmen
1 and ,atitcation OF the compact now existing be
tween the two governments.
| This operates iniurously on Iowa in two ways
First, it deprivcs her of the five per cent. OF tn
| value OF all public lands on which Ian warrant
arc located under the provisions Of thee extend
II. acts which otherwise would have been pm
hlsed with cash. When iowa entered th
Union, these laws were rot in focre: consequently
the provisions beneficial 10 the Union, secured il
their passage, could not have been contemplate
BIZ the convention that framed her constitution
aor by the subsequent Legislature Of Iowa in in
lorSng and rati!ying this agreement But, il
he second place, it operates injurioasly to low
n depriving her Of the privilege OF levying take
on these lands. Under the first injurious feature
,he is deprived, perhaps OF about six ana quar-
.er cents on each acre of land thus located wit
land warrants. But the taxes on these lands.
not exempt under the compact for all the purpose
named, mgh amount TO one per cent. on thei
, value. This, during the term of three years
making proper allowance for the increased valu
of these lands that may accrue from year to yea
by the improvement Of the country amounting
probably, on IN average, during the three years
o five dollars per acre, it will be seen, will am
! cunt TO fifteen cents per acre, surrendered b
, The State OF Iowa for the benefit oil the Ente
. States, on each OF land thus located. Thel
add the six and quarter cents which she wou'
otherwise derive as part of the five per cen,
, on the proceeds OF the sales Of the public lands
and the loss sustained will amount to about twcn
,y-onc cents on the acre of Land located will
.and warrants since July 81, 1917.
Bat, Mr. President, this loss to the State ha
been augmcntcdby the passage ofo:hcr acts THAI
those then in force, since revived and ex;cndct
,or period Of ten years. Those laws in fore
when Iowa admitted into the Union, whcl
would have terminated within a very few month
thereafter, have not only been extended by two
subsequent acts as l have stated but additional
warrants have been granted, by which larg
quantities ofpublic lands are located, from yea
to year, in the State of Iowa, that were not con
emplutcd in this contract with the United States
4 general land warrant law was approved Feb
ruary II, 1877, granting to certain officers an'
: soldiers engaged in the war with Mexico, bount,
land warrants, part of their pay for the ser
vides which they had rendered or were about t.
render TO the Government OF the United States, il
= the prosecution of that war Under this ac
paovision was made;
!, THAT each non-cOmllisoned officer, musician
private, enlisted or to be enlisted in the regu
lar Army, or regularly mustered i'll any voluntee
company for period of NOS less than lively,
moths who has served or may serve during thu
. present war with Mexico, and who shall recv,
an honorable discharge, or who shall have killeC
+ or died of wounds received or sickness incurred
in the course Of such service, or who shall hav,
been discharged before the expiration OF his teri,
of service, in consequence OF wounds received o
sickness incurred in the course Of such service
sinai! be entitled TO reciyea certificate or warran
j from the War Department for Che quantity o
I one hundred and sixty acres, and VIII ch may b,
located hy the Warrantec, or his he!rs nj law, q
anv land Office of the United States, in one body
and in conformity to the legal Subdivisions o
the public lands"
Again, on the 18th of September, 1850, gen
, eral law was approved, granting land warrant
to all the soldiers, not only of the war of 1872
many wore mt leI