The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-05-24
CONGRESSIONAL.
OF MIR. LETCHER,
or VIRGINIA.,


On the bill granting to the State Of Alabama public lands
in alternate sections to aid in the construction Of rail-
roads In said State delivered in the House of Repre-
sentatiyes May ~, 1856, ...r..
Mr.. SpEAKER: differ with the gentleman from Ohio n
think the amendment to the amendment perfectly ger
name and it il in accordance with what have been
expecting. We started out with Iowa for four roads
That was followed by Florida for three then comes Wis
consn and the bill has just passed for three in that State
The Committee Public Lands reported a substitute
which they directed the gentleman from Alabama offer
and that substitute provides for three Not content
with that however and being little more hungry and
greedy than the others the gentleman from Alabama
an to the substitute and asks for six
roads in his State .-' '.,-. IA
rather an inconsistent position this subject Ii will be
recoected that he is the father Of what is called the
graduation act which passed this House two or
three years ago, and which urged consid-
GRAFTON the ground that the lands in Alabama hay
ing been long time In market and not having been sold
at the price of dollar and cents per acre II
right and proper that the price should be reduced
the sum Of twelve and half cents per bring them
within the reach of settlers in that neighborhood That
was done Now, what does the gentleman propose 2 He
proposes six railroads through that land
taking the odd sections within six miles either side of
those roads, he can get enough to make up the compile
ment of odd sections and il not then nine miles
either side embracing thirty miles within the limits Of
two outside lines And what does he propose do with
the balance To let them go to the settlers who TO
buy the land at two dollars and fifty per acrethe
very lands that he said high when they
dollar and twenty cents per acre. and which his
graduation bill reduced to twelve and half cents per
Now, say that this s remarkable state OF
things He said that the lands were too high at one dollar
and twenty-five cents acre and after have reduced
the price to twelve anda half cents per acre. his sugg
ton he comes forward and proposes donate por
ton of those lands the railroad corporations which may
be chartered by the legislature of Alabama and that the
lands reserved the sections represented by heeven numbers
shall be to entry by actual settlers a two dollars and
fifty cents per Is not this position most extraor
binary one?
But sir there is still another point of view in which the
gentleman occupies remarkable position. He belongs to
what called the democratic party of this House. and
dorsed such the baltimore PLATFORM which declares
ad the constitution does not confer upon the general goeer
ne the poWer TO commence and carry general system Of
Internal Improvements that it andemocratc and in
violation of the principle recognised and acted by that
party He fought the last presidential battle this plat
form in common with self and others Now, sir here
those four railroads in Iowa thousand hun
dred and fftyhree miles in length Here those three
railroads in Wisconsin five hundred and three miles in
length Here also those three railroads in Florida Ave
hundred and odd miles in length, Here these railroads
in Alabama six in number six hundred or
eight hundred miles in ength-mang nearly three thou
sand miles of railroad to be by donations of
the public lands BY this federal government and yet the
gentleman bitterly opposed to the policy of general
system of internal improvements by the general govern
ment Now If three thousand miles of railroad in one
session Of Congress is not IA general system Of internal
improvement by this government when will get to il
The next remark have make s that these bills have
been introduced in very unusual way and have been
hastily pressed to their passage None Of these bills in
roduced by the Committee Public Lands has been
BILE members Of this House The bills and amendments
have been introduced and read the Clerks desk and
then We have been compelled 10 take the bills in that way
under the operation of the previous question Take the
of this bill this morning The gentleman from Ala
bama introduces bill, and brings substitute In with tt
The BILL as il went 10 the Committee Public Lands
was printed in part and partly in manuscript with
erous nerlineatons TO make il conform the views OF
the gentleman from Alabama
The substitute to in manuscript along with
this bill Neither is printed and they are followed by
The from Alaha
the original bill the substitute nor tho amendment IL
within the reach Of members for careful examination
US Now, | say that this is most extraordinary legis-
ation, after what occurred in the last Congress Il win
be recoected that land bill passed through this House
in much the way t in proposed pass this and
by the change of a single word by whom or when, or
where made know not the entire character Of the bill
was changed and the lands given direction intend
ed &C the time the bill under confederation and passed
by this body Sir say here that under present rcum-
stances and with bills prepared in the these are
nterned here and there and printed there an
equal chance for mistake there Is for engros
ment Of the bill and there s nobody in this House who
has the means of comparing this bill passed with the
bill engrossed and signed by the President because
We have printed bill with which 70 make the compari-
son.
say, then it is extraordinary that bill which
proposes to grant millions Of Of the public lands
should he passed here under such circumstances under
the gag OF the previous question denying 20 everybody
not only the right to debate the bill the right 10
read IL The only privilege have is to hear t
we 10 upon tt
Then, sir the next remark have make i that these
bills unfair that they do not present Of
facts the country aud that they calculated to make
impression upon the public mind when II s
declared by the authors and advocates Of
each odd section which the grants IL reserves
section to be sold % 50 per acre which will
balance the sections given away at the original Of
81 IS per Let show that such s not the case
There hirysx sections Of land in each township By
previous act Of Congress the sixteenth section in each
township has been donated 10 the States for school pur
poses and thirtyfve sections only left in each town
ship TO be affected by these b Seventeen Of these are
sections and eighteen odd sections Now you will
notice that every Of these bills for the donation Of
lands for railroad purposes declares that the States are TO
take the odd sections within the range Of sx miles on
either side and all the reserved sections within that limit
TO be sold at ~ so Bot there s this
able difference between the government and the corpora
tons 70 which these lands donated After these rail-
road companies have been organized cannot get
the quantity Of odd sections Of land TO which the bill an
may select such deficiency from any OF the public lands
lying within fifteen miles either side Of the road
Of the reserved sections outside Of the
and within the fifteen miles is increased So so an acre
Do you not then that the operation unfair one
When declares TO the country that quantity of land
reserved by the government for sale perfectly manifest
that the declaration is not correct
The next remark wish to make il in regard to the
argument relied upon here that the government being
the proprietor should contribute the constructions Of
these Improvements, IL would be judicious appro-
pration of the public land. Why SIR what would be
thought Of that individual who owning six hundred
than three hundred Of his the purpose
Of getting railroad to alongside Of what left
Yet such s the operation Of this policy The
being the proprietor and holding this land in for the