Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-04-25
Pills from their own Medicine Rox,

vote OF their own patty can be found reg
istored against these grants. Their Senator.
and Representatives have habitually voted
for the grants. But even this is not all.
Their own administration last in power,
warmly advocated them We append all
uncomfortable extract from the annual re-
port Of the Secretary Of the Interior, made
to Congress in 1858:
In the Territories and new States, where
many Of the public lands remain for long
period unssld, liberal grants should be made
ior those great highways which, To GER
tain extent. may be considered local in their
character, though general in thei. influence.
ana not conflicting with the interests Of the
old States. In this way, without any ex-
penditure Of money, the general government
can greatly increase the value of tue public
domain. 1t h0S neref 0sao'e such doB1tioa
pitho@ being taily repaid. The principle
OF granting alternate sections, aud selling
those reserved ut double the ordinary price,
has been found, by experience, to be most
salutary. By reason Of the Improvements,
made with such grants, large tracts of land,
that had lain waste, have been brought into
market and found ready sale; the sur
rounding country has been peopled; the
revenue has been augmented by the Increas-
ed consumption Of foreign merchandise and
the States i'll which the improvements have
been thus made, and not unfreqaeHtly the
adjacent States, have been largely benefited.
y ithout these donations, and consequent
Improvements, some of the finest portions
8f the new States would have continued q
Wilderness laeds tint rad teea fos FIFTEEN
o. t.9enty gers in the market. na.git hate
fenaaited rs much teayef Masold, and thus
the prosperity aud advancement Of the Whole
country been greatly retarded. The loss to
The government would have been serious,
without any corresponding benefit The
true policy :, to bring the lands into mark
ct, aud, by all legitimate means, dispose Of
hem as soan as possible.
On the 18th Of 5eptember, 1850. grant
{ lands was made To the States Of Illinois
Mississippi and Alabama, to aid in the con
struetion of the great Central railroad from
Chicago to Mobile. To afford these States
II opportunity Of making THEN selections,
tae lands along the supposed roa;e Of the
f4aa were, t9f a short period, withdrawn
from market, most Of them icing Of Gttle
value to the States ia Waeh they wefe, o,
. the general government, until the grants
we're made aud II WAS ascertaiued the roao
would be constructed /; tet t,ee they iee,t
5oaqht up .et!a .etialty, and arc a9ee cone
sjdcrcd as most cdoice and ealaabie
The Illinois Central Railroad Company
was Incorporated, aud the rou,c Of the roaa
and is branches within that State designat-
cd. by an act OF the Legislature in February,
1880. During the haiti year ending 3Ist
Qcceuber, loo0, the quantity Of land solJ
and located with bounty land warrants, Ia
the district trayersed by the road, was $40,
Isl 85-tGO acres The alternate sections
reserved 70 the United States were released
from reservation and brought into market
ia j aly, August, anu September, 1852,
and during that and the next Succeeding
quarter tie sales ard locations amounted to
I.<I4.522 26-l0U acres; showing an III
crease over the corresponding half year next
preceding the location of tho road. OF 81, =
03+ 40-l50 acres.
Tne unsolicited lands Ii The Augusta anu
Columbus districts, III iAa state .. Alsaissip-
ri, We're restored to market III the month Vi
September last; and Notwithstanding tn
sales in those districts had t1r many years
been very limited. the lauds thus restored
nat ready sales ut enhanced prices. The
quantity sold at Augusta in the month o.
september, 1877, WAS oniy Ia acres; aud
in the same month in the years 1890, 1891
aud 1872, much less; anu yet in i've day,
in September last, after tie route OF the
road had been established, ana the alternate
sections designated 10y the States, 10 J5j
Ieres were sold for S34, 0a5, being 50 g IL
more than their aggregate value at tue min-
.mum price In the Columbus district, in
he short space of twelve days in the month
If September last, % ,5bi acres we're dis
posel Of whereas, il all thu month oil Sep
omber, 1859, The quantity sold was only
:, 35S acres.
Or, if that be Not enough hear aud re.
poet Mr. F3apto.'e's o,ra Commissioner o
he Laad Office. IN his official report .
1852, that official presents the following
siews:
Where grants haze been made By altern-
tie sections, reservine every other section
10 the government, and doubling the min
mum price of the lands thus reserved, thC
government has gained as before stated
md also directly by the eaAa@eed eatae q
he ltals ao1oag such Improvements.
The grants FOX the Mobile and Chicago
Railroad made by the act Of Goth Septent.
GER 1850, SO far u. the State Of Illiue3s i
concerned, where the selections have been
completed and tho lands retained by tbs
government brought into market, is strong
y in point in support Of this view Her,
the greatest anxiety was manifested to OBJ
tain lands along the road eeeA at tie ea
haaced mJatatam, and thousands of acre
weresdisposed Of that would probably hay,
remained unsola for a'an. }ears.
So far, then as the grants Of tltis eharac-
ter are concerned, the severest criticism can
not justly charge them as violations Of tho
eompacts with the several States from whiet
they were acquired, to wit, that they should
be considered a common fund for the. usG
and benefit of all the States.
---------------------------
4 Sensible F1tAer The Sunday Atlas
says that a gentleman Of great wealth in
New York hut who has never cara to min.