Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1857-01-07
r.nnd for RaiI ROADS.


marks on tho subject Of granting the Public
Lands for building Railroads:
Whatever may be thought Of the wisdom or
folly, justice or injustice, OF the cession of Pub
lie Lands to the States respectively which con.
tain them, in aid OF the construction of Railroads
through those Lands, wejudge that no practical
rofecting man can doubt that such cession is
now part of the settled policy of the Union.
From the day that Congress made the initial and
magnificent grant to Illinois, whence has sprung
her Central Railroad, it has been morally newt
able that all other States containing public lands
to any extent would ask and receive likewise.
We hold, therefore, that the present Congress
did well in extending such cessions TO all the
Land States that had not already received pro-
vded the Lands so coded were proportioned in
area to the original cession TO Illinois. That
there were Partially, laundering, and even cor
ruplion, in locating the Roads to be aided is
highly probable, and this suggests the necessity
OF modification of the system on which these
grants are made before it shall be again applied
Minnesota is now represented as asking for
Land grants, and applications from Kansas Ne
braska, and perhaps Utah, Oregon and Washing
ton, if not already made, cannot be far off. And
these must all in due season be conceded. Even
if it were wrong to begin this policy, it would
point. But we are inclined to think it was not
wrong-that it was well, even for the Govern.
ment, to have a part of its Lands devoted 10
building the Central Railroad, whereby a far
larger area was rendered accessible and inviting,
which, in the absence of that Road, vast regions
of woodless prairie would not have been taken
mp and would not have been hsbitatle for
generation. While we hold that fit settlement,
not revenue should be first regared in our puplic
Land policy, we suspect that Illinois, through
the increased consumption of imported, d.ty-
paying products. will yield more gross revenue
to the Federal Treasury within the present gene
ration, and far more afterward, than she would
have done if there had been no grant of Lands
to construct the Central Railroad. 1t is bu, Just
to consider, moreover, that those who first in
wade aud subdue the wilderness, as pioneers of
civilization, deserve something beside taxation
or exaction from the Government, and that, next
to Common Schools, Railroads are their most
sensible blessings. Building materials, goods,
implements, seeds,-everything desired or desir-
able-follow swiftly on the iron track, while D, o.
ducts, before hardly sdleable find ready and
remuneratins market; SO that many a quarter
section, before scarcely worth taking as gift,
becomes worth ten dollars acre from the mo
ment railroad passes within half dozen miles
of it. Whatever abuses NAV be incidental to the
system of Land grants tor Railroads, and how
aver susceptible it may be of Improvement, we
hold that it has been generally benefcent to the
new States, without being unjust to any others
We stand ready to maintain this, whenever Min
nesota or any other of our territories, having as
sumed the position and responsibilities Of SOW
ereign State, shall demand of Congress an extern
sion to her ofthe same measure OF liberality with
regard to Railroads which the States east other
have already enjoyed
But let her ask for justice, not favor, and in
the spirit of conscious right. Let her designate
by her Legislature the routes on which Railroads
shall be built across her soil, and not permit
this purely domestic matter to be sguabbled over
and decided in the committee rooms and on the
floor of Congress. Let her ask for her allotment
of land, as determined by the precedcnts already
established, and accept it under the usual stipu-
lations and covenants, faithfully dcvoting it to
the purpose indicated. If she chooses to con
struct halfa dozen Railroads Herewith, or but
one, that is her own affair, with which Congress
has nothing to do. So long Us she fuiills her
covenants, and builds the extent of Railroad re-
CURED thereby, Congress has no reason for in
terfering.
Let the people of Minnesota and other Terrific
ries understand, then, that our opposition to rail
road grants in their behalf at this time is not
based on any hostility to the grants themselves,
but to the policy of making them, under loose
system, liable TO many abuses, while there is no
substantial body polite requiring and covenant
ing faithfully to apply them Minnesota will be
State year hence, and may then responsibility
and properly apply for Federal aid in the con-
structlon of her Railroads Let her do SO as one
asking for rights. speaking through her repre-
sentatives i'll either House of Congress, and
spurning any protiers OF aid from the enterpris-
ing and self assured gentlemen of the Third
House who will whisper that they have '.tixed"
this or that member to whom they probably new
er ventured even to speak on such busine- in
their lives. A year is not long to watt and we
are sure that it may be well spent by Minnesota
in fixing on the proper locations, as to deter
mine them for herself and not have them pre-
scribed by Congress.