The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-02-03
AGRICULTURE TEMPERANCE
!: & ,orrUMWA IOWA, ,lrHUksDAY; FEB RuAeY 8, 1859.

become monoply Tor very few lnfl>
viduals or companies in the United.
States, at least, will be able to max
proposition that any discreet PRECEDENT
of the United States would be lkely 70
entertain. Y
Congress, in my judgement, shoNld
locate. the general route Of the road, for
the purpose Of securing the most direct
route, This bill, as, it now stands, un.
amended, itseems to me, holds out di-.
rect inducement to the contractor to cog-
struct the road on the most circuitSus
route. l will suppose the contract to
have been made, to have been signed,
sealed, and delivered; that then the con,
tractor Informs the President that the
general route Of the road, commenting
at the mouth ofthe Big Siuox, the north
ern extremity Of the eastern terminus
named, will run over the .alluvial lands
near the Missouri river. across Nebraska
to the, Kaw river, thence across Kansas
and the Indian Territory, in . south
western direction, towards the fhirty>
6fth or thirty second degree Of north
latitude; and that he proceeds to It's con-
construction, and builds first DIVISION Of
twenty-five miles. He will receive Ms
$3.50, 900 and fifteen sections Of land fof
each mile of thus constructed. The
completion of the next division of. twep:.
ty-fve miles weuld secure $3.50, 900 in
money, to be drawn from the iTreassiry
Of the United States. and twenty ssqf
tions of land per mile 4 and should Ne
thus proceed across these very deairable
alluvial lands, distance Of 500 miles he
will have drawa from the Treasury pf
the United States So, 1000, 900 in money!,
and secured title in fee simple to ten
millions one hundred and sixty-four
thousand acres Of the best lands belong,
ing to this Republic.
This might bring the road to the foot
Of rugged mountains ar sterile plains.--
What guarantee would VIC have that the
contractor would proceed with the work2
Ten million acres of land, located or
both sides of railroad, built and equip
ped, across the country have described,
would be estimated, by any great land
holder in the western States, to be worth
at least 100000, 900, and no railraod
contractor would estimate the average
cost of such railroad at more thal
s20, 900 per mile, one half being drawn
directly from the Treasury ofthe United
States. Thus, the contractor would RI :.
cieve bonus, for the construction of
this division Of the road, Of sixty or sei
enty million dollars.
But according to tho provisions of this
bill the fee simple to the land as well as
the money is to be transferred by him at
the completion Of such division of tEe
road to innocent holders, The $4,000, :
900 in money and the value of ten hill
ions one hundred and sixty -four fhou>
sand acres of land being in the pockets
ofthe contractor, what guarantee haye
you, that he will continue his work, te-
ing on the borders of, the precipitoAs
mountains and sterile plains stretching
off in southwestern ortwe twesternidirec-
ion for more than a thousand miles?
1t is said in this bill that five seetisas
Of land along the last division Of the
road completed shall be retained as. a
guarantees, for the construction of the
next section; that is, you will retain the
title 10 10000 acres of your own land as
. guarantee that. the company viii pro-,
ceed Nothing more. From this time
forward the land granted will be perfect
ly worthless aud cost Of the road greatly
enhanced. b. looking At the reports of
the engineers Il viii: l:hs seen that the re-.
maining:part Of, the road, after reaching
the ainetynuinta meridian, is estimated
to cost across long districts from forty to
fifty and even ono hundred thousand
dollars per mile. 4; kal,sa i ~ .gs.,l II
p But in the next place we should adopt
some such amendments as the one now
proposed;l because Congress is, or ought
to be, better qualified 10 pronounce an
enlightened and impartial decision Of
this question. know that in this opin.
len | differ from many of those around
me. | know it is said that we are diyid.
ed BY locality; that We are, divided in
this respect by interest, aud Consequent
ly. that there is great danger Of the loss
of the bill, although q large majority Of
the Senate and of Congress. is believed
to be in, favor Of . Pacific railroad, on .
route to be voted for in the dark, and
thereafter to be located by some other
party; the responsibility thus being