Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-02-14

ner he given or loaned to, or in aid of
any ind1gidsal, association, or corpora
ton; ga the St6fe shall pever assume,
or becoSe respolA ihle for, the debts or
liabiltiSD OF am indiyidnsl, association
or corp0sasion, unless incurred in time
Of war for the benefit of the State
this was truely spirited convention,
and some Of the best men in the State
came out boldly and denounced the IN
constitutionality of such course ~ well
A. tho policy itself, provided it could be
constitu,ionalIy done. A majority Of the
convention, b, viewer, resolved to memo
rialize the Governor IN favor Of . session
but he in bis wisdom declined granting
this request.
But now, IS the Legislature Of our
State has convened ia regular session, |
suppose these vnltures will light
upon her like set of hungry wolves,
asking for aid in some shape or form,
or for an extension OF time in coming up
to their part Of the contract. The act
of the extra session Of the Legislature,
held in the month Of July, 1856, which
donated upon certain conditions, to the
Mississippi aad Missouri Railroad Com
pany this land which had been granted
by Congress to the State, for the pur-
pose OF aiding and building this road
from the Mississippi to the Missouri
River, among other conditions, required
this Company to complete seventy-five
miles of their road bv the first day Of
, December, 1859. This condition has
not been complied with, and the con-
tract between the State and the Com
pany is undoubtedly forfeited. will
venture to advise our sage Representa-
tives to look carefully into this matter
before they legislate further on this sub
ject. BY the act Of Congress, whenever
twenty miles of road is built the
State il entitled to ono hundred and
twenty sections Of land, and so on
Now whenever 100 miles Of road is built
the State will be entitled to GAO
sections, or three hundred and eighty
four thousand acres, which will cover
tho entire amount of lands falling to the
state by this grant. The state having
donated this land to the Mississippi and
Missouri company, and this land, by the
aforesaid grant, having been all used up
to build the first hundred miles Of the
road, stopping many miles eat Of Des
Moines City, and In fact before 1t reach
es the counties containing those lands,
how, / will ask the question, is the re-
mainder of the road to be built! The
company bankrupt, the lands all squan-
dered and the road about onc-th'rd OF
the way aeros. tho state and mortgsged
for more than its worth besides. We
all we'll know that the idea advanced to
induce Congress to donate alternate sec-
tons of land to aid in building railroads
is, that the building Of the road itself
will double the value Of the alternate
sections. This doctrine is undoubtedly
true, provided the road is built through
those lands. But in this case it does not
apply, the proceeds Of the lands are all
squandered before the road is within one
hundred miles of the lands intended to
be benefited by the grant. And how,
| will ask, is the balance OF this road to
be built? Why, sirs, whenever the
people living along the line, and who
purchased these alternate sections Of
government lands at $3.50 per acre, that
they should have had at $l.25, will fur
nish the money to build the road, it will
be built and not before. The same song
will be sung and the same stories told
by Farnam and his clique Of Wall street
sharks, to the people around Des Moincs
and farther west, that was told to us near
tho Mississippi, viz: Gentlemen, if you
will furnish one-third ct the money to
build this road, We will furnish the re-
manning two thirds and build it for you.
They will forget to tell you, as they did
US, that you must furnish your third first
and lay it out upon the work, and we
will raise eur two-thirds by placing a
mortgage upon what you have done and
by floating debt. 1t will be we'll for
all parties living west Of the first hun
dred miles of this road to examine this
matter carefully before they act, for, in
my opinion, if this line Of road remains
under its present managers and blood
suckers, they will DO as beautifully swim
died As we who have been living farther
east. State aid has been and is now the
cry of those foreign gontry. If they
could only get the state to grant them
aid to the tune of I few millions, they
would be very happy mon. They have
already received very large amount Of
city and county bonds, together with =
very liberal private subscription, also
!our hundred thousand acres Of choice
lands; and now, if they could only get
their pa,cs into the State Treasury and
get out few millions it would be most
beautiful thing 70 top off with. and .
complete swindle upon the state, for
which she would never receive one
dollar.
CoNTINUED Tomorrow.