The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1861-02-22
Legislative Topics.

Both branches of the Legislature have
passed a series of resolutions embracing
general principles which are intended as
guidance for future legislation. They passed
the House by large majority, but in the
Senate the opposition to them was much
stronger. We give the resolutions as
passed, and the vote on each:
Resolved, That this Senate will entertain no
proposition for the amendment to the Constitu.
ton imparihg or altering its present provisions
prohibiting the creation OF State debt, or the
loan of its credit for the purposes of internal
improvement; or which would secure to any
railroad company the extraordinary privilege
of constitutional sanction of its privileges and
franchises. thereby placing them beyond the
reach of legislative action and control.
Yeas IL, nays 7-mDjority4 4.
Resolved, That the preservation as an entire
ty of each of the land grant lines of railroad as
defined by the act of Congress, of March 3, 1857,
making the grant and the Territorial Act. to
execute the trust created by said Act of Con-
gress, is required by the terms of the grant,
the pighted faith of the State and justice to all
localities and such legislation as will prevent
the formation of a new line of road from de.
tached and fragmentary portions of the old
lines under the control Of any company; and
will devote the lands, and dispose of the fran.
chises appertaining to each of the several
roads, exclusively in aid of its construction,
will best subserve this and secure the ultimate
completion of all of said roads.
Yeas 10, nays 9-majority
Resolved, That the construction of our land
grant Railroads, should not be delayed nor
made in any manner dependent upon an at
tempted settlement of the State Railroad
Bonds, but each question should be considered
and determined upon its own merits.
Yeas 10, nays 9-majority l.
Resolved, That regarding donation of the
applicable to their completion, amply sufficient
to secure the building of all our land grant lines
of Railroads, as fast and as soon as the business
wants of the country demand, a sound and pru.
dent policy requires that the State should not
resort to taxation loan of its credit, nor to
any other of its sources of revenue present or
prospective, to aid the construction of either of
these roads.
Yeas IL, nays 8-majority 3.
Resolved, That in any act proposing to trans
fer to any parties the bonds, properties, and
| franchises appertaining to the several land
| grant lines of Railroad, or either of them, the
| interests of the people should be fully guarded
and protected by such provisions as will guar
| antee and secure the State against any loss or
uuIcdSOudUle utldy III Inc COuStTuCtiOu OI Sdiu
| roads.
Yeas IA, nays 5-majority 9.
We understand that it is the Intention of
those who pressed the above propositions
through the Legislature to introduce sepa-
rate bills for each road embraced in the
Land Grant system, during the present
week.
1t will be seen that the third resolution
entirely repudiates the doctrine of the rail-
road resolution in the Republican platform,
upon which the members of the Legislature
were elected, viz: that the bonds should
"be made subservient to the building of the
roads," and also the ideas embodied in the
Governors message, upon the same snbject
it entirely disconnects the settlement of
the bond question with the construction OF
the roads.
The friends of the resolutions are strong
in the belief that their adoption removes
the principal difficulties in the disposition
OF the subject, but we appreherd that they
will find themselves mistaken, and that when
the details are entered into, there will be
found as great diversity of sentiment as
there is upon the principles which underlie
them. e