Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-01-17

: to pay snch expenses in all cases. Itis. desi.
raole that the uncertainty on these points
| should be removed. a.
Agriculture is, and for many years must
continue to be the leading interest in our
State; and any fair and legitimate aid that
can DC given thereto will tend to promote the
public good. with this object, the State has
for some years, paid consider able sums year
", to aid the Agricultural Societies of the
State and counties. Whether the benefits
that have resulted from this expenditure will
Justify its continuance during our present
difficulties and embarrassments, you must de.
eide This great interest of our State may, in
my judgment, be aided by legislation in now
direction. Hitherto our great staples for *.
port nave been wheat, corn, cattle and hogs.
Inc prices paid for the transportation of these
articles to New York fo'm "a large portion OF
their value at that point. Indeed, wheat and
corn Will not bear transpor tat!on to that mar
ket during the season when the navigation OF
the lakes is closed, Experience has, think,
conclusively shown that our State is admira-
bly, adapted to sheep grazing, and the value
Of wool in proportion to its bulk and weight
is much greater, AMI the price offs transpor
tatlon to New York in proportion to its value
much less than that of our present staples.
A great drawback upon the growing OF
wool is that large numbers of sheep are an.
nualy killed by dogs. I, therefore, recon-
mend that tax be levied on all dogs in the
State, and that the proceeds of the tax be ap-
piled to paying to owners If sheep killed by
DOCS tho vaI,,o IF <ho
would 60 further than this i would exempt
from taxation for period of five years all
sheep not exceeding fifty, owned by any resi-.
dent Of the State, and wou also exempt
from taxation for the saue time all capit,l in.
vested in the State in the manufacture oil
wooden goods.
am well satisfied that the cultivation Of
flax can be successfully and profitably intro
duced i'll our State. 1t is valuable not only
for the seed, but for the lint. which, under a
| new process, is converted into what is called
Flax Cotton. am W. assured that before
the commencement of the rebellion, a remu
nerative price could be paid in our State 70,
the fax straw, which has heretofore been an
entire loss to the farmer, the fibre separated
from the wood, and the tow transported to
Boston and manufactured into Flax Cotton,
which could fairly compete in price and use
fulness with the cotton ofthe Southern States
In order to stimulate our people to examine
the question careful y, and if possible, intro.
duce among US new and profitable branch
of industry, recommend that all capital in
vested IN the manufacture of linseed oil or the
conversion Of flax straw into fax cotton, be
exempted from taxation for five years.
If our industry were more diversified, VIC
would suffer less from fluctuations of prices
of pa, ticular articles, and if as necessity re.
quires and opportunity offers, we become
manufacturers as well as producers, we will
increase our wealth and independence.
| The report Of the Secretary of the Agricul-
tural College shows the action of the Board
of Trustees since your last session. would
gladly recommend liberal appropriations for
the erection of the necess ry College and
other buildings, if the condition of our finances
would allow, but mot now do so. The
farm and buildings are IN such condition that
failure to make appropriations will not nec-
essarly work any injury to them. The only
unfavorable result will be delay, and to that
we must submit until our national difficulties
are removed. heartily approve of the poll.
cy adopted by the Trustees, of reserving the
lands donated by the State and by individuals,
and the bonds of Story county to ent!ow the
institution, trusting to the liberality Of the
State and of individuals in more prosperous
times for the erection of the necessary build
| ings.
LAND GRANT.
The Report of the Register of the State
Lard Office shows the condition of the various
grants Of land made by the Congress of the
| United States to this State
Very serious and embarrassing questions
| have arisen from the conflicting interests
and claims of some Of the Land Grant Rail
Road Companies and the Desmoines Naviga-
ton and Rail Road Company There have
been much vacilliation and conflict Of opinion
| and action among the heads of the Depart
ment Of the Interio: in regard to the extent
of the Desmoincs River Land Grant. That
Grant has been helt by one Secretary to ex-
tend only to the forks of the River at Des.
moines City 4: by another to extend 20 the
source Of the River in Minnesota, and bv
mother to extend only to the North bounda-
ry OF the State. One or more of the Secreta-
ries certified to the State as part of this Grant
large bodies of land lying above the forks of
the River within the limits of this State, and
the State subsequently sold ard conveyed
many OF THESE lands to individuals, After
wards the State contracted with the Des.
MONIES Navigation and Rail Road Company
to prosecute the work Of improving he Des-
mc!pes River, agreeing to convey to said
Company the title Of the State to portions Of
the lands so certified to the State for that
urpose, as rapidly as the work pro: ressed
Under this arrangement the title of the State
20 many of these lands was conveyed to the
Desmoines Navigation and Railroad Company
Subsequently by settlement with the Des-
noines Navigation and Railroad Company
the State conveyed to said Company the title
of the S ate to the remainder of the lands
which had bacn certified to the State by the
Secretary of the Interior, and at the same
time conveyed to the Keokuk, IT. Desmoines
and Minnesota Railroad Company its title to
al the lands of said grant which had not
been certified to the State by the Secretary of
t Interior, except fifty thousand acres re.
served for certain purposes, The Desmoines
Navigation and Railroad Company have con-
veyed to individuals large bodies of the lands
thus conveyed to them. The lands of three
of the Land Grant Railroads (the Dubuque
& Sioux City. the Cedar Rapids & Missouri
and the Mississippi & M,ssourD cross the
Oesmoines River above its forks, and hence
arises conflict between these companies and
the companies and their grantees, and the
grantees fthe State who hold portions of those
lands as part of the original Desmoines River
Graft. These Railroad Companies. claim
that the Desmoines River Grant never really
extended above the forks of the River at Des-
MONIES. and that consequently all conveyan-
ces made by the State of lands above that
point, as Desmoines River Grant Lands, are
invalid, and that by virtue of the Railroad
Land Grants they acquired title to all such
lands lying within the limits of their respect
i've grants,
The State having only conveyed what title
it had to these lands may not be legally liable