The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1864-04-02
'';HN,6TTMKssTTrSrg

s&&zAsw ~ - NJ ~ y - e+%s
The ousstion i frequently asksdsll
s.what has the Iegislatnre done With The
Railroads II We answer. notAie hs |
reads all rensin ia fun and uisdas. |
turbed possession Of their grants.
bill Of conditional resumption was pass
ed By the House, but defeated IN the
Senate. So all the noise upon this sub
feet he's been for nothing. We were ct
the Capitol when this subject was first
brought up and in letters TO the NosRA-
RRrI at that time, took strong grounds
for resumption. There are hundreds OF
men livingin the Western part Of the
State, upon lands sold 10 them as swamp
lands by the several counties, and which
had been paid form hard cash BY the
settlers, but which are claimed by the
Railroads as coming within the proyis-
ions of the act of Congress, making
grants of land for Railroad purposes
These having been previously granted by
Congress to the State of Iowa, we be.
lieyed the railroads had no just claim
upon them, and to save the settlers
upon these lands from the, expense OF.
litigating their claims with the various
Railroad Companies, we thought 1t the
duty of the State to resume all the lands
conditionally granted to the roads, and
then re-grant to the roads all except
such as was originally granted to the
State of nwa as swamp land. This pro-
iect met with general favor, and would
have carried, had it not BEEN that Yhen
the discussion of the subject was opened
in the House, very large Niger was
discovered in the resumption wood
pile" in the shape of that old exploded
humbug. the Des Noines River Naviga-
ton Company. 1t became apparent
that the frieds of resumption, with a
few exceptions, were the friends of this
notorious Navigation Company, and that
their loud professions of love for the
settler were only cloak to cover up their
efforts on behalf of the said Company
that they cared very little for the rights
of swamp land claimants, except so far
as they could use the settler as kind of
pack horse to carry the Navigation Com
pany, and secure the passage of bill
whereby the company would be rein
stated in possession of the lands on the
Des Moines liver, which they had for
feited long ago. The object was to re-
sumo the railroad grants, that the Navi-
CATION Company might be again be put
in possession of certain forfeited
lands on the Des Moines river. We
didn't see it in that light" We are in
favor Of securing to every man his rights,
and at the same time opposed to depriv-
ing our railroads of the benefit of sin.
gle acre of land to which they are justly
entitled, and rather than see any portion
Of the railroad grants squandered or
misapplied for the purpose of benefit
ting that greatest swindling humbugs-
the Des Moines Navigation Company
we would sec the whole resumption
scheme fail
This is the position we took as soon as
the real character of the movement was
discovered and so expressed ourself in a
letter written the day after the great
speech Of Mr. BERGMAN, of Henry, the
champion of resumption-whom we be-
lieye to be an honest and who
avowed openly upon the floor of the
House, the real motives by which he was
actuated in favoring resumption, ri=.-to
secure to the Des Moines River Naviga-
ton Company, lands to which he con-
sidered it entitled. When the end to
be gained by this measure was thus made
known those who had favored absolute
resumption for the purpose Of protect
ing swamp land claimants-could not
longer consistently support it, but
brought forward substitute, giving pro-
lection to the settlers, and leaving the
Navigation Company out in the cold
This bill was carried through the House,
after bitter fight of fifteen days, but
was defeated in the Senate by the same
men who had originally favored absolute
resumption.
-S-Sn------------