Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-29
THE TWO PER CENT FUND.

For several years past the people Of Illinois
have, through the public press, become quite
familiar with the efforts made by, Governors
Bissell and Yates, to. obtain frsm the general
government through the Department of the In
terror recognition of the claim which the
State had on the two per cent fund expressly
granted Illinois by its Enabling Act. Hon.
Isaac n. Morris. Of Illinois, while member
of Congress, used his utmost endeavors ir this
direction, and when his term of Office expired
Gov. Yates, though politically opposed to him,
clothed Col. Morris with authority to proceed
to Washington and in the name of the State,
prosecute the claim. President Lincoln, re-
eognizing the claim just one. aided the
Commissioner as much as possible, but Hon.
J. P. Usher placed every obstacle in his way,
until finally, Mr.. Morris gave up in despair and
resigned his position, but in doing SO, laidtho
blame where it properly belonged. Usher
having laid aside the the portfolio of his Office,
replies to Col Morris, and not content with re-
plying to The structures of the honorable dele
gate of the State, steps out of his way to assail
I the business ofthe claim.
!, The telegraph dispatches having given q
! summary Of the correspondence alluded to. we
present the following Message on the subject,
submitted by Governor Yates to the last
. sion of the State Legislature, winch though
brief, explicitly explains the whole matter in
! issue, which our readers will take interest in
referring to:
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, }
EpRISfFIELn ILL.,. jar 10. 1865 (
! To the Honorable the House Of Representatives..
! In response to certain resolutions adopted
] by the House of Representatives, on the 9th
: instant, having reference, as | understand
them to the claim OF Illinois against the Uni
! ted States for two per cent. of the net proceeds
arising from the sale of public lands, which
! was reserved in the compact between the
! United States and Illinois, to be expended, un-
der the direction Of Congress, in constructing
! roads leading to the State, I have the honor to
| communicate the facts in relation to the claim
/ made by the State aud my action in connection
| herewith, together with such suggestions as,
! in my opinion, will fully enable the State to ar
/ rive al d just conclusion on the subject
! In 1918, Congress passed an act to enable the
| people of Illinois Territory to form constItu-
ton and State government, and for the admIs-
sion of such State into the Union. The sixth
section of that act offered four certain PROPOSE
! formed, for their free acceptance or rejection,
and which, if accepted by the convention,
should, as it expressly declares, ''be obagato-
J m on the United States" These propositions
| were accepted, and the conditions upon which
| they were made strictly Observed by which
! the State lost u large amount of revenue in re-
| framing to tax the public lands for five years
| from and after the day of sale, and the patented
| lands for three years after the date OF the pat
| o.Iylly yyrhn uarn
tinued to be held by the patentees or their
! heirs, as au equivalent for this, and not
| as q gratuity- or donation. The third PROPOSE
! ton declares ''that five per cent of the net
| proceeds of the lands lying within such State
! and which shall be sold by Congress- from and
| after tie first day Of January, one thousand
! eight hundred and nineteen, after deducting all
| expenses incident to the same shall be reserved
for the purposes following, two fitths to be
| disbursed under the direction of Congress-. iD
| making roads leading to the State, the residue
| to be appropriated by the Legislature of the
| State for the encouragement of learning, OF
which one sixth part shall be exclusively be
slowed on college or university.h
| The three per cent thus set apart to the
! State, for educational purposes, has been, from
! time to time, paid over by the United States,
! but not dollar o. the two per cent, set apart
i for road purposes, has ever been pad; nor can
! it be shown that it has been expended in Il
manner required by the trust. The money, as
! it accumulated in the treasury, belonged to the
State and Congress was only empowered, as
trustee, to dlsburse it i'll conformity to the terms
! imposed upon them. 1t has not been pretended
that the money was used i'll making roads
| leading to the State The Interior Depart
meuv has, however, claimed that the State
| should be charged with the sums expended
within her limits ON the National or Cumber
! land road, while the Treasury Department,
| where such matters are properly cognzable,
| has never made charge oil such d character
against the fund. While my limits forbid dis
cussion of the ground assuned by the Interior
| Secretary, feel it my duty to say, believe it
! wholly untenable, and it certainly operates
| very unjustly towards the State
4 provision, setting apart five per cent. OF
the net proceeds arising from the sales ci public
lands, viii be found in the enabling act OF each
new State admitted in:o the Union, in which
/ such lands were situated. or in the act provld-
ing for such admission, barring California; and
with three exceptions, each State to winch the
amount was granted received it IN money from
tie National treasury, aud disposed OF 1t by
! their Legislative enactmt MS. Congress
/ did not attempt 10 execute the trust but trans
ierrcd it to the Legislatures of the States respec-
lively. The three exceptions, referred to, are
Ohio, Indiana aud Illinois. Their road fund Of
two per cent. together with that OF Missouri
which was subsequently paid over to that State
| was reserved by certain acts of Congress, to