White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1866-02-08
Railroed. ana state L..d..

Railreads and State Lands.
A bill has slresdy passed the State Sem
ate. giving 500. 600 acres Of lands belong.
ing to the State to railroad companies.
to aid them in the construction Of their
respective roads. These rosds are the
Northern road. commencing at Elwood.
opposit St. Jo.. snd running directly
west through Doniphan. Brown. Nemahs.
Marshall and Washington counties; an
other is the Kansas City aud Fort Scott
Railroad. com pencing at point oppo.
site the City Of Wysndotte. and running
sou,berly through Ola,he. Psola and
Mound City to Fort Scott. The bill
provides that this road shall be of the
same gauge as the Missouri River Rail-
road. The third is the Neosho Valley
rosd. commencing at Junction City, and
running south easterly along the Neosbo
River. and embracing what is intended
to be branch of the Southern Pacific
Railroad. 1t provides that the sppro-
pristion BY the act Of Congress of 1s41.
BY which $4,000 acres of land ore
given to each new State upon its ad.
mission into the Union. for tho purposes
Of internal mprovement-railways being
specially mentioned-shsll be applied to
the benefit Of the three railway enter
prises Damed. An agent is to be appoint
ed by the Governor to sell the lands,
who is to give the requisite security, and
report to the Treasurer of the State each
month. and deposit his collections in the
State Treasury. No company shall re.
ceive dollar until at lesst ten miles of
railroad is completed and in running order.
The bill passed the Senate by the en-
phatic vote of17 to S. Messrs. Legute,
Gambell and Barber were absent. Mr..
Foot voted in the affirmative.
A great cry has been raised in some
quarters of fraud, an there is considerable
excitement 10 some portions OF the State
by parties who imagine that they do not
receive an immediate benef. from the
subsidy. Much is also said as to the
fact that, by an ordinance in our State
Constitution. these lands were sppropri.
ated to the use of common schools. A
sufficient answer 10 this. is, that the lands
were given for another and different pur.
pose. and that the attempted diversions
Of them was not ratified by Congress-; be.
sides the State has an abundance of lands
for schools already. If they are made
available.
We do not know much about these
railroad corporations, whether they are
the proper recipients or not. of so valua.
BILE beniGce. but on general principles
We are glad these portions of our State
have some prospect Of receiving some.
thing. In the distribution of railroad
grants and franchises, they have been
signally and shsmefully neglected, and
every portion Of the State other then
those benefited by these projected roads.
have received valuable grants from the
General Government The Northern
tier. the border tier and the Neosho Val
ley. comprising nearly one. half of the
population of the State. have been pass
ed BY, that other parts more favored,
might be benefited. The policy OF
bringing into market our unoccupied, IN.
cultivated lands, dead alike to settlsmen.
aud taxation. cannot be dues.ioned.-
The great curse now upon us, is. the
thousands of scres 10 Indian reservations,
school lands. DC. that csnnot be bought
or improved. Let us remove this obsta-
Gle to immigration as rapidly as possible.
If. then, these lands can be thrown open
to occupancy and settlement. and the
proceeds OF them devoted to the great
work Of providing railway facilities, the
result cannot fail to be beneficial in the
highest degree.
The bill is thoroughly guarded and
leaves no avenue for fraud or speculation.
Messrs. Potter. Manning, Miller, Eak-
ridge. Weer and other Senators advocat-
ed it with great force and earuestness. 1t
was opposed quite as earnestly and with
remarkable ability. by Aiken. of Doug
lass. Houston, Of Anderson, and Wheeler
of Atchison. 1t is now pending in the
House. but the result is not problemsti.
cal. The argument Of Col. Weer upon
the constitutiouality Of the appropriation
was mastery and complete. 1t would
heve done honor to. the Supreme Court
of the United States. We repeat. then,
that We are glad these sections of our
State hitherto neglected in the distribu-
tion OF railway grants, are likely to re-
ceive some attention and recognition |
from the Legislature. They are entitled
to it, and those portions of the State that
have been recipients of large favors from
the General Government. should cheer.
fully acquiesce in it.-LeavenworM Con-
servdtire.