The New York herald., 1866-06-16

and sixty acres embrace his improvements and min-
ing premises Under these acts the minimum price of
three sections Of coal lands would bo thirty eight
thousand four hundred dollars. BY tho bill now
In question: three sections containing coal and iron
bestowed on this company at the nominal price 0f
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, twenty four
updred dollars thus making gratuity or gilt TO tho
New York and Montana Iron Mining and Manufacturing
Company OF thiity.sx thousand dollars On what
ground can such gratuy 70 tins company be justified,
especially NJ time the burdens Of taxation bear
heavily all classes Of the peopeS Less than two years
ago appears TO have been the deliberate judgment OF
Congress- that tracts OF land containing coal beds coal
hsds should be sold alter three months notice to the
bidder a public auction who would give the CHEST price
over twenty dollars per acre. and that engaged
In the business OF actual coal mining on
tho public domain should only tract
of one hundred and sixty acres at private entry
upon payment OF twenty dollars an and formal and
salts acory proof that he In all respects within The
meaning Of the statute II cannot b. that the coal fields
OF Montana have appreciated nearly wonty fold Ia value
since July, 1864 80 complete revolution IN the land
policy as Is manifested by tho act only be ascrbed,
therefore, to an nadvcrtencc, which Congress Will
Believing that the pre- emptlon policy deliberately
adopted, so long practssd carefully guarded with
view 10 the disposal or the public lands in that
would promote tho population and prosperity OF the
country should not be perverted 10 the purposes conte
plated by the bill would be constrained 10 withhold my
SANCTION even II this company natural
persons entitled TO tho privilege OF ordinary
pre-emptions for corporation, az The nam,
and absence OF any designation OF iDtiyidTals
would denote the before Is liable another
fatal objection. Why should Incorporated companies
principle Of justice requires such policy' What mo-
tive OF public policy fail TO condemn ~ Lands
held In mortmain by dead hand and from the terms
OF Magma Chara corporations required the royal license
to hold, aud because such holding was regarded In
dcrogation OF public policy and common right Pre-
ornpon is itself special privilege only authorized by
ts supposed public benefit in promoting the settlement
and cultivation of territory and IA rowarng the
enterprise OF the persons upon whom tho privilege
bestowed. "Prc-empton rights declared by
tho Supreme Court OF the United States are
hed In m IN uit at lfp pntle
necessary by the enterprise Of citizens. Tho
adventurous pioneer who II found in advance " our
settlements encounters many harshps and not unfrc
fneny dangers from savage incursions Ne generally
poor and II u TT that his enterprise should bc rewarded
by the privilege of purchasing the spot selected by him.
not to exceed one hundred and sixty acres
II may be said that this company before they obtain
patent must prove thai within two years they have
erected and have IN operation places on the
said lands works, with capacity for manufacturing
at least ffeon hundred tons Of iron per On the
other hand they have possession years or
than twelve thousand ~ the rhoe lands OF
the Territory Of which nearly thousand
contain iron ore ard coal and over ten thousand acres
10 ba or timber land selected by themselves. They will
thus have the rst executive force in they the
only parties who at this time would have any privilege
whatever In tho Of obtaining titles In that Territory.
Inssmuch Montana has yet been organ'zi Into
land district the general pre- empiicn laws r the b'net
OF individual settlers have not yet been extended To that
country, has single OF public land in the Ter
rltory yet been surveyed
with such exclusive and extraordinary privileges how
many companies would he willing 10 undertake fu
that would produce i've per day In much icss than
two yearsy II IL plain that the pretended consideration
which the patent Is to sfe bears unjust proportion
70 that Of the ordinary praempor and that this hill
bit the precursor OF a system of land dstribnon 10
privileged class nnaalai unnst AMI which ought NJ,
o receive tho sanction of the general rment Many
Thousand onecrs have turned her steps 20 the Western
Territories seeking With thcr arms aud children home
s'eas 10 be acquired nv sturdy industry under tho
onlpon laws On their arrival loy shnuld not ind the
tmbered lands aud the tr - containing iron and coal
already surveyed and claimed bv corporate companes,
favored by special legislation of congres, and with
boundaries xed egan In advance of the pnbr surveyr
departure from the saiutary provision requiring q
settler ursfveycd and- ~ lin the boundaries of
his claims 10 tho lines VI the polle survey. After
they shall have been es'shisled he receives
title only 10 lsra subf vision, including
his rcsIderca asd Improvement The survey
o! tho company may nos accord With tia which
viii hereafter be made by no goysrms.nt, whle tic
patent ssued wIil 10 aescr,psye of and confer e 10
the tract surveyed by tho company sia aware -
no precedent for granting sm.h exclusive rglds ~
ilannlacfffog company for Dntainal confederation.
torress mate conca9srns t0 Railway rrnfan ~soi sitter.
nate tectons within sivcn Limits 81 ihs lines % tsir
roads. fig policy originated IN the belief that Tho
facilities Afforded by reaching the parts al the country
remote from tho population w6ald atpe
diie the settlement AMI sai@ OF the public domain.
In incidental advantages secured without fur
thsr pceani,ry Dsr 10 n, governments by reason
" the enhanced vslae of tho reserved sections,
which ~ at The doIble minimum. k,n NJ
and mnnulsr.nriny rmPfanis~. however, have alwats
been dising ashef from publie nprogefnrn. oorp,
rstions Tho former ~ AN and fact only pri-
for ira I. aud bgsness individual
srcount and Tor bsnrni Admitting tua ptnpo
ston that railroad Grants an s.nl oa sgnd rrtncula
u is PLAIN that snct gth rDncrsslDns
To com ans. like that Contemplate ~ tbs measure
Ia view u the strung temptation q nnnopozn The pab
lle lands with tho pcTnictosS results would sneto AZ
least "f doubtful expectancy - ~ corpiahon ahs"
all competition with set lal settlers by authorizing them
10 beeome purcb1sons of public hnds IN tho territories
Tor any purpose, and particularly ~nen raLea SHh he
SPECIAL ben fits " this bsl i.r soir an convinced
that NE privileges II IN ordinary prce'nptar 49, ~ ~
TO extend TO incorporated curnpanie.
third objection may 10 mentioned, ~ ereupiiAes
the sprt Ia which special privileges ars s0u ~ ~ -.
corporaed conn anlcs Land subject Lo Indian occu-
N4 4 "a
from pre.emption settlement until the Indian ti1 slai
be- extngushed Ia the fourth section oi This act Los
ever, land hed by Indian title excepted from pro-
hibon against the pat@nt 10 bc issued the Nos York
and Montana Iron Minine aud Manufacturing Company
Tie hl provides that the patent shail Ito
10 any mineral lands except IRON snd coal, amy
lands held By right ~ possession by any other title
The aid ands I, will ba that by the hft section
lands ia Indian rcsefyhiionsV excluded frvn ind
yidua pre- cnptlon right but ny he fourth section. tho
patent may any Indian Tito except atloD
that matter what may he the nature OF the indian
title, uncss u be reservation, u u unprotected ff0m
the privilege conrsd.d by this bill
without urhcr pre- sing the gulec, return tho bill
to tho Senate wsboui signature, and with tho follow
ing a. prominent objections % ~ becoming a law
Frrf-That n gives 10 the New York and Montana
Iron Mining and Manufacturing Company pro cmpsion
PRIVILEGES TO iron snd coal lands large scale, aud Al
the ordinary mInlmnm-a privilege denied 20 ordinary
prc-empor. ~ b"abgvs upon no company iafsa tracts
OF lands at onosixteenih Of the nlfnum prce
aasa ,,pn 49,, 80 ns
respect TO Timber lands allows doIblo ths time for
m.ni granted 20 pre- snpws offered lands and these
privileges for purposes hercofofe authorized by
the presumption laws bit for trade and fbanufarturin
Nasnd-fre. .emp'lon rights such scnic, "a private
cOrporatons unequal and hostile to Tue policy and
principles which sanction pre- eu pson laws
Tk,vd-rhe bill allows this company 10 take po~sez-
ron of land and acquire patent tbcr~so before
the Indian title " crtn9uishe and thus violates the
good faith of tho government toward the sbosis nal
trtbel ANDREW JOHNSON.
wAHsoros, ID e.. juno rs isdS
pArHlsOros Avn orowaFrU~s err cpsnrrn.
Mr. Nosrni moved 20 call w the bill rrpcAng the
city charter of wash ngton and Georgot0~n and provi
IN, for their government by commissioners
Mr. wns,s moved ~ postpone tie above bill TN the
lat Monday In Decambsr lie In favor hs said ~
the other proposition heh conferred universal suffrage
the Dlstrirt
TIE pending bill was mafs The special order for
Wednesday next