The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-04-27

| As there seems 10 be some misapprehen-
sion in the mind OF the public relative TO
the character OF the bill which has just
passed the Legislature amending the Char
ter OF the New Orleans, jackson and Great
/ Northern Railroad Company. and granting
20 that Company certain stock held by the
( state in other Railroads in consideration
Of the completion Of the New Orleans
Railroad 70 kOseiusko and Aberdeen, l
deem it proper to make short statement OF
the facts connected with the passage Of that
/ law. which statement i am persuaded viii
/ Justify. in the mind of every candid person,
the action of the Legislature.
In 1852. nearly twenty years ago, the
New Orleans Jackson and Great Northern
Railroad Company was chartered. One
/ of the great benefits anticipated from IL
I was the completion of railroad through
1 the northwestern part OF the State, oy way
OF kOsiusko and Aberdeen TO the Tennes-
see line. That enterprise had langulshed
4 for nearly twenty years, The Southern
/ Railroad, in the meantime. had been COM
I pleted to the Alabama line. The Central
I Railroad had been begun and finished
through the whole length of the State. in
tersecting with the Memphis and Charles
4 ton Railroad-thus making two highways
/ of travel from New Orleans to the North,
I and rendering the completion of the New
/ Orleans Road from Canton to Aberdeen
/ useless. AS measure OF general commerce
! and travel. and only important to the people
! living in the immediate district OF the
state through which IL was 10 pass. Near
ly twenty years had passed since that orig
inal project was conceived, and the COM
pletion of this Road TO Aberdeen seemed
more HOPELESS as each year rolled round. In
this condition of things. l was called upon
| by some frinds living along the line of the
proposed Road to inauguTate plan by
which the completion of the road might
be assured. To that end / proceeded TO
enter into negotiations with the President
of the New Orleans Railroad. haV-
ing in view the adoption OF the measures
necessary to attain the desired object. With
the purpose of giving to these negotiations
a definite shape. prepared the project of
law to be submitted to the Legislature. and
which, by comforting additional powers on
the New Orleans, jackson and Great North
ern Railroad Company, would enable it to
complete the road within reasonable pc
riod. This bill was submitted to the Presi-
dent of that Road, and alter various consul
tations and notifications resulted in the Act
which the Legislature has just passed, an
Act which, venture TO say, will secure the
com pletIon of the Railroad originally
contemplated within a short period of time.
if the people along its line will cooperate
in the work with the Railroad Company in
that generous and liberal spirit which this
great undertaking calls for upon their part.
The only objection urged by any one To the
action OF the Legislature in passing this
law is that provision of the Act, which
transfers 10 this Company the stock now
held by the state in this and two other rail-
road companies. This stock is now worth
in the market not more than 100000 or
100000, and it was obtained by the State by
investing in these railroads, a part of the
money obtained from the sale of the 500,-
600 acres of land donated by Congress in
the year lS4l for the purpose of internal
improvements. A brief reference to this
act of Congress and to the subsequent legis-
lation of the State will show that the stock
transferred by this law was only held by the
State as a trustee to be used for purposes Of
internal mprovemenLand not otherwise. up
on certain conditions contained in the act OF
Congress. 1t was granted to the State by the
Federal Government for that purpose, and
tor that purpose only and the transfer of
il by this bill has only carried into effect
the original purposes and objects for
which the land was, in the first instance,
donated by the United States. Nor could
the State in good faith have used the
money arising from the sale of these lands
except by approprlating it in the manner
provided by this bill, or in some similar
way and for similar purpose of internal
improvement. The act of Congress OF
1S4l, before referred to, contains this pro-
vision: section .. The lands herein grant
ed the States above named shall not be dis
posed of at price less than one dollar and
twenty cents per acre until otherwise
authorized by a law of the United States;
aud the net proceeds of the sales of said
lands snail be faithfully applied to objects
of internal Improvement within the States
aforesaid, respectively. namely: roads, rail-
ways, canals, bridges and watercourses.
and drainin. of swamps; and such roads,
railways, canals, bridges and watercourses
shall be free for the transportation of the
United States mail and munitions of war.
and for the passage of their troops, with
out the payment of any toll whatever"
This grant was accepted by an act of the
Legislature of this State, passed in 1912.
which upon its face declares that said grant
is accepted on the conditions specified in the
9th section of the Act of Congress lust quo
ted, and the same Act provided for the To-
cation of lands so granted. By an act of
the Legislature passed in 1913. the sale of the
lands was directed, the proceeds to be paid
intothe State treasury to the credit of the In
ternal Improvement Fund, and the State to
be charged as debtor to the said fund for
the amount so paid in, in an account. to
be kept by the Auditor. By an act
passed 10th of March 1852, the Legislature
provided that whenever any incorporated
railroad company in this State shall grade
and lay down the superstructure of any
railroad in this State for ten miles, that
such company should be paid out OF the
Internal Improvement Fund, in the Treas
ury. a sum sufficient to pay for the iron
rails tor said ten miles, and for which the
said company shall issue to the State GER |
tificate of stock in said company to an equal |
amount. to be deposited in the Treasury. |
By an Act passed March I'd, 1854. the Leg
islature further provided that the money
then in the Treasury belonging to the In |
ternal Improvement Fund, or which might |
thereafter come into the Treasury, '-be, and !
the same is hereby given to the New Or
leans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad |
and the Mississippi Central Railroad, as
follows, tO-wit: One-third part thereof to |
aid in the construction of the New Orleans,
Jackson and Great Northern Railroad from
the Louisiana State line to the town OF Can
ton, in the State of Mississippi. One-third |
part thereof in aid of the Mississippi Cen |
trail Railroad; and the other One-third part |
in aid of the New Orleans. jackson and |
Great Northern Railroad, north of Canton,
to the Tennessee river" For the money SO |
applied. the Auditor was to demand and |
receive certificates OF stock In the said COM |
panies in the name of the State for theause |
of the Internal Improvement Fund to an
amount equal to the sums so applied. BY |
the 5th Section of that Act il is provided |
that so soon as the stock so subscribed can |
be sold at par, the same shall be invested in |
the stock of the Gulf and Ship Island Rail- |
road on certain conditions: and by the Sth |
Section the Governor is authorized to rep |
resent the State as a stOekholder in the |
companies to the extent of the stock sub |
scribed for. The Act reserves, of the Inter |
nal Improvement Fund. sum not TO ex- |
coed 100000 for the Mobile and Ohio Rail- |
road. under the provisions of this Act of |
March 10th, lS5Z.
1t is to be observed that the investments |
here made were not OF state money. out |
of a fund granted by the Government of the |
United States tor Internal Improvements on |
certain conditions, which secured to that |
Government material advantages, to-wit: |
The transportation of mails, munitions of
war and troops, free of toll. The cost OF
Transporting the mails alone on the various
lines of Railway in this State is a very large
item of expenditure, and is a constant and
enduring drain on the National Treasury.
The income derived by the Railways from
this source is no inconsiderable portion of
their profits, and enters materially into the
calculations of those who engage in rail- |
road enterprises. 1t is TO be observed, fur