The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-02-23
A RICH AND RACY SPEECH

And the groves are Of laurel and myrtle ana rose
tG0sshss Wilhelm Meister.
The Eopse having nnder consideration the joint |
resolution Is. R. No. ID extending the time to |
construct 8 railroad from the ST. Crol1 river or
lake to the west end of Lake Superior and to Bay
field
Mr.. KNOTT said:
Mr.. SPEAKER: If could be actuated |
by any conceivable inducement to betray
the sacred trust reposed in me by those to |
whose generous confidence I am indebted |
for the honor of a seat on this floor; If |
could be influenced by any possible con-
sideration to become instrumental IN CIV
ing away, in violation of their known
wishes, any portion of their interest in the
public domain for the mere promotion OF
any railroad enterprise whatever, | should
certainly feel a strong inclination to give
this measure my most earnest and hearty
support; for am assured that its success
would materially enhance the pecunlary
prosperity of some of the most valued
friends I have on earth friends for whose
accommodation I would be willing to make
almost any sacrifice not involving my per-
sonal honor or my fidelity as the trustee
of an express trust. And that fact of its
elf would be sufficient to countervall al
most any objection l might entertain to
the passage of this bill not inspired by an
imperative and inexorable sense Of public
duty.
But, independent of the seductive in
fuences of private friendship, to which L
am, perhaps, as successful as any of the
gentlemen I see around me, the intrinsic
merits of the measure itself are of such an
extraordinary character as to commend 1t
most strongly to the favorable consldera-
ton of every member of this House, my
self not excepted, notwithstanding my
constituents, in whose behalf alone l am
acting here, would not be benefited by its
passage one particle more than they would
by project to cultivate an orange grove
on the bleakest summit of Greenland's icy
mountains. [Laughter.l
Now, sir, as to those great trunk lines OF
railway, spanning the continent from ocean
to ocean, confess my mind has never
been fully made up. It is true they may
afford some trihing advantages to local
traffic, and they may even in time beco me
the channels of more extended commerce
Yet have never been thorouhgly satisfied
either of the necessity or exdediency of
projects promising such meagre results to
the great body of our people. But with
regard to the transcendeut merits of the
gigantic enterprise contemplated in this
bill l never entertained the shadow of a
doubt. Laughter.] s.-s
Years ago, when first heard that there
was somewhere in the vast terra G7lcog7litG,
somewhere in the bleak regions of the
great Northwest, stream of water known
to the nomadic inhabitants of the neigh
borhood as the river ST. CroIx, l became
satisfied that the construction of railroad
from thai raging torrent to some point IN
the civilized world was essential to the
prosperity of the American people, if not
absolutely indispensable to the perpetuity
of republican institutions on this conti-
nent. LGreat Laughter felt instinct
lively that the boundless resources Of that
prolific region of sand and pine shrubbery
would never be fully developed without
railroad constructed and equipped at the
expense of the Government, and perhaps
not then. Laughter. 1 had an abiding
presentiment that, some day or other, the
people of this whole country, irrespective
of party affiliations, regardless of sectional
prejudices, and without distinction of
| race, color, or previous condition of servi-
tude," would rise in their majesty and de-
mand an outlet for the enormous agricul-
tural productions of those vast and fertile
pine barrens, drained in the rainy season
| by the surging waters of the turbid Saint
| Croix. Great Laughter.
solely from the eternal fitness of things"
were not only strengthened by the intest-
| ing and eloquent debate on this bill, to
which listened with SO much pleasure
the other day, but intensified, if possible,
as read over this morning the lively col
loquy which which took place on that oc-
casIon, and find it reported in last FRI
DAVIS Globe. l wall ask the indulgence
of the House while I read few short
passages, which are sufficient, in my judg
ment, to place the merits of the great en-
terprise contemplated in the measure now
under discussion beyond all possible con-
| troversy. .--
The honorable gentleman from Minpe-
nesota, Mr. Wilsonl, who l believe is
managing tins bill, in speaking of the
character of the country through which
| this railroad is to pass, says this:
cheaply possible. Now, if you tie up the lands
| in this way, that no title can be obtained TO
them-for no settler viii go on to these LANDS ior
| benefit of that timber"
Now, sir, I would not have it by any
means inferred from this that the gentle
man from Minnesota would insinuate that
the people out in his section desire this
timber merely for the purpose of fencing
| up their farms so that their stock may not
wander off and die of starvation among
the bleak hills of the st. Croix. Laugh
ter. read it for no such purpose, sir,
and make no such comment on 1T myself
In corroboration of this statement of the
gentleman from Minnesota, find this tes-
timony given by the honorable gentleman
| from Wisconsin, Mr.. Washburn.l Speak
ing of these same lands he says:
| "Under the bill, as amended by my friend from
fg In ar
tua settlers at s., so per acre the remaining
tenth is pne-timbered land, that is not fit for set
tlement and never will be settled upon; but the
timber viii be cut off admit that It is toe most
valuable portion Of the grant, for most of the
| If you put in this amendment of the gentleman
from Indiana you may as well just XIII sthe bill,
| for man and no company HllI take the grant
Rnd build the road"
1 SIMPLY pause here to ask some gentle
man better versed in the science of math-
ematics than 1 am to tell me if the tim
bered lands are in fact the most valuable
portion of that section of country, and
they would be entirely valueless without
the timber that is on them, what the re-
mainder of the land is worth which has no
timber on it at all? Laughter.
But further on find a most entertain
ing and instructive interchange of views
between the gentleman from Arkansas,
Tdr. Rogers, l the gentleman from Wiseon-
SIN, Mr.. Washburn,l and the gentleman
from Maine, Mr.. Peters, upon the subject
of pine lands generally which l Will tax
the patience of the House to read:
"Mr. Rogers Will the gentleman al
low me to ask him question:
''Mr Washburn, of Wis. Certainly.
'.Mr. Rogers. Are these pine lands en-
tirely worthless except for timber2
Mr.. Washburn, of Wisconsin. They are
generally worthless for any other purpose.
I am personally familiar with that subject.
These lands are not valuable for purposes.
| of settlement
"Mr Farnsworth. Thev will be after
| the timber is taken of.
"Mr. Washburn, of Wisconsin. No, sir.
"Mr. Rogers. l want to know the char
acter of these pine lands.
Mr.. Washburn, of Wisconsin; They
are generally sandy, barren lands. My
friend from the Green Bay district Mr..
Sawyerl is himself perfectly familiar with
this Question, and he will bear me out in
what I say, that these pine timber lands