The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-01-18

port, in connection with that from
the same Office two years ago, We
find that the grants from the State
for all purposes amount to I, ,282, $685.
30 acres of which 1900, 1871 acres
were for work Of internal improve
ment under the acts Of Congress 0f
l846, 1866 and 1864. In addition TO
this munificent gift, the Register re-
ports that the railroads have re-
ceived direct, from the General Gov.
ernment, under tho act of June 2,
1864. the amount of 597, 1896. "a acres,
making q grand aggregate for rail-
roads, and the Des Moines river i'm
provement, in the State Of Iowa, Of
1, ,898, ,148.85 acres or nearly fourteen
per cent. Of the entire area Of the
State.
The Dubuque, Bellevue 4 Misssis-
sippi Railroad Company having filed
its acceptance Of the provisions Of
Chapter - Of the acts of the last
General Assembly, / caused TO be se-
lected the amount Of lands designat-
cd BY such chapter for the construc-
tion Of the Tete des Morts branch Of
the Dubuque and Sioux City Rail-
road. and approved such list Septem-
Der 22d, 1870. This road was COM
pleted during the past month, and /
have caused patents TO be issued for
the lands referred.
On the twenty s6rst of October,
1870, upon proper evidence, I ceftis1
fed to the Department of the Int.
rior, the completion BY the G. r. 4
NJ. r, Il. Co. Of . piece of road from
Pearl street, Lyons City, 70 the Chi
csgo, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad,
within the limits Of the City Of Clin.
ton.
On the the 18th day ofNovember,
1870, I certified to the same depart.
ment, the completion of the two sec.
tione of the Iowa Falls and Sioux
City Railroad and on the 9th of
March, 1871, further certified to
the completion of that road entire
from Iowa Falls to Sioux City. This
certificate being satisfactory to the
Department Of the Interior, / caused
patenta e s. be issued g to II said ia qqqmpARx qm
and Pacific grant, save the lands to
which settlers had made proof Of
chains.
The proper officers having filed with
me the necessary evidence, /, upon
the 5th day of December, 1870, Ger.
tilted to the completion of the Nc
Gregor Il Missouri River Railway
TO Algona.
The Des Moines Valley Railroad
Company, having completed it's road
into Fort Dodge, on the east side Of
the Des Moines River, in the month
Of December, 1870, in accordance
with Chapter 81, Acts Of the 18th
General Assembly, l caused patents
to be issued to that Company for the
lands reserved by said Act for the
construction Of the road above Des
Moines, and the payment to it of the
moneys received for lands sold to 5.
Il. TAFT under Chapter 108 Of the
Acts of 1864. / also caused patents
| to be issued to Mr.. Taft.
The whole amount Of lands paten
| cd during the biennial term amount
cd to 404, 900 acres.
COMMON SCHOOLS.
The very able repor. Of the late
Superintendent OF Public Instruo
ton, will be before you.
earnestly commend to you
attention the thoughtful and elabor
ate al ticles upon the various subjects
coming within the purview Of tn
duties Of that officer, as wei
as the suggestive statistica
information, presented in the report
| The number Of districts is 1594-al
increase of l32 in the two year
since the last report. There are Z
| 84l schools against 1908, two year
ago. The nnmper of youth within
the school ages is 461, ,258, OF whor
342, ,44O, or TAI per cent, were enrol
cd during the past year; and IN
average attendance was 2ll,726, Q
: nearly 46 per cent; and the averag
attendance equaled only 42.65 pe
] cent. of the enumeration. The Col
, slant and steady increase OF the nun
: Der of those enjoying school.priv
!. leges, as compared with the who
: number entitled to them, | regai
9 as one OF strongest evidences tn
our benificent system of commt
a schools is continually enlarging u
n sphere OF its usefulness, and grad
of ally bringing within the scope of
inestimable privileges, all the you
= of the State. The value Of scho
i = houses and apparatus is s6,9l6,49
/. Is. The increase in the amount
r capital thus invested during {
Z Z terms has been 81 ,54l, ,947 .66,
In about 20 per cont.
. cordially commend to your q
g g sideration tho forcible remarks
:, the Superintendent upon the sub-t
q trict system, and unite with him
~ =. in urging its abolition. l am fu
se persuaded that the school-distri
TO should be substantially co-extens
no =, with civil townships, incorpora
towns, aid cities; in other wol
ds that there should not be any dist
in 70 territorial organization other Il
be- those well-defned political divisi
", with which we, in common with
-. lh. people Of most Of the States, arr
~. familiar. Tho system of sub
on tricts as it prevails in Iowa, is
H. \. cu.iar TO this State, and was adoE
he he as compromise between the 81
ces district plan formerly in vogue,
ose ths moro modern one Of townt
,Is ths organisation now SO generally
) of opted throughout tho North.
NJ my opinion, it has lasted
: sdo to enough to establish the superio
uid OF tho system whose adoption it
al pedes, aud to furnish another illus
NJ Sc. ton Of the general inutility Of {
al. promises in establishing anytl
! in, 4, permanent.
: s;;c Z, cannot omit calling the atten
the Of the legislsture TO tho timely