The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1872-05-09
THE yEayEHwORTGg. LAW9ENCE 4
EAlHEST0N r. 4 I'd.

On the l2ih DAY OF reDfuaIy, 1919, tne
act incorporating the Leavenworth, Law.
renee & Fort Gibson Railroad Company BE-
came = law, page l2s, laws of 1858, By the
terma Of which this company vas empowered
to construct, maintain and operate railroad
from Learenrorth City to Fort Gibson. By vir-
tue of the provisions Of the sc; Of he Legis-
laiure of Kansas, approved February "a,
1850, laws of 1850, page 1871 the mime Of
the company was changed to the Leaven-
worth, Lawrence 4 Galveston Railroad Com
p,ny. The 24ih section OF the act creating
the company required the commencement Of
the construction BY the Let Of March, 1859.
and its completion within six years from the
18th Of February 1858, the date Of the approval
of the act. The twenty-sixth section Of the
act provides that If the United States should
grant land to aid in its construction,
that FIVE per cent Of the net profits OF the
road shall be paid into the TerritorH or
State Treasury, for the benefits Of common
schools; we understand the time for CONNER
cling and completion was extended, and the
provision for i've per cent Of net earnings for
the schools, was subsequently repealed; but
ofthat We are not certain. On the 3rd, Of
March 1868, an act was passed by the Con.
gress of the United States, granting lands to
the State Of Kansas 10 aid in the construction
of railroads. May 9Th, ::ls64 by an act Of
the Legislature Of Kansas accepted the grant
of lands, and the second section OF said act,
granted the lands mentioned in the act Of
Congress applicable to the l.. L. & G. X. r.
to the l.. L. & G. X. X. in consideration
that said road shall construct rdiiyead and
telegraph, from The city of Learsnu0h 10
the Southern line Of the State
IA The direction Of Gairesion Boy, in the Stale
Of Tsras," and it is provided in said act that
this grant (sec q shall be for the uses and
purposes, and subject to the conditions, rever-
sions and provisions set forth and contained
in said act Of Congress.
On the 22d of March, 1864, the L., L. &
G. Z. r. Co., by resolution, accepted such
grant of lands according to the stipulations
of said act of the Legislature of the State OF
Kansas, and of the Congress of the United
States"
One Of the provisions Of that act Of Con-
gress is, that If any part of said road. to-wit:
" from the city of Leavenworth, by way of
lawrence. to the Southern line OF the State"
is no. completed within ten years from the
passage of this act, 81 March, 1868, the
lands, &C., shall revert to the United States"
On the 23d of February, by an act of the
Legislature, the proceeds ofthe lands granted
to the State by the act of Congress of Sept. 4ih
1871, were appropriated to four railroad COM
panies in the State Of which the L., l.. & G.
was one, thus granting to this company the
proceeds of the sale of 125 900 acres Of land
belonging TO Kan-as, to aid in the cons.ruc-
ton of the rosd. Ga the 10Th dsy Of May
1865, the company, by resolution, accepted
the terms OF this last act and filed the same
with the Secretary Of State.
The foregoing is brief, but We believe,
accurate history of the legislation, national
and State, with reference 10 the L., L. & G.,
from which il will Ike known that the sole
idea prevailing IN the legislative mind in tie
caeation and endowment of the company
which reflected the will of the people OF this
State, was that there should be a GRAND
TRUNK railroad running through the richest
and most populous portions Of the State,
from LeaensoJh BY way of Lawrence to the
south line of the State in the direction of
Galveston Bay. II was grand conception,
worthy Of the brain of the late Gen. Lane,
whose dream il was to see its full realization.
How stands the matter now? The Federal
lands, and the State Lands, have been given
to the road, the consideration of which was
the construction of the railroad from Learsa-
worth. We have no railroad from Leaven-
worth-there il moi much Of an one from
Lawrence; but there is one from Kansas City,
into which place and from which place the
cars run regularly to the south
line Of the State. with large letters
thereon announcing that they are the cars of
the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston
Railroad. We DO no. ~ant to complain, but
We eubmit in all candor that the company
owing its corporate life to Kansas legisla-
ton, its vast franchises and rich endow
meets, to Kansas liberality, should he re-
minded that its disregard of plain obliga-
tions can be permitted TO so but little further;
that its own interests are not the only ones to
be subserved. 1t may be that We should
consent to help it further to consummate the
original design of its founders; but it will be
we'll for this company TO bear in mind that
the power that made can unmake, and that
forbearance sometimes ceases to be 4 virtue.