The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-05-12

this House will deny that it was owing 10 'he
efforts of Judge Douglas that ms sum was
secured 10 The State Without him the laiIl'
grant bill would not have passed Prior 10
its MASSAGE, Judge B:ecse, who had 80 Holy
advocated its passage, had retired iroih 'ne
/ Senate and been succeeded byGeneraI Shields,
Who also succeeded him as the Chairman OF
the Committee on Public Lands. But Judge
| Dourlas. not leaving il when his associate
| left him. pushed the bill with renewed ViSor
and did not relax his efforts till it became a
law; and ! assert, Mr., Speaker, thai nut LOT
his nprsistent efforts, this grant to the Illinois
Central Railroad Company would not nave
hecn made and this road would not have been
/ huilt and this sum would not have been pad
into the treasury of the State: and repeat
that vast as that sum is, It represents but a
fraction of the wealth that this State has de-
rived from the construction OF that road In
incubation II has increased from less than a
million to three millions and half, ana VINO
can estimate the proportion OF that increase
Justly to be credited to the building oil mat
road, or tell in figures the value OF that living
wealth. Thousands Of acres of land that II
iouartcr of a century ago could not have been
sold for Il dollar an acre, are now yielding
from twenty to thirty dollars an acre IN taxes,
do not say but that this population might
have gone somewhere else IN this state IMAM
along the line of that road, or that other roads
might not have been built; but 1t may be as
serted without tear Of contradiction that thls
great artery would not have been opened
through the heart Of the State, but for the
grant which Judge Douglas procured from
the United States Of America,
Now what are the friends Of this measure
asking from the state? They are asking the
oll tt I
what? II is not to erect monument; nGI 10
start new project; not 10 establish prece.
dent which may be bad; but they come be-
fore the General Assembly to say to us, the
representatives of the great state o. Illinois :;
you have purchased and own this plat OF
land on the shores Of Lake Michigan; you
purchased 1t for the purpose Of deposlllng IN
1t the remains OF one Of your greatest sons.
individuals have done what they could, and
have left there q monument in an unfinished
state and we ask only that you take from the
Golfers Of this State less than one cent on the
dollar OF the vast sum that Judge Douglas
contributed to place in these coiters, for the
purpose Of completing this work, which has
been so long begun, and which the State
owes it to itself to fnlsh.' And speaking for
myself, | say, Mr. Speaker, that II is dis.
grace to the State that that monument should
be left in the condition that 1t Is now, when
comparatively so small sum is required to
complete il,
Bat It may be said that it is better not 10 do
1t nov, as matter Of economy; that the
State is called upon to appropriate large
sums of money for charitable institutions,
and that it is better to wait awhile AntiCi-
patlng this, l this morning asked the Auditor
OF Public Accounts to give me a statement
u, hnlp A ON
1st day of March, A. D. 1917 That balance
was Sl,T1l,30917; our State debt is c0mpar-
atively nothing; and I venture to say that
there is not State in the Union that can
give better showing, OF that money, dur
ing the last year, $3jGO0j was paid INTO the
treasury by the Illinois Central Railroad
Company.
Now, | rose, NJ. Speaker simply for the
purpose Of giving these facts snail be fol-
lowed by gentlemen who will give the record
and illustrate the character of Stephen i.
Douglas IN more eloquent language than
could hope TO do. | never in my Ike met him
but once. In never heard from his lips but
two words, and those We're addressed 10 my
self Those words were Get right" But |
must say that | knew him more by his works.
knew him by hearing of him from those
who were intimate with him, aud who knew
his worth and appreciated what he was. The
true nobility and greatness OF nation CON
sisis in the nobility and greatness OF rs re-
preventative men. | regard Stephen n. Doug.
las as one Of the two greatest men that Hi.
nois has ever produced. | regard HIM as
pre-emlnen,ly selfmade man. Coming into
this State Stripping, with but 81 in his peck
ct; serving as an auctIoneer's clerk, and earn.
ing his first So in that way; teaching school
~ nuE n
attained his majority; stepping forth a mark
ed man Oh the very threshold Of his manhood,
and going on "coyquering and TO conquer i
regard him as d representative man OF the
American people. | regard HIM as man,
honest, upright, just; OF great power OF intel,
lect and OF great strength OF purpose, know
ing and always pursuing the right; man, IN
short, whom any State Jr people should dc.
light TO honor. And shall this State refuse
to honor hlm-rather | should say 10 do him
justlce-when all we ask is that his uniinish.
ed monument ON the banks of Lake Mich.
gan may Ue completed? That on the iounda.
ton which the hberality Of individuals has
constructed, Il shaft may rise bearing the
statue OF thelllus,rlOus statesman, and visible
from the land and from the broad bosom of
the lake, upon whose banks the dust OF the
honored dead reposcs, Il fitting memorial OF
the greatness OF him whose achievement ii Is
erected To commemorate, and of the gratitude
of the state which honoged itself IN nonorng
him.
II, sir, my limited time permits me 20 al,
'lude 10 any Thing else which should Operate
to make men unite for the passage OF tAIs
bill, let me briefly refer 10 those dark days O.
the Republic, when the black cloud of seces-
sion and disunion hung over this nation, and
when we knew not whether ont OF that cloud
should come the lightning stroke that would
destroy us US people, or whether from be,
hind 1t the light of heaven should again
shine forth, dlspelllng the darkness, and
again Illuminating everything with the
brightness of its rays. Let me remind you,
gentlemen, that IN those days Stephen y.
Douglas rose up in his might, here IN the city
of Springfield, and in 4 speech glowing with
eloquence and patriotism, put at rest all
doubt, quieted oil fear, uud nervcd the hearts
of his Cuuntrymen To that mighty effort, 'hC
issue OF which Was tie muinlaine! integrity
OF the Union. Two Months afterwards that