The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-10-31

Sucu uleanS fs III was dOle TO
for the purpose of building the roal, yot it
had no right TO those lands, aud there was
only one source nm which it could obtain
th'G right. 1t was In this stite To grant that
right precisely as it was In Arkansas 10 krauG
similar right to the Little RocS road. The
Amboy, Lansing d. Traverse Biy railroad
company had no right t the lands, nor 10 an
acre OF them but the state OF Michigan,
under whose laws it had been orga
nzed, and from which il had derived
| all It's powers and its rights, to which
la the laDgu ige of James q. Blaine it was
amenable, the state of Michigan conferred
up IN that company The lands apple bile to
the building of that read and enabled that
company, by building SO many miles OF
It's road, to cara certain number or
sections OF those lands. with the right to sell
them after they were thus earoei.
III rhr legislature OF this state thus con-
feTrd thai la d upon the Amboy, Lansing
a. Traverse Bay railroad Company, l ask
you what power congress hsd TO interfere
with, or 10 add one jot or TITLE thereto, or
take Que from II. Aud l assert tonight,
without the slightest fear of successful con
tradic lon, that congress bad no more power
over it han have. tApplause.1 In quts-
ton that was afterwards raised and brought
before the supreme court OF this state IT WAS
decided, the OPT ion written by Chief
Justice Cooley, that the grant was present,
b uuty TO the state. to encourage the buld-
strncting the roads, the state might have
gone on under that act of congress and sold
the lands a the road Was being constructed
and paid the money over to the company;
| and the court decid d in that same case
fu ther that the title was so ear and
beyond all question i'll the state that
when the department &C Washington
sued patent for some OF the lands tO
resident in tins tate, the patentee got ALSO
lutey 10 title whatever THERETO, because
there was no title in the United Sc ties gov
erDment. [Applause.l And yet Mr.. Schurz
asserted that the United States government
or congress could control the land in some
way.
There was one way, and only one way, in
which congress could have any control.
If the road was not built within the
time specliied-l think ten years-then
the lands would be forfeited, those that
wtre unearned, and revert to the gov
eminent OF the United ates, hut the
supreme court of the United States has
decided that no matter how many
fifteen, or twenty, So long as con-
gress took no action, the title wound remain
in the STATE, and the company could go on
aud earn The land, aud as they canned it the
Il lie won pass TO the company on the Ger.
Utica of the governor Of the tate IN It they
had earned the land, aud no patents were
neces airy. [Applause.l Not only that, buf
the old Atnb y, Lansing & rraver'e Bay r il
rod, after it was thus organized, after
that valu bic grant had thus been cOnferr
upon II, aft 1t had heen endeavoring for
years To get the aid and the money NJ crssary
&, build the road, and, il | rtcollrct rightly,
had built IA small portion from Owosso to
Lansing, called the 'ramsh )rn," and earned
part uf the grant, it was unable
10 complete tile same. Another COM
pany was formed, the Jackson, Lam
sing and Saginaw railroad company. and
fIn..
Gus of obt lining he grant, 1t did not 90 to
congress 10 get them To take the grant from
the Amboy and Lansing company and
confer 1t upon them, because they
knew congress u d not do it. They
did not even go to the legislature of the
stat, but T. cognizng the fact that the Am.
boy, Lansing a. Traverse Bay railroad G m
pany pad the power under the legislation aud
uud It's charter to control this land, the
JacRson, Lansing q Saginaw male q con-
tr CT with hem for i ri ht under the grant
and then went before the Michigan legisli-
ture and had rhs contract ratified
and congress hid nothing 10 do with it.
submit that when thrse lands wer- graT tel
10 the st te of Arkansas and this Fort Smith
rOad was orgNnzrd as corporation under
the laws of tnat state, ana wh"n the legi la
lure of the state had conferred
tois grant upon them it was ns
far beyond the power of congress to IN
ieriere with 1t in any way whatver as II
would be I r this auhie' ce to night. aud l
sav, the efoFe, That when james u. Blai'
said that Congress had nothing 10 do will
that matter. tn It the company had derived
It's rght and It's f;auchi e from the state and
it was amenable e. 1t, he uttered what i"
law AID " fact was the simple and explicit
truth. Gre It applsuse.l
ONE MORE CHARGE.
But another charge is made, and il is one
that a great many people do not
sem to underst md. Quoting from Mr..
Blaine, Mr. Schurz says: "In common
with hundreds OF our people in
New England and other parts of the country,
l bought some Of those bonds, namely the
Little Rock bonds, not a very large
amount paying for them precisely at the
same rate that Others paid. ! never did,
a'd | do rot believe that the Little Rock
COMPANY, wnich l know l. controlled by
honorable nen, have parted wi b the bonds
to anv person, except az the regular price OF
their sa"."
Nov, Mr.. Schrrz SAYS, "Wheu Mr. Blaine
says tnat. he knew that a contract was in ex.
i.teDce, a copy OF which / have I'm NV hand
aud Which might read il it we're not TOO
long, he knew u contract was In existence, in
accordance with which $3.50, 900 of land graft
bonds were to pass to him, and $50 500
Il st.mortgase bonds, not in consid ra-
ton of payment Of money, tut
il conSid rat on r-,cf certain friends eff
Mr., Bla ne's buying other bonds ( ON that
company and their paving for
them. Those $4,000 of land
grant bonds and the So, 800 of first
NOR gage bonds we're given 10 Mr.. Blaine
without his pa, ing single cent. And he
knew moe tn N that; he knew what after
wards came to light, that tn re was memo.
randum book III existence, written in his own
hard writing, showing that he actually r.
ceived $3.50 900 Of the bonds and al'o Sl5, $50
in money, without his ever paying Il single
red cent for thu wnoe thing"
y W, my fellow ciizens, | confess TO night
that IN all my xDerier ce in liste log to aud
hearing argue, mt, in oil the experience
h,ve had in weighing testimony, l never
found any one vet, nor heari OF any o'e
who apparently was willing to take
one clau OF one sentence out
of the evidence, and, holding that
preceded Il, and attempt to show
"a the C ear evidence OF fart,
dcardng and thro wing aside all the
other evidence upon the subject. And /
submit tonight that any sue course Is u
dangerous one. IL you will permit
M to Adolf the Same course
can. in four words, prove to the
satisfaction of many people that the Bible
itself teaches there is no God, contrary
To every other page and every other sentence
said in bis heart, there T. no God" IL you
will AXE the last four words, standing alone
they ~ill prove all that / have said.
rh is unfair; 1t is unjust. 1t is not true,
ard when Mr. S'hurz made that assertion he
must nave made ore that he knew the evi