The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1884-02-06
The Gulf and Ship Island Land Grant
CONGRESSIONAL PRoDEEDINas
Speeches by Messrs. Van Eaton and
Barksdale Messrs. Singleton
and Muldrow Define Their
Positions.
Congressisnal RocOrd, Jan. sl.t. ]
FORFEITED LAxp GRAMS.

E >Nue tVsNtNuut AsoNViui Sahs otSt
FORFEITED LANp GRANTS.
Mr.. Cobb. | NOW move that the
House proceed to the consideration Of
the bill (H. II. S5sO) declaring forfeited
certain grants Of land made to certain
states 10 aid Of the construction OF rail-
roads.
Mr.. Van Eaton. desire 10 offer an
amendment to the bill.
The Speaker y,ye ntaI5ScfE AFr Spring
er in the Chair.) The gentleman from
Indiana iscntitled to the floor
Mr.. Cobb. What does the gentleman
desire?
Mr.. Van Eaton. wish TO offer an
amendment.
) Mr.. Cobb. | consent that he may
offer it.
The Speaker pro tsnPore. The amend.
ment will be read.
The Clerk read as follows:
Amend the bill by adding after the word
"act' in the fourteenth line the following
words; "Also except so much OF said act as
relates to the grant of lands in aid of a
railroad from Brandon TO the Gulf of Mex
leo, commonly known as the Cult and Ship
Island Railroad"
II Mr.. Van Eaton. Mr.. Speaker, | de-
sire briefly to call the attention Of the
House to the views as set forth in the
. amendment had the honor to offer to
the bill under consideration. desire
in the first place to return my sincere
: thanks TO the Chairman of the Commit
tee on the Public Lands, as well as to
the House, for the courtesy extended to
myself when this bill was first brought
up for consideration; for at that time
| was physically unable to present my
, views as | would like to do, whatever
may be the result Of my attempt to-day.
|. Furthermore, desire to say that last
week when the resolution Of the gentle.
: man from Indiana (Mr. Holman) was
: up for consideration two of my col
leagues from Mississippi and myself
voted against it. We knew that the
people OF our State had never ceased t.
9 hope for the benefits that were natural
u ly expected to flow from this grant
which we are now considering. We con
/. sidered that we were instructed, wher
the matter came up, to vote against thu
forfeiture OF that grant; and we believed
9 that We would be placing ourselves il
y an antagonistic or contradictory position
. If we voted for sweeping act of for
!, lfeiguss one dapand The sxt came il
!. and asked the House to make an excep
= ton in our favor.
e Now, speaking for myself alone, Mr.
+ Speaker, have this further to say:
e did most heartily concur in the senti
y ments 50 well expressed by the gentle
e man from Maine (Mr Reed on thai
! question, and the gentleman from Mich
: igan (Mr. Horr), to the effect that ii wa,
7 rather sweeping legislation to be hurried
! through on such short consideration. ]
: felt that there might be cases where
!. there should be an exception; where the
!. roads, although not completed, might
] fairly appeal to the justice and equity
I of this House; where we might not &C
e cept the pound of flesh, although we did
4 happen to have the bond.
ri | heartily concur with the genera
l. spirit and scope of the resolution Ia
which | have referred. AS n genera
thing think these old grants, where
o they have not been availed OF by the
% companies for whose benefit they were
% made, ought to be forfeited, but think
% there might be exceptions. ] thinl
70 that there may be cases where we might
very properly decline te make forfeit
ure, and think, Mr.. Speaker, the cast
: under consideration, covered by my
amendment, is one of those exceptions
as / shall hope to show.
Let us look at 1T. In 1856, on tn,
= 11th day Of August, there was approved
an act Of Congress granting lands Il
v States in aid OF certain new railroads
Among the rest, as expressed in the act
, was a grant to the State Of Mississippi
D. in aid of the construction of railroad
:, from Brandon to the Gulf of Mexico
d This, / say, was on the 1lth Of August
1856. The bill had the usual provision
Il Il for surveys, location. fling of maps
: and sale Of lands. The bill further pro
!. vided that if the road was not complet
ed in ten years no further sales shoulC
be made, and the lands should revert :
the United States.
% Well, now, at the outset, to be under
stood, to be plain, admit before thi
,s | R1OutC tuht tuiS IOdu Has never DOE
"a built or commenced, and yet I appea
= to the sense Of justice Of this House no
Il to forfeit this particular grant; an
Why? Has anything been done upo
sy it?
~ Mr.. Speaker, find on reference 3
Executive Document No. l44 of tn
Forty-seventh Congress, which / hol
in my hand, the report ef .he Secretar
!. of the Interior upon this subject, II
!, states that on the 27th day Of Noyem
y Der, 1860, map of the definite Ioeatio
" Of the road was filed in his Office. Mar
Z. y the date: November 27, 1860. So ths
a up 70 that time we find the benefciarie
.ts Of the grant were taking all props
d initiatorg steps to avail themselves of I
d, Now, Mr.. Speaker, it is only neeei
sary for me to refer to the state {
things prevailing in this country /
November, 1860, To show you by ii
mere statement, stronger than any a
Ibs gument, that in that section Of Ii
- country at least nothing further couI