The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1884-02-06

is the State that will obtain slI TIRE bene-
its Of this bill.
. .
The effects of the financial revuIsion of
1857 extended in Missouri TO l658,59.
The civil war that has recently carried de-
vestation through the country has been
most severely felt there. The fight Of its
inhabitants, the destruction of their proper
ty, all prevented their being able at this
time TO construct that road. This bill
merely extends the time within which the
people Of the State may receive the benefits
intended TO be conferred by Congress in
the land grants made TO that State.
When the bill went to the Senate,
unanimously and without discussion, as
the record shows, it passed that body.
In the volume which | hold in my
hand Testers Land Laws) ! find many
other examples, one especially, to which
/ will call the attention Of the House,
and particularly the attention Of honor
able gentlemen representing the State Of
Michigan:
Be 1t enacted, etc, That the time limited
for the completion of the Marquette and
Ontonagon Railroad Of the State Of Michi-
gan be, and the same is hereby, extended
for the term of five years beyond the time
fixed for its completion by the act of Con-
gress Of June 3, 1856, etc. Volume 2. page
1881
Again, | find an act approved March
3, 1865, entitled can act to extend the
time for the completion of certain rail.
roads to which land grants have been
made in the States of Michigan and
Wisconsin" will not take up the time
of the House by reading it; the purpose
and object of the law are sufficiently ex-
pressed by the title.
Again, an act was passed March 3
1865, extending the time for the COM
pletion of certain Immigrant railroads in
the States Of Minnesota and Iowa, and
for other purposes" Let the distin-
guished gentlemen who represent those
States remember the example which /
have cited in their own case. In this
instance not only was the time extended
but the quantity Of land originally
granted was very largely increased.
There are other acts of extension which
were granted in favor of Michigan.
The following is an act of similar pur-
port for the benefit of Wisconsin, APP
proved September 13, 1868:
Be it enacted, etc, That the time fixed
by an act granting lands to aid in the con-
struction of certain railroads in the State
of Wisconsin, approved May 5, 1854, for
the completion of the railroad from Tomah
to Saint Croix River, or lake, be, and the
same is hereby, extended for period of
three years to the West Wisconsin Railroad
Company, corporation established by the
laws of the State of Wisconsin, etc.
find an act, approved July %, 1866,
ito revive and extend the provisions of
an act granting the right of way and
making grant of land to the States of
Arkansas and Missouri, to aid in the
construction Of railroad from q point
upon the Mississippi opposite the mouth
of the Ohio River, via Little Rock, to
the Texas boundary near Fulton, in Ar
kansas, with branches to Fort Smith and
the Mississippi river, approved Tebrua-
ry 8, 1853, and for other purposes"
Now let the gentleman from Arkansas,
as well as the gentleman from Missouri,
remember what has been done in the
interest of their own States before they
decide to vote against the amendment Of
my colleague.
On page 226 of the volume above cited
appears an act, approved May 7, 1866,
| extending the time for the completion
of the Pacific Railroad, Eastern Division :;
also enc passed May 81, 1866, extending
the time for the construction of the first
section of the Western Pacific Railroad
Numerous other cases are contained
in this volume, which | will not recite
in detail. | have shown that it has been
the invariable rule of Congress to extend
the time for the completion of impor-
tant enterprises when it has been
petitioned to do SO by the States in
whose behalf the grants were made. All
| ask is the application of the same rule to
the State which | have the honor in part
to represent. May not reasonably ap-
peal to members of this House to do as
they have been or as they would be done
by under similar circumstances?
Mr.. Speaker, / trust that my State
will not be made vicarious sufferer for
the alleged wrong-doing of others. and
lprotest against complicating her Just
claim and involving it in the same
fate with those of powerful moneyod
corporations which are charged, whether
correctly or Incorrectly | will not under
take here to decide, with asserting their
right to grants which they have not
earned. What ask, and what | have
right to expect, is that each case will be
considered upon its own merits. The same
considerations of sound and enlightened
public policy which originally induced
the bestowal of the grant to Mississippi
still exist and plead strongly in favor of
its continuation.
Mr.. Oates. Mr.. Speaker, sympathise
with my friend from Mississippi TMr.
Barksdalel, and also with his colleague
Mr.. Van Eaton my colleague on the
committee, in their appeals to this House
to adopt the amendment excepting from
this bill the grant to the railroad compa-
ny in their State. But, sir, in carrying
out the policy which this House a few
days ago Enthusiastically declared with
reference to these railroad land grants
there was not in my judgment, nor is
there now, after having heard the dis
cnssion, any good reason why this grant
should be made an exception. lam un-
able to perceive why it should not stand
upon the same basis with the grants to
other corporations that have been nepli-