The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1886-02-10
WAsuINGroN, Jan. 30, 1856

EDITOR riCAYUNE. The attention Of
Mr.. Barksdale, Of Mississippi, having
been called 10 the vote Of the Hous,
striking out the clause Of the report of
the Committee on Public Lands exempt
ing the Gulf aud Ship Island Railroad
from the forfeiture Of the lands donated
to IL, he said that the vote was not at all
discoufagng TO the friends Of the enter.
prise. "On the contrary he said sit
showed very decided gain for the ex.
| tension of the time for the com pletion OF
the rord, since the question was tested
IN the Forty eighth Congress He said
" the question WAS preclpltaiCd on the
| House unexpectedly to the committee,
aud especially to Mr., Van Eaton, who
had charge of the Ship Island matter; it
having been understood and agreed that
the bill to extend the time for that rail
road be considered separately on its own
r1erls," Mr. Barksdae said that be
"was absent from the House on business
with constituent when the brief dis
cussion was had, but on reading it in
the Record, he said that it exhibited
the crude aud erroneous views of those
who opposed it, They had connected
it with the prolligate land grant schemes
of latter days, by which immense bodies
of land had been transferred to corpora.
tions for speculative purposes, and which
were not Intended TO benefit the govern.
meat or the people. This grant was
made under different regime During
the Administration of Mr. Buchanan,
and for dinCrcat purposes, The land
WAS donated to the State and was found.
ed on the bcnehcent policy which the
government in its purer days devised to
secure the settlement of the public
lands, and at the same time to enhance
the value of the alternate sections which
IL reserved, 50 that in no event could the
government be loser,
"rhe grant was made few years be.
fore the war Mississippi accepted it in
good faith and made haste to avail her.
self of it 10y surveying ;he iue and APP.
propria,ing TO its construction stocks she
had invested in other enterprises,
amounting to about 81 800 600. The war
eusued and the work was suspended ;
but as soon as the State got upon her
feet her interest tin the enterprise revived.
Sire Is now before Congress with her pc,
tiliuu for the extension of the grant, and
has proved her faith by her works in
furnishing the labor to build che road.
She wants the time extended in order to
supplement her own eHort8, for she is
not playing the part of the WAGNER who
did not put his own shoulder to the
wheel
How much time do YOU think is
needed for the completion of the road
81 have a letter from the President Of
the company, Mr. W II. Hardy, stating
that it can be completed within less
than six years.
The question has been asked. does
good faith aud sound policy require the
Indulgence which is asked in behalf Of
The road
Good faith, yes, because the govern.
meut donated the lands upon coudi.
ton subsequent, and they have not been
forfeited, Sound policy, yes, because
the same great purposes upon which
the grant was originally based still
exist
~ lht 'sHNWt lNdStNiV anu hltIilotl-
ous'
"Assuredly This is shown by the
preference which the state is willing to
give it over every other enterprise. The
road will penetrate region which has
no equal for its timber resources -
immense forests of pine, cypress, oak
and magnolia, which can ouly he
utilized by the construction of the road.
The lumber which these forests will
WELD Is in great demand, especially in
the West The terminal point of the
road On the Gulf, mas harb0r twenty
miles long 10y ten miles broad, and a
depth of water averaging from twenty
to tweuty,four feet of the mainland.
10 has better outlet to the sea than
New Orleans or Mobile New Orleans
is l20 miles from the Gulf, aud the
government has expended millions of
dollars TO make il accessible. The f.
heaviest draught vessel cannot approach
nearer than twenty miles to Mobile.
why expend millions of dollars to
secure an outlet for the products of I