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school system is without unity and efficiency, and is, in my conviction, discreditable to the State. It reaches so many interests, it runs into so many details, and it is so important in its influences, that it seems to me impossible for the General Assembly to perfect the necessary amendments and reduce them to a harmonious system, in the limited period of fifty days-and I, therefore, recommend that three competent persons be selected to revise all the laws on the subject, and submit their revision to the next General Assembly. Should you, however, not deem this advisable, I then submit, that it is expedient at once to divest the Superintendent of Public Instruction of all control over and responsibility for the school money and school lands. When his office was created, it was never contemplated that the Superintendent should be burdened with the custody of public monies, with the sale of public lands, and with the revision of the acts of eighty School Fund Commissioners. It was designed that he should have charge of the instruction of the State and not of the money of the State; it was intended that he should keep alive the public interest on the subject of education; that he should hold teachers' institutes in the several counties; that he should determine the text books to be used in the public schools, and that he should settle all appeals growing out of the management of the numerous districts. The legitimate duties of a Superintendent are sufficiently onerous to engage the attention of one man.

The subject of the Desmoines River Improvement is entitled to more consideration than it has heretofore received.

A contract was made between the agents of the State and a company of gentlemen for the prosecution of the work, by which the navigation of the river was to be completed in the year 1858, and for which the company were to receive Des Moines river lands at $1,25 per acre. It is reported that this contract has been materially changed during the past year, but by what authority and in what manner, I am not informed. Although the grant to the State has never been finally adjusted by the Department at Washington, yet certificates have been issued to the company by the State officers connected with the improvement, to the effect that the company is entitled to about 200,000 acres of land along the river, which lands the company now proposes to sell. I am informed that many of the tracts, described in these certificates, are claimed

by the State as school lands, and that many others have been already sold and patented by the General Government to actual residents thereon. It will be seen that the issuance of these certificates will entail great trouble, and perhaps litigation, upon individuals and upon the State, and no more should be allowed to issue until the grant is finally adjusted by the Secretary of the Interior, and the title vested in the State.

I have received seventeen hundred and ninety muskets, fifty Colt's revolvers, and two six-pound field pieces from the General Government for the use of the State. The two field pieces I have issued to independent, uniformed, artillery companies, at Keokuk and Davenport, taking approved bonds for their re-delivery to the State authorities in good condition, whenever called for. Some of the revolvers are needed at the Penitentiary, and military companies in the State are anxious to obtain the muskets. There is no law under which they can be issued, and if it is the desire of the General Assembly that they should be distributed to such companies, an enactment to that effect is required. If they are not to be issued in that manner, then some provision should be made for their safe keeping.

Concurring in the general desire that your session may be short, and that your time may be occupied solely by matters relating to the State, I do not deem it proper at present to call your attention at length to the deplorable condition of affairs in Kansas and at our National Capital. It would be an error to suppose that my failure to do so is attributable to any want of sympathy with the patriotic and devoted men, who are struggling to uphold the rights of free speech, free labor, free soil and a free press in that territory, and in the councils of the nation.

IOWA CITY, JULY 3RD, 1856.

JAMES W. GRIMES.

Mr. Turner offered the follow resolution:

Resolved, That so much of the Governor's Message as relates to a Railroad from Dubuque to Sioux City, be referred to a Special Committee, of nine members; for which,

Mr. Samuels offered the following substitute:

Resolved, That a Select Committee, of thirteen, be appointed to act in conjunction with such Committee as may be appointed on

the part of the Senate, to whom shall be referred that part of the Governor's Message relating to Railroads within the State.

The question being upon the substitute of Mr. Samuels,

Mr. Turner called for the yeas and nays, which were as follows: YEAS-Albright, Anderson, Baldwin, Barker, Bigelow, Bonson, Brown, Bryan, Corse, Coffin, Conkey, Connell, Creamer, Dewey, Dorland, Edie, Franklin, Goodfellow, Greenleaf, Hall, Hamilton, Holmes, of Jones, Holmes, of Linn, Hyde, Johnson, Kinert, Lyon, Lynch, McCall, McCrory, Meek, Monroe, Moore, Newsam, Neal, Neely, Pigman, Reid, Richman, Sargeant, Samuels, Smith, of Cedar, Stevenson, Tisdale, Tracy, Weatherington, White, Williams, Witter, Yeoman, Young, Mr. Speaker-53.

NAYS-Creel, McKay, Turner-3.

Substitute adopted.

Mr. Dorland offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That one thousand copies of the Governor's Message be printed for the use of the House.

Mr. Clark moved to amend by inserting ten thousand; which amendment was,

Upon motion of Mr. Bonson,

Laid on the table.

Mr. Neal moved to amend by adding, also one thousand copies in the Holland language.

Mr. Corse moved to lay the amendment on the table; upon which

motion

Mr. Neal called for the yeas and nays, which were as follows:

YEAS-Albright, Barker, Bigelow, Bonson, Brown, Corse, Coffin, Conkey, Connell, Creamer, Creel, Dewey, Edie, Greenleaf, Hall, Hamilton, Holmes, of Jones, Holmes, of Linn, Hyde, Johnson, Kinert, Lyon, Lynch, McCall, McCrory, McKay, Monroe, Moore, Newsam, Pigman, Reid, Richman, Sargeant, Smith, of Cedar, Stevenson, Tisdale, Tracy, Turner, Weatherington, White, Williams, Witter, Yeoman, Young, Mr. Speaker-45.

NAYS Baldwin, Bryan, Clark, Dorland, Franklin, Goodfellow, Meek, Neal, Neely, Samuels-10.

Motion prevailed, and amendment laid on the table.

Mr. Neal moved to amend the resolution, by adding, also one thousand copies in the German language.

Which amendment,

Upon motion of Mr. Corse,

Was laid upon the table.

Mr. Bonson moved to amend by inserting two thousand, instead of one thousand, which amendment was accepted,

And the resolution as amended was adopted.

Upon motion of Mr. Hamilton,

It was resolved, to print with the Message of the Governor the late act of Congress granting lands to the State of Iowa for Railroad purposes.

[THE FOLLOWING IS THE ACT REFERRED TO.]

A BILL making a grant of lands to the State of Iowa, in alternate sections, to aid in the construction of certain Railroads in said State.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That there be, and is hereby, granted to the State of Iowa, for the purpose of aiding in the construction of railroads from Burlington, on the Mississippi river, to a point on the Missouri river, near the mouth of the Platte river; from the city of Davenport, via. Iowa City and Fort Desmoines to Council Bluffs; from Lyons City, northwesterly to a point of intersection with the main line of the Iowa Central Air Line Railroad, near Maquoketa; thence on said main line, running as near as practicable to the forty-second parallel, across the said State of Iowa to the Missouri river; from the city of Dubuque to a point on the Missouri river, near Sioux City, with a branch from the mouth of the Tete Des Morts, to the nearest point on said road, to be completed as soon as the main road is completed to that point, every alternate section of land, designated by odd numbers, for six sections in width on each side of said roads. But in case it shall appear that the United States, have, when the lines or routes of said roads are definitely fixed, sold any sections or any parts thereof, granted as aforesaid, or the right of pre-emption has attached to the same, then it shall be lawful for any agent or agents to be appointed by the governor of said State to select, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, from the lands of the United States nearest to the tiers of sections above specified, so much land in alternate sections or parts of sections, as shall be equal to such lands as the United States have sold, or otherwise appropriated, or to which the rights of pre-emption have attached as aforesaid; which lands (thus se

lected in lieu of those sold and to which pre-emption rights have attached as aforesaid, together with the sections and parts of sections designated by odd numbers as aforesaid, and appropriated as aforesaid) shall be held by the State of Iowa, for the use and purpose aforesaid: Provided, That the land to be so located shall in no case be further than fifteen miles from the lines of said roads, and selected for and on account of each of said roads: Provided further, That the lands hereby granted for and on account of said roads, severally, shall be exclusively applied in the construction of that road for and on account of which such lands are hereby granted, and shall be disposed of only as the work progresses, and the same shall be applied to no other purpose whatsoever: And provided further, That any and all lands heretofore reserved to the United States by any act of Congress, or in any other manner by competent authority, for the purpose of aiding in any object of internal improvement, or for any other purpose whatsoever, be, and the same are hereby reserved to the United States from the operations of this act, except so far as it may be found necessary to locate the routes of said railroads through such reserved lands; in which case the right of way only shall be granted, subject to the approval of the President of the United States.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the sections and parts of sections of land, which by such grant shall remain to the United States within six miles on each side of said roads, shall not be sold for less than the double minimum price of the public lands when sold; nor shall any of said lands become subject to private entry, until the same have been first offered at public sale at the increased price.

SEO. 3. And be it further enacted, That the said lands hereby granted to the said State shall be subject to the disposal of the legislature thereof for the purpose aforesaid, and no other; and the said railroads shall be and remain public highways for the use of the government of the United States, free from toll or other charge upon the transportation of any property or troops of the United States.

SEO. 4. And be it further enacted, That the lands hereby granted to said State shall be disposed of by said State only in manner following: that is to say, that a quantity of land not exceeding one hundred and twenty sections for each of said roads, and included

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