of the Missouri river to the sea; and whereas it has alway been the policy and pleasure of the people of this state i encourage every movement, private or public, state ora tional, which tends to protect and develop our great mercial and marine interest; now therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate or curring herein, That our senators be instructed and our rep Instructions to resentatives requested to use all honorable means to effec senators and re- the immediate making of the said appropriation, and the presentatives. the governor be requested to transmit a copy of these res lutions to each of the members of congress from this state and to the governor of the state of Missouri.

Preamble.

"'not valid."

Illinois and Michigan Canal-Lease.

WHEREAS on the second day of December, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and seventy, the board of tre tees of the Illinois and Michigan Canal executed a certain paper, by which it is alleged or claimed that one Adam Smith, of the city of Chicago, acquired some right or in terest in, or right to use and occupy ninety (90) feet on ead side of the canal, beginning at the west line of section twenty. nine (29), in township thirty-nine (39) north, of range four teen (14) east, of the third principal meridian, where the same crosses the canal-thirty thousand feet subject to certain conditions therein named, and being the property d the Illinois and Michigan Canal; and whereas, in the judg ment of the general assembly the said paper is not binding upon the state of Illinois, and that it is contrary to the in terests of the people thereof that the said Smith or any other person should, upon any pretense whatever, be per mitted to have or acquire any interest in said strip, or any right to use or occupy the same in any manner or to any extent whatever; therefore,

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate con curring herein, That said paper so executed and claiming, Lease declared be and the same is hereby declared "not valid," and not binding upon the state, and that the governor be requested to instruct the attorney-general of this state to give notice thereof to said Adam Smith, and to the board of trustees of said Illinois and Michigan Canal, and to institute and prosecute such legal and proper proceedings as may be necessary in the case, to disaffirm the same and to protect the rights of the state.

Illinois and Michigan Canal-Tolls.

WHEREAS the rates of toll upon the Illinois and Michi- Preamble. gan Canal have been such as to have a tendency to direct the traffic from the river and canal to the competing lines of railroad; and, whereas, the diversity of trade has caused the number of canal boats not engaged in carrying stone to be very greatly reduced, so that with the most favorable rates of toll, it will require some time to restore the canal tonnage to a carrying capacity adequate to the increased facility in water transportation secured by the improvement of the Illinois river from LaSalle to Peoria; and, whereas, the present rates of toll upon corn, wheat, oats, lumber, lath, shingles, are such as to leave a margin to boat owners too small to enable them to compete successfully with railroad lines of transportation; and, whereas, it is believed that a reduction of twenty-five or thirty per cent. from the rates charged upon the articles mentioned, and perhaps upon many others, would increase the revenues of the canal, encourage the building of boats and elevators, stimulate productive industry throughout the valley of the Illinois, and in some degree control the cost of transportation upon all railroads having their termini upon the Mississippi and Lake Michigan; and, whereas, the cost of superintendence, and repairs upon the canal and river improvements, would not be materially increased if the amount of transportation were doubled, tripled, or quadrupled, the net revenues to be derived from this important public work, depend mainly upon such increased business; therefore,

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring herein, That the canal commissioners be respectfully requested to reduce the rates of toll upon grain, lumber, lath, and shingles, to three-quarters or two-thirds of the present rates, and to make a corresponding reduction upon all other articles which, in their opinion, would increase the traffic without impairing the revenues of the canal: Provided, that no reduction of tolls shall be made to an amount equal to or below the actual expense of the canal to the state.

Tolls to be reduced.

Improvement of the Ohio River.

WHEREAS the convention for the improvement of the Preamble. Ohio river, recently held at Cincinnati, passed the following resolution, viz:

"Resolved, That the governors of the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and

Governor appoint

com

Tennessee, be requested to appoint, each, a committee five members, who shall form a commission to look ste the improvement of the Ohio river, and its navigable trib taries, and adopt whatever means they may deem necessary to accomplish the object"-a copy of which resolution be been communicated to the governor of the state of Illinois and whereas, the governor of the state of Indians ha already responded to said resolution, by the appointme of a committee of five gentlemen, residents of said state, i accordance with said resolution; therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, t to Senate concurring herein, That his excellency, Govern miitee. Palmer, be requested to appoint a committee of five suitable persons of the state of Illinois, to act in conjunction with the committee from other states, appointed for the purpos above mentioned.

Insuring State Property.

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Sensh concurring herein, That all boards of trustees of charitable Boards of trus- institutions of this state, and all other persons having custody tees and others of buildings or personal property belonging to the state, b and they are hereby instructed not to insure the property of the state against loss by fire.

to insure.

Resolved, That the secretary of state be instructed to for ward a copy of this resolution to all parties concerned.

eral. to measures

to

Irvington College.

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senat Attorney gen concurring herein, That the governor be authorized t Lake direct the attorney general to take such legal measures dissolve trust. may be necessary, in order to dissolve the trust created by the act incorporating the Illinois Agricultural College, to place the property in the hands of a receiver, and to secure the rights of the state in the premises.

Lands granted to the State by the United States.

WHEREAS, by an act of the congress of the United States, Preamble. approved September 20th, A. D. 1850, entitled "An act granting the right of way and making a grant of land to the states of Illinois, Mississippi and Alabama, in aid of the construction of a railroad from Chicago to Mobile," certain lands were granted to the state of Illinois, for the purpose of aiding in building a railroad from a point at or near the mouth of the Ohio river to the city of Chicago, and to Dubuque in the state of Iowa, with a condition inserted in said act, that if said railroad shall not be completed within ten years, the said state of Illinois shall be bound to pay to the United States the amount which may be received upon the sale of any part of said lands by said state, and the title to the residue (not sold) of said lands shall re-invest in the United States; and whereas, it was further enacted, by section 7 of said act, that in order to aid in the construction of said Central Railroad from the mouth of the Ohio river to the city of Mobile, all the rights, privileges and liabilities herein before conferred on the state of Illinois shall be granted to the states of Alabama and Mississippi respectively, for the purpose of aiding in the construction of a railroad from said city of Mobile to a point near the mouth of the Ohio river, and that public lands of the United States to the same extent, in proportion to the length of the road, on the same terms, limitations and restrictions in every respect, shall be and is hereby granted to said states of Alabama and Mississippi respectively; and whereas, although that portion of said Chicago and Mobile Railroad, within the state of Illinois, was completed within six years after the passage of said act, and has been since and is now maintained and operated, and a large part of said road between the Ohio river and Mobile has also been completed and is now operated, but a portion south of the Ohio river for twenty miles or more has never been constructed, and the road, therefore, from Chicago to Mobile has never been completed, and the purposes of said act of congress, therefore, never answered and its conditions never complied with; therefore be it

carried out.

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring herein, That our representatives and senators in Aims to be congress be requested to use their best exertions to have the aims and purposes of said act of congress carried out at the earliest possible period.

Resolved, That the thanks of this legislature are due and Thanks, are hereby tendered to the Hon. John A. Logan, for the interest already manifested by him, in his public position, in regard to the subject of the foregoing preamble and resolu

Resolved, That copies of the above preamble and resol tions be forwarded by the secretary of state to our rep sentatives and senators in congress.

Preamble,

Members

Lands for Soldiers.

WHEREAS, a bill has been, or is about to be introduce: into the congress of the United States, providing in stance that any honorably discharged soldier of the feden army during the late war, may settle upon and pre-emp one hundred and sixty acres of land anywhere in the p lic domain, and that the time said soldier served duri said war shall be deducted from the five years required: law to perfect such settlement, and that any soldier was discharged from said service on account of wounds ceived in actual battle, shall be entitled to deduct from s five years, required for perfecting such settlement and pr emption, the whole period for which he enlisted in the vice of the United States; and whereas said bill furthe provides that in case of the death of any such honors discharged soldier, as aforesaid, his wife, children, father mother, in the order named, shall be entitled to the benef of said bill; therefore

Resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives an curring, that said proposed legislation meets our hearty of proval; and our senators in congress are instructed and gested to sup- representatives are requested to give to said bill, or to at bill containing the same or similar provisions, their best su port.

congress

port measure."

re

Laws and Journals:

Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate m curring, That the secretary of state be instructed to furnis To be furnish- and forward to such members and elective officers of the ased members. general assembly, as soon as possible, one copy each of the journals of the house and senate, and one copy each of the laws and reports of this general assembly.

ed to officers