The question was then put on agreeing to the report of the committee, and passed in the affirmative.

Ordered, That said bill be engrossed and read the third time.

Mr. Whiton moved that the said bill be read the third time now by its title.

Mr. Shepard, by unanimous consent, offered the following amend

ment:

All persons residing within one mile of the said bridge, shall pass free of toll in going to or returning from any religious meeting."

Mr. Gray moved to strike out the word " one "before the word "mile" and insert the word two in lieu thereof; which was disagreed to. The question was then put on adopting the amendment, and it passed in the negative.

The question then recurred on the motion of Mr. Whiton, that the bill be read the third time now by its title, and it was agreed to, The bill was then read the third time by its title, passed, and the title thereof agreed to.

Ordered, That the clerk request the Council to concur in said bill. Mr. Brunson gave notice that he should on a future day, by leave, introduce a bill to organize certain towns in the county of Crawford.

Mr. Ellis, by leave, presented the petition of citizens of Calumet county for the organization of said county; which was referred to the committee on the Judiciary. And then the House adjourned.

Tuesday, January 11, 1842.

Mr. Barber presented a petition of citizens of Watertown, in Jefferson county, praying for a change of the name of said town; which was read and laid on the table.

Mr. Darling presented petitions of inhabitants of Wapaun in Fond du Lac county, praying for the organization of said county for judicial purposes; and of inhabitants of Fond du Lac county, praying for the

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organization of said county for judicial purposes: which were referred to the committee on the Judiciary.

The Speaker laid before the House the report of Byron Kilbourn, Esq., as agent to negociate a loan to aid in the construction of the Milwaukee and Rock river canal. [See appendix document G.]

Which having been partly read by the clerk, a motion was made by Mr. Whiton, that the further reading of the report be dispenesd with, and that five hundred copies thereof be printed.

And the question being put it passed in the affirmative.

Mr. Darling presented the report of the Commissioner of Public Buildings; [See appendix document H.]

Which was read, ordered to lie on the table, and two hundred copies ordered to be printed.

Mr. Darling, by leave, presented the accounts of N. C. Prentiss for services as Commissioner of Public Buildings, and of C. D. Davis for expenses incurred in conveying witnesses to court subpoenaed on behalf of the Territory.

Which were referred to the committee on Public Expenditures. Mr. Ellis, from the committee on Territorial Affairs, to which the subject was referred, made the following report:

The "Committee on Territorial Affairs," to whom was referred that part of the message of His Excellency the Governor, which relates to "a change in the form of Government of Wisconsin, from a Territory to a State," respectfully report;

That they have given to this subject their most serious and deliberate consideration. His Excellency says: "the expense of a State Government, and the number of our inhabitants, I am aware have hitherto deterred, and I think properly, the people from giving to this measure a favorable consideration." The committee perfectly agreeing with the Executive in this point of fact, deem the inexpediency of changing our form of government a settled question; unless they can believe with his Excellency that "the adoption of a State Government is presented in a different light from what it has ever previously been, by the passage by Congress, on the 4th of September last, "of the act to appropriate the proceeds of the sales of public lands, and to grant pre-emption rights:" and that the provisions of

the act do indeed "present a sufficient inducement for a change, in the pecuniary advantages which they offer." The first duty of the committee will be then to inquire into these "pecuniary advantages," and to compare them with those we now possess, and which we shall be obliged to surrender on going into state government.

The first information derived from the message, is that "Wisconsin so soon as she becomes a State and a momber of the Union, will receive 500,000 acres of land, for the purpose of constructing roads, rail-ways, canals, bridges, and the improvement of water courses and the draining of swamps."

But the 8th section of the act of Congress under which "any new State that shall hereafter be admitted into the Union," may claim such quantity of land, provides that such State shall, upon such admission, receive so much land, including such quantity as may have been granted to such state before its admission, and while under a territorial government, for purposes of internal improvements as aforesaid, as shall make five hundred thousand acres of land; to be selected and located as aforesaid;" from which provision it will be perceived, that all lands hitherto granted this territory for purposes of internal improvements, must be deducted from the sum total of 500,000 acres: the quantity hitherto received for these purposes, is about 140,000 acres; leaving 360,000 acres still to be derived under this provision.

The committee can make but an imperfect estimate of the revenue to be derived from this source. It is to be presumed that the legislature would in no case encroach upon the principal of this fund, but appropriate only the interest. As however such proceeds could only be applied to internal improvements, it could not be taken into account for the expenses of State Government.

The committee however, must respectfully dissent from the opinion set forth in the message, that this item "greatly exceeds any fund we can hope to obtain by appropriations by Congress for these purposes," or that "it is to this fund (alone) we must look for means to improve permanently our harbors." We are not yet ready to embrace the doctrine, that the attainment in future of any appropriations for harbors on our lakes, is to be despaired of, or that all hope of fu

ture means for these objects is to be made dependant on our assuming State Government.

“Ten per centum of the nett proceeds of the sales of the public lands owned by the United States within our limits," is the next pecuniary advantage" set forth in the message. Although it does not appear clearly and beyond dispute that we shall, on entering the Union, be entitled to demand imperatively this sum, by virtue of the act referred to, yet as it is claimed, and seems fairly deducible from the general principles of the act, the committee proceed to consider it.

No data exists on which to base any precise calculations. The committee can therefore only give probable and approximate estimates. His Excellency has stated the average amount of sales for the years 1837, 1838, and 1839, at the sum of 5,925,900 dollars each year. This, however, would be an uncertain datum for the future. Public lands are now, and will doubtless for many years, be sold to actual settlers only; and many of these are now purchasing select lands of former purchasers, and often below the minimum Congress price. The sales in the United States for 43 years previous to 1839, inclusive, amounted to $106,863,751; equal to $2,485,203 per an

num.

This period included the most rapid sales of the Government, and is believed by the committee to fnrnish an average at least fully equal to what that of the next five or ten years would amount to. The amount of sales for the three first quarters of the year 1840, was $2,252,202 07-probably less than 3,000,000 for the whole year. Mr. Senator Webster, in the year 1830, computed the annual amount of the land sales at one million of dollars. Senator Clay, chairman of the Senate's committee on Finance, at the late extra session of Congress, estimated the amount of revenue for the first half of the year from lands, at $826,669,96, and for the last half of the year at the same rate: equal to $1,653,389,90 for the year 1841.

But the Secretary of the Treasury states in his late report to Congress the amount of receipts into the Treasury, for the three first quarters of the year 1841 from lands, at $1,104,063; and estimates that for the last quarter at $350,000; equal to $1,454,063 for the year 1841. If to this sum we add 20 per cent. for incidental expen

ses-$290,000 we shall have the probable amount of sales for the present year at $1,744,063.

The above sum may by many, notwithstanding its high authority, be deemed too low.

The committee willing to conduct the inquiry in a spirit of liberality towards the views set forth in the message, have supposed the sales may possibly reach two and a half milions per annum, for the next five years, and on this assumption have based their calculations.

The "act (to appropriate the proceeds of the public sales, &c.)" it is supposed may be construed to give the new States coming into the Union ten per centum of the nett proceeds of sales within their limits. The salaries and expenses of the General Land Office; Surveying; salaries and expenses of Surveyor General's Offices, and of the several Land Offices must then first be deducted.

The following statement of these expenses, derived from appropriation bills, and such other sources as the committee find accessible, is submitted, to wit:

For and on account of the General Land Office, in

including salaries, stationery, printing, and contin

Salaries of the officers of the (60) Land Offices,

60,000

Five per cent. commission on sales of 2,500,000,

125,000

* The Distribution Act provides for an appropriation of $150,000 per annum for

his object.