Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/419

CHAPTER XXIII HE efforts through many years by the people of Iowa to secure from Congress a grant of public lands to aid in building railroads across the State from east to west, were finally successful. James Thorington, the Republican member from the Second District, had devoted his energies to the accomplishment of this work from the time he took his seat in the House and largely through his judicious and untiring efforts, an act was passed by the Twenty-fourth Congress making a liberal grant. The act was approved on the 15th of May, 1856, and on the 3d of June, Governor Grimes issued his proclamation calling an extra session of the General Assembly to meet July 2d to act upon the grant.

The act granted every alternate section of land six miles in width on each side of three lines of railroad to be constructed from Burlington, Davenport and Lyons, westward across the State, said grants subject to the disposal of the Legislature. The Legislature passed a bill accepting the grant and, with proper restrictions, conveying it to the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company and the Iowa Central Air Line Railroad Company. Acts were also passed at this extra session to provide for a commission to revise the school laws; to permit a band of Sac and Fox Indians to reside in the State; to authorize certain towns to issue bonds to aid railroads.

The Democratic State Convention met at Iowa City June 26th and nominated the following ticket: Secretary of State, George Snyder; Auditor, James Pollard; Treasurer, George Paul; Attorney-General, James Baker. The convention indorsed the national Democratic party,