Crop diminish- spite of this protection to the sugar planters of Louisiana,

ing.

A necessity.

Policy.

Abolish tax.

the sugar crop of that State has been gradually diminishing, having fallen off from something near 500,000 hogsheads, produced a few years since, to a quantity not exceeding perhaps 150,000 for the last year, while the consumption has been steadily increasing, until the importation for the last year has reached the enormous sum in value of $15,000,000, thus illustrating by experience the fact, that no protection will insure the production on our own soil of the necessary supply of the article.

Your memorialists further beg leave to remind your honorable body that these articles, which might once have been considered a luxury, have become a necessity of daily life in the families of the poor as well as the rich, and to tax them longer is to continue a burden upon shoulders unable to bear it.

To tax heavily the necessaries of life, has never been considered the policy of governments, because such tax fall on those least able to bear it, and we believe has never been resorted to except for the raising of revenue when other means have proved unavailing. At the the present time, this duty, which amounted, during the last year, to over five millions of dollars, drawn from the pockets of the people, oppressing the rich as well as the poor, is not wanted for any known purpose of government, whilst there is a surplus of 25 millions of dollars in the treasury of the United States, lying idle and unemployed, there certainly can be no necessity for a longer continuance of the burden.

Your memorialists therefore pray that your honorable body will at once abolish this tax, and permit sugar and molasses to be imported, like tea and coffee, free of duty, and for this purpose request the Secretary of State of this State, to forward a certified copy of this memorial to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the President of the Senate at Washington, to be by them laid before their respective bodies.

Approved January 21, 1857.

NUMBER 14.

WOODWORTH PLANING MACHINE.

JOINT RESOLUTION in relation to the Woodworth planing machine.

sion of patent

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, Against extenThat our Senators in Congress be hereby instructed, and our Representatives respectfully requested to use all honorable means in their power to prevent the passage of any act by Congress further extending the patent of Woodworth's planing machine.

That a copy of these resolutions be duly certified by the
Secretary of State, and forwarded to cach of our Senators
and Representatives in Congress.
Approved January 21, 1857.

NUMBER 15.

IOWA SOUTHERN RAILROAD.

JOINT RESOLUTON asking Congress to make the Iowa Southern Railroad a branch of the Ceutral Pacific Railroad.

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, Pacific R R. That we hereby instruct our Senators and request our Representatives in Congress to use their influence in favor of having the Iowa Southern Railroad embraced in the Pacific Railroad bill, now pending in Congress, so as to make said Iowa Southern Railroad also a branch of the Central Road contemplated by said Pacific bill.

Resolved. That the Secretary of State be requested to forward copies of these resolutions to each of our Senators and Representatives in Congress.

State entitled.

Gov. secure.

NUMBER 16.

FIVE PER CENT. FUND.

A JOINT RESOLUTION AND MEMORIAL in relation to the five per cent. fund.

Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That in the opinion of this General Assembly, the State of Iowa is entitled under and by virtue of the proposition made thereto by the Congress of the United States by an act entitled an act supplemental to the act for the admission of the State of Iowa and Florida into the Union, approved March 3d, 1845, and an act of the General Assembly of the State, entitled an act and ordinance, accepting the proposition made by Congress, on the admission of Iowa into the Union as a State, approved January 15, 1849, to five per centum on the Government price of all land sold in the State by the United States, for military land warrants, since January 15, 1849.

Resolved, That the Governor of this State be authorized and requested to take such steps as he may deem best, to procure from the United States the moneys as claimed to be due this State by the foregoing resolutions. Approved January 23, 1857.

NUMBER 17.

STATE LIBRARY.

JOINT RESOLUTION extending the right to use State Library to the Officers and members of the Constitutional Convention.

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That the officers and members of the convention, to revise or amend the Constitution of the State of Iowa, shall have the same right and privilege of using and taking books, &c., from the State library that is conferred by law upon the officers and members of the General Assembly.

Approved January 27, 1857

NUMBER 18.

JOSIAH COWLES.

JOINT RTSOLUTION relating to the claim of Josiah Cowles.

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, Appropriation. That Josiah Cowles, of Fort Madison, be allowed the sum of $59 52 cents for per diem, for fifty-six days time, in settling the accounts of the Warden of the Penitentiary, and for forty dollars expended in expenses while settling the said accounts of the Penitentiary, and the interest on the same, and that the said sum of $59 52 cents is hereby appropriated out of any money, not otherwise appropriated, in the hands of the Treasurer of State to pay the same. Approved January 28, 1857.

NUMBER 19.

RAILROAD GRANT.

JOINT RESOLUTION asking Congress for a grant of land to aid in the con struction of a certain Railroad.

Iowa City

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, Camanche to That our Senators in Congress be instructed and our Rep- Mo. river. resentatives be requested to use their best exertions to procure the passage of a bill making a grant of land to aid in the construction of a railroad from Camanche, Clinton county, Iowa, via Tipton, Cedar county, to Iowa City, and thence in a south-westerly direction, crossing the Missouri river at or near the south-western corner of the State of Iowa, from thence up the valley of the Platt river, to intersect with the Great Pacific Railroad by way of the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains.

Resolved, That the Secretary of State be instructed to forward a copy of the foregoing resolutions to each of our Senators and Representatives in Congress.

Approved January 28, 1857.

NUMBER 20.

SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY FUNDS.

JOINT RESOLUTION relating to School and University Funds,

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That the Attorney General of the State of Iowa be, and he is hereby instructed to ascertain, whether any of the officers, eutrusted with the management of the school and university funds of this State, have violated any of the provisions of section No. 2618 of the Code of Iowa, and if such is the fact, he is hereby instructed to institute proceedings for such violations, in the manner prescribed by statute. Approved January 28, 1857.

Actual settlers

Secretary forward.

NUMBER 21.

HOMESTEAD.

JOINT RESOLUTION granting to actual settlers a homestead.

Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That our Senators be instructed, and Representatives in Congress be repuested to use their influence to procure the passage of a law granting to actual settlers a homestead, consisting of not less than one hundred and sixty acres of public lands.

to That the Secretary of State be requested to forward a copy of this resolution to each of our Senators and Repre sentatives in Congress.

Approved January 28, 1857.