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won till Congress, by the acts of July, 1862, and July, 1864, provided, in addition to the land subsidy, for a subsidy of $16,000, $32,000, and $40,000 per mile for the various sections of the road, according to location, in the six-per-cent.
gold-bonds of the
United States.
During the discussion, which was carried on with various intermission for twelve years,
Dana remained true to his convictions, and worked for the great undertaking with all his might.
Although he was charged with violating his principles as a land reformer, in favor of free distribution of public lands, and opposed to traffic in the soil, he stood to his guns without flinching.
In vindication of his course he set forth his views as follows:
Our doctrine about land is that the soil is necessary to the support of life like air and water, and is accordingly the common property of the human race.
As such it is, strictly speaking, not a proper subject for trade between individuals.
But improvements in land are the result of labor, and as such are properly individual property and may be bought and sold without violating the absolute principles of justice.
Now take the immense tract supposed to be set apart for the Pacific road, and in its natural state it is comparatively worthless for purposes of habitation and culture.
The greater part, indeed, lying in the centre of the continent, must remain unoccupied for want of a market. ...
But with the road constructed he urged:
The actual productive value of lands along the line will be doubled, or more than doubled, not by any factitious means, but by a permanent public convenience, whose usefulness must constantly become greater.
This increase of value which results from human labor and ingenuity is what is actually sold when the land is sold, and its price would not be diminished were all the rest of the public lands thrown open without pay to actual settlers as we shall do our best to have
