530 



NEBRASKA. 



rich and apparently inexhaustible supply of a 

 pure and easily-manufactured salt." As the 

 lands, contiguous to the springs, have been as- 

 signed by the State " to aid in the develop- 

 ment of the full capacity of the springs, and 

 to furnish a sufficient area for the convenience 

 of salt manufacture," the Governor recom- 

 mends, as an economical measure, "that so 

 much of said lands be sold or given as may 

 be required for that object, and that a tax of 

 two cents on every bushel of salt made shall 

 be exacted and received by the State." He 

 adds that responsible persons "are ready to 

 invest, in these springs, any required sums, if 

 the opportunity is presented to them," as 

 competent men have examined the springs and 

 declared that " brine can be obtained in quan- 

 tities equivalent to upward of one thousand 

 bushels of salt per day." 



In regard to internal improvements, the 

 Governor urges upon the Legislature the ex- 

 ecution of several works of public utility, but 

 chiefly the building of four bridges at as many 

 favorable points across the Platte, namely, 

 near its mouth, at Ashland, Columbus, and 

 Grand Island, assigning for their construction 

 the proceeds from the sale of State lands. 

 The quicksands, wide, shallow, and change- 

 able bottom of said river, are a great bar- 

 rier to the communication between the citi- 

 zens inhabiting the northern and southern 

 sections of the State which the Platte divides. 

 These bridges would be the means of fully 

 realizing the benefits which should accrue to 

 the State from the Union Pacific Railroad run- 

 ning on the north bank of the river, and 

 which, otherwise, would be nearly exclusively 

 confined to her northern section, and thus half 

 lost. But the most signal benefit resulting to 

 the State from the construction of those 

 bridges is, that the easy passage afforded by 

 them across the river would bring the inhab- 

 itants of her northern and southern sections 

 into frequent and more close contact with one 

 another, and thus be the direct means of grad- 

 ually lessening and in a short time dispelling 

 altogether that sort of estrangement and re- 

 ciprocal bad feeling which now, on account of 

 that geographical separation, exist between 

 them. 



As the Secretary of the Interior has refused 

 the stipulated payments to the Union Pacific 

 Railroad Company on the ground that the cul- 

 verts built for the road are not solid, Governor 

 Butler suggests to the Legislature "to memor- 

 ialize Congress and the Secretary upon the sub- 

 ject," stating as a well-known fact "that the 

 culverts were built of the best materials then 

 at hand, that they have not failed, and are now 

 being replaced as fast as possible with stone 

 structures." 



To shorten distances and facilitate com- 

 munications between remote points in the 

 interior of the State, by connecting them 

 through railway lines of her own, the Govern- 

 or urges upon the Legislature to give their 



utmost attention to the subject, and dispose 

 of it by determining upon and encouraging "a 

 system of railroads which will bring the great- 

 est prosperity to the State." 



The principal want of Nebraska, however, 

 is immigration. On this account, Governor 

 Butler complains that, while "other States 

 have their chartered immigration societies, 

 and their salaried agents abroad furnished 

 with ample means, whose business it is to 

 make known their respective advantages," 

 and invite immigrants, by offering them every 

 facility and inducement to settle within them, 

 " Nebraska, with millions of undeveloped 

 wealth in her soil and minerals, and with a 

 climate and commercial facilities unsurpassed 

 by any new inland State, has done almost 

 nothing." He recommends "that immediate 

 and efficient measures be taken to avail our- 

 selves of this most effectual and desirable 

 means for the early development of our ma- 

 terial resources." 



The speedy enrolment and organization of 

 the militia for immediate and active service 

 might be regarded as another want. It is rep- 

 resented by the Governor as being of absolute 

 necessity, especially to secure the frontier 

 settlements from Indian depredation and mas- 

 sacre, as the southeastern borders of the 

 State have been repeatedly visited, and with 

 no military force near to help the injured. He 

 states that the survivors among these having 

 come to the capital and appealed to him in 

 their extremity, he could only furnish them 

 with arms and ammunition, and advise them 

 to organize and "help themselves as best they 

 could;" and that, in the fall of 1867, a com- 

 pany of those who had been plundered of 

 their stock and all goods, and compelled to 

 abandon their homes, was by his order "mus- 

 tered into the service of the State, and served 

 two months, patrolling the country and guard- 

 ing the settlements against attack." He asks 

 that an appropriation should be made "to 

 compensate them for their time and expense 

 during that period." He earnestly recom- 

 mends, at the same time, that immediate pro- 

 vision should be made for the organization of 

 the regular State militia, the experience of the 

 past having abundantly taught that, however 

 friendly disposed and willing to render prompt 

 assistance the Federal commander and troops 

 of the Platte Department might be, "it is not 

 the part of prudence to rely on the General 

 Government alone to protect the frontiers- 

 man " from Indian attacks, these being sudden 

 and of brief duration, as they are .destructive. 



In this connection we may notice here that 

 "the Nebraska Legislature has passed a joint 

 resolution, memorializing Congress to remove 

 the Pawnees from their present reservation 

 near Columbus. It has also agreed upon a bill 

 providing a general herd law." 



Upon this occasion, and aiming at a thor- 

 ough organization of the Executive Depart- 

 ment, Governor Butler represents that "the 



