ANNUAL EXHIBITION—ADDRESSES. 
149 
This depends upon a mere question of profit and loss in 
regard to the particular transaction. If a farmer who was 
heavily in debt, should, for that reason, fold his hands in the 
spring, and refuse to buy seed wheat on credit, and so let his 
farm go to waste, his wisdom would not be approved. If he 
buys wheat and corn to sow and plant, if he employs labor¬ 
ers, and buys oxen and horses to carry on his farm, he will 
temporarily increase his indebtedness; but in no other way 
can he realize the rich crops of autumn which may not only 
repay the expense of the year, but go far towards liquidating 
his indebtedness. 
So if the government could build a railroad from Chicago 
to New York in three years, upon which it should levy such tolls 
as would have the effect to reduce the cost of transporting mer¬ 
chandise one-half, and still pay for its own construction in 
twenty years, after which the tolls could be still farther re¬ 
duced down to the actual cost of keeping the road in repair, 
then it would not be an extravagance but an act of prudence 
to do it; because the government would by this proceeding 
lose nothing and the people would be greatly enriched. And 
it is to be borne in mind that the people have got to pay this 
national debt. The government could not redeem a postage 
stamp without the people, and whatever enriches the people, 
developes the resources of the country and increases its prop¬ 
erty, tends to increase the capacity of the people to pay the 
debt. 
Congress has heretofore granted aid to railroad companies 
in the form of grants of land and bonds. The government 
gets nothing back for the lands granted, and the people get no 
benefit, if the companies are to band together to plunder the 
commerce of the country. As a mere investment it would be 
better for the government to build and hold a railroad until it 
should be re-embursed for its construction, and in the same 
time save the people as much more, than to grant to irresponsi¬ 
ble parties land or money from which no return will be real¬ 
ized either by the government or the people. 
Now, fellow citizens, I have made these remarks, simply, if 
