The Weekly Placer Herald

A BILL
Making a grant of land to the State of
California, to aid in the construction of
railroads from San Francisco to San
Jose; Benicia to Marysville; Sacramento
City, via Auburn, to Nevada City, and
Stockton to Sonora.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That
there be, and is hereby, granted to the
State of California, for the purpose of
aiding in making railroads from San Francisco
to San Jose; Benicia to Marysville;
Sacramento City, via Auburn, to Nevada
City, and from Stockton to Sonora, every
alternate section of agricultural land, designated
by the odd numbers, for six sections
in width on each side of said roads:
but in case it shall appear that the United
States have, when the lines or routes of
said roads are definitely fixed, sold any
part of any section hereby granted, or
that the right of pre-emption has attached
to the same, or that the same or any portion
is mineral land, or has in any way
been disposed of, then it shall be lawful
for any agent or agents, to be appointed
by the Governor of said State, to select,
from the agricultural lands of the United
States, most contiguous to the tier of sections
above specified, so much land in alternate
sections, or parts of sections, as
shall be equal to such lands as the United
States has reserved or disposed of as
aforesaid; which lands, selected as aforesaid,
the State of California shall have
and hold to and for the use and purpose
aforesaid; Provided, That the lands to
be located shall in no case be further than
fifteen miles from the lines of said roads,
should a sufficient quantity, subject to
such location, be found within that distance;
and if not, then, it shall be located
on any lands subject to such location, and
nearest the lines of said roads respectively:
And provided further, That the lands
hereby granted shall be applied in the construction
of said roads, and shall be disposed
of only as the work progresses, and
shall be applied to no other purpose whatsoever:
And provided further, That any
and all lands reserved to the United States
by act of Congress, for the purpose of
aiding in any object of Internal Improvement,
or in any manner for any purpose
whatsoever, be, and the same are hereby,
reserved to the United States from the
operation of this act, except so far as it
may be found necessary to locate the
routes of the said railroads through such
reserved lands.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That
the sections and parts of sections of land
which, by such grant, shall remain to the
United States within six miles on each
side of said roads, shall not be sold for
less than double the minimum price of
the public lands when sold.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That
the said lands, hereby granted to the said
State, shall be subject to the disposal of
the said State, for the purposes aforesaid
and no other; and the said railroads shall
be and remain a public highway for the
use of the Government of the United
States, free from toll or other charge upon
the transportation of any property or
troops of the United States.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That
that quantity of land, not exceeding one hundred
and twenty sections, and included
within a continuous length of twenty
miles of each of said roads may be sold;
the Governor of said State shall certify to
the Secretary of the Interior; when said
roads are completed, then another continuous
length of twenty miles of either
of said roads may be sold; and so from time
to time, until the whole quantity of land
hereby granted may be sold, or said roads
or either of them are completed; and if
not completed within ten years, no further
sales shall be made, and the land unsold
revert to the United States.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That
the United States mail shall at all times
be transported on the said road and
branches, under the direction of the Post
Office Department, at such prices as Congress
may by law direct.