Fellow Citizens of Illinois:—

One of our Representatives, Hon. Robert Smith, has already introduced a bill in Congress for the object embraced in the annexed petition, and a similar bill has also been introduced by Judge Douglass in the Senate.2 It was lost in the House at the last session by a trifling majority, after having passed the Senate by a vote of 24 to 11, and it is thought a united effort of the friends of the measure, will secure its passage this session. Petitions are being circulated in Eastern and Southern States, which have a direct and great interest in the construction of these roads; and if united among ourselves, we shall surely succeed. The grant is liberal, being six sections of land for each mile of railroad built, to be selected along the routes within twenty miles; yet so important are they regarded by all sections of the Union, that the bill will be passed if it is not weighed down by other roads.

Now is it not the part of wisdom to make sure of this, than run any risk in attempting to get more? This we can get, and then a precedent is established, which will render it comparatively easy to procure donations in aid of other roads. Do not let us loose this most valuable gift by disunion among ourselves; or by grasping at too much.

These routes are more important to the State at large than any others, and were purposely left undefined by Senators Breese and Douglass that the whole people might favor the project, and then the Legislature will make the location.

Let us unite as one man and obtain the grant this present session; and before the best of the lands are gone, which are being fast taken with soldiers’ warrants.—We ought to be satisfied with asking in one bill for over two million acres.

The undersigned citizens of the State of Illinois, would respectfully pray your Honorable body that a grant of lands be made to our State, to aid in building a railroad from Upper and Lower Mississippi to Chicago, on the same general terms and conditions of the bill for the same object, which passed the Senate at the last session, by the large vote of twenty-four to eleven.

These routes being par excellence, great national thorough-fares, in the construction of which, all sections of the country have a direct interest, particularly the Northeast, the West, and Southwest, and being to ourselves the most important within our borders, so that an undivided and strong support will be obtained in Congress for them, if left unincumbered by other roads; we would respectfully pray that the passage of the bill be not endangered by amendments, and that the grant be made liberal to the State as in the former bill, so as to secure the completion of the roads, and that it be passed the present session, before the best lands have been absorbed by speculators in soldiers’ warrants. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.3