Petition of Ezekiel Bowman and Others to U.S. Congress, [13 February 1849]1
To the Hon. the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled:
The undersigned citizens of the State ofIllinois would respectfully pray your Honorable bodies that a grant of lands be made to the state of Illinois to aid in building a railroad from the 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.2
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 Illinois the most important within its borders, so that an undivided and strong support will be obtained in Congress for them, if left unencumbered by other roads; we would respectfully pray that the passage of the bill be not endangered by amendments, and that the terms of 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 shall have been absorbed by speculators in soldiers’ warrants. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.3
Ezekiel Bowman John J. Russell
Soloman Kahn William Allison
John Pritchhart Edm Rankin
Mathew Smith Jonathan Vanay
Abraham Lucas
John Allison D. F. Wright
Rbt Martin Johnson. W. Wright
Zadok Mundy
Christopher Ewing
Lewis Craig John Pershaw4
John M Edwards Craig Goldsmith
John. R. Skelton James Ewing
James Briggs James Enslow
Michael Tierney Samuel Goldsmith
Hugh Cappy Charles Briggs
John Tierney
Peter Tierney Levi Johnson
Edward Rankin Henry Johnson
E. B. Coder Samuel Altic
James Primm Aberham Altic
Alfred Sams Jacob Lantis
David Smith Joseph Orendorff
John Smith Victor Reese
Conrod Miller Wm S Rankin
Daniel Lantis John Hoblett
[Limurynis?] Bacon Boston Hoblett
Sinnet Rankin Sydney Ewing
Preston Pendltn Berry Musick
Berryman [Bunghar?] Andrew Bruner
John Altic Bryant Wilkins
Wm Rankin Solomon Dixon
Jesse Furbis
David Dixon
[Thos.?] J. Enslow Jeremiah Dixon
Silas Allison James Covington
H. A. Bateman Anninise Hall
Patrick Bennett John Musick
Ezra Boren John Gravall
James Russell Rbt Grawall
John Cowardin
I. L. Ginnings David Cowardin

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[ docketing ]
Petition of Ezekiel Bowman & others, citizens of Logan county, Illinois asking a grant of Lands to aid in the construction of a Rail Road from the upper & Lower Mississippi to Chicago in said state.5
[ docketing ]
Refer to Committee on Public Lands–
A Lincoln6
[ docketing ]
30th—95
1This partially printed petition was filled in by an unknown author. Abraham Lincoln penned two instances of docketing on the back page, and signed one.
2Senator Stephen A. Douglas introduced this bill--S. 95-- in the Senate on January 20, 1848, and the Senate referred it to the Committee on Public Lands. The committee reported back the bill on January 24 without amendment. The Senate passed the bill on May 4. On August 12, the House of Representatives refused to read the bill a third time by a vote of 73 yeas to 79 nays, with Lincoln voting yea.
S. 95, 30th Cong. (1848); U.S. Senate Journal. 1848. 30th Cong., 1st sess., 125, 129, 290, 314, 592; U.S. House Journal. 1848. 30th Cong., 1st sess., 1270; Cong. Globe, 30th Cong., 1st Sess., 214, 230, 723 (1848).
3Lincoln presented this petition in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 13, 1849. Lincoln presented five other petitions on this topic on January 29 and February 13. Many more petitions on this topic were presented by Illinois congressmen between January 29 and February 24, but it does not appear that the House of Representatives acted upon them.
4All the following signatures were written by the same person.
5Lincoln wrote this docketing.
6Lincoln wrote and signed this docketing.

Partially Printed Document Signed, 2 page(s), RG 233, Entry 367: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Thirtieth Congress, 1847-1849, Records of Legislative Proceedings, Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to Committees, 1847-1849, NAB.