Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1805-02-23

( IL IS only through tue age"ey vi VIE O"'
ted States that she can Obtain the exiin-
rushn,-n %, OF Indian tile to the soil with
#. IN her li.ni:s, much less could she dele
gate il TO q few Yazeo man. But, as has
been repeatedly stated on former discus
sions OF this subject, even if the question
OF right on the part of Georgia TO sell, and
on the part of the grantees to take, be
conceded, il cannot be controvered that
ths fraudulent and corrupt attempt or The
legislature &c 1895 TO bstray the nte-
rests of those who had conhilrd in them.
vas jpso facto, void /; that no right could
he vested, by it. in the ins'igaors and
participalors OF the fraud, and that t...ese
could not convey to Others better title
than they themselves possessed. If the
authority were worth any thing, l myself
would cite that OF the memorialists them
selves and Of the committee Of claims, in
support of,his position. IL is allowed by
these authorities, that the title oil the pur-
chasers, AT second and ,hird hand, is d.
unfinished in the ratio which five millions
OF acres bears to the whole territory,
which they modes;ly admit TO contain
ihirty-tive millions of acres, although
there Is the best reason to bstcve X 10 be
nearer 6Ily. Now, sir, they have not con-
descended to explain 10 us by what legcr-
domain i, comes to pass, that title 10
thirty FIVE rail.iuns CT acres ito take their
own sta,emept1 is deprecated in thsir
hands so fearfu!ly as 10 quantity, is rcduc-
| ed to one seventh of its value, whilst the
J qtlcffy Of the title 10 that seventh is pro.
! poriloGally raised. Plain. honest men
would reason very differently. A man &C
this stamp would argue somewhat in this
! way. 1.-THE corrupt & corrupting grantees
at 1885, sold claim TO thirty Ave millions
OF acres 10 third persons, surely those per-
sons would have the same title 20 the
| whole OF the property which they had
purchased, that they could pretend 10 set
mp TO any part Of i. Itwould never oc-
cur 10 such man, ,hat whist, as 10 qua
lhy, these persons had bought better IL
lie than The vendors themselves bad TO
sell, yet, by some un;n;ellg;blc process,
tins Deter tile was in quantity, and Of
course IN uaise. wasted in their lands 10
one seventh part of its original worth: in
other words f.as Seuen fimcs zvorse, ard az
M sane time better than the title Of the O.
riginal grantees. Discoveries such as
;hess have been reserved for the profound
legal learning OF the agents OF the New
England Mississippi land company. and
ihc ingenuity of;hc committee OF claims
! What, sir, would you say To pretender
TO your estate, who alter laying claim TO
the whole of it. and writing volume Of ar.
snment (ii may 50 abuse The term as To-.
apply it to tho sophisticated trash which
hold IN my HANDY in support OF his pre-
tensions, should akeiiL the ground work
of proposal 10 receive seventh, or
teIth part Of what ne declared him legally
and aquitably entitled to, end should al The
same time aihfm that you were bound
IN honor 10 accede 10 his modest, consi
tie,a'e aud generous proportion? Would
you not scout him lrom your presence as a
swindlcr, as disturber OF the peace of
society, or would you be trepanned by his
article, or bnllied by his affroniery out of
| your property +!
The gorsrnmcnt Of The United Sia..s
ON former occasion, did not, indeed acl
m this firm and decided manner. But
those were hard, unconstitutional times,
which ought never 10 be drawn into pre-
cedcnt. The FIRST year thai had The ho.
nor OF seat in this house, an a6 was pass
ed OF a nature rot sltgelher unlike The one
row proposed. ] sIlade 10 The case ofthe
Connecticut resesge, by which The nation
were swIn,'led out Of some thfee or four
millions of acres Of land, which like o.
!her bad ntics had fallen into the hands of
! innocent purchasers When advert 10
3 the applicants BY whom we we're then be.
! set, find that among them was one of
! the very persons who style themselves a.
gents OF the New-England Mssissippi
/ land company. who seems 70 have am I'M
{ fortunate knack al buying bad titlcs. His
eiga's.ic grasp embraces will, one handthc
shores OF lake Ere and stretches with the
other to the bay of Mobile. Millions of
acres are easily diges,cd by such s,omschs.
Goaded by avsrice, they buy only 10 sell,
and sell only to buy. The retail trade of
fraud and imposiure yields too small and
slows prof, 10 crafty their cup'diiy. They
buy and sell corruption in the gross, and a
few millions more or less, is hardly felt
in the account. The deeper the PLAY,
: the greater their zest for the game, and the
stake which is SIT upon their throw, is no.
thing less than the patrimony Of the peo-