Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-01-22

Of Maryland. 1t is well known that the
old states, at their formation, owned the
whole Of the. sell within the bounds oil
each of their Individual governments
II they then neglected 10 appropriate any,
or a sufficient quantity Of their public
lands for the purposes OF education, car
they now, with any color Of justice, call
for a part of the soil of the new states to
answer this purpose ? Is i; not common
to see an elder child squander away the
property given him by an indulgent pa
rent, and at the death Of his father, come
III and boldly claim an equal share OF
the inheritance with the younger Children
who had received nothing. The case is
nearly analogous. The old states have
sold their land for little or nothing, and
in many instances given it away to who
ever would settle it. Congress seeing
the waste which the states had made OF
their public land, and the great openings
Tor litigation which it produced, wisely
appropriated the proceeds OF the lands,
II their then territories, 10 the use Of the
general government, ty which one state
would be as much benefited as another,
and by which the purchaser could hold
his land free from the Claim o. any othe,
man. They generously appropriated a
small portion If this land for the sup
port OF schools in the states to be formed,
out Of these territories. Some Of the
old states who have squandcred away
their pasrilnony, or the lands they once
held in their own boundaries, now look
with a jea,ous eye on the pittaDce allow
ed us by Congress, and modcstly claim
an equal snare, when in fact their share
has been much greater.
l am happy to Ind that the patriotic
state of New-Hork has rejected the re-
solutions. In this great state honesty
seems to be blended with prudence. O!
their own vacant lands, more have been
appropriated for the use Of schools, than,
perhaps, a,,the other states puttogcthcr.
They have not squandercd away their
own Inheritance, nor do they wish to
seize en- the patrimony Of a younger Sis
Ter. Their pubic funds are appropriated
10 public Improvements, and they VIII,
one day reap the benefit Of their prudent
forecast.
Z Ii may be said that other states re-
ceiving public lands will not diminish
the quantity CIR value Of ours True
But it will take away rich source ofre-
venue from the general government, in
which we are all equally interested; and
it viii be burihenipg us with very Sc
rious Inconvenience, viz. the claims
which a distant state ,nay hold within
our OVID, Will be taking away in proper
ton 10 its extent, our state sovereignty
This, in future, may be great cause Of
contention between state and state. Ii
would be adopting, in some measure, the
old feudal system, excepting that the
states of Maine or Delaware would
scarcely do homage to those Of Chic
or Illinois, for the land composing
two OF three counties held within the IL
mits Of the latter. The tenants CT the
lands held by a distant state ffor the
lands must be settled by tenants---not
freeholders) would consider themselves
as more bound to their landlord than to the
sovereign state in whose limits they re-
sided. But if the land is sold out, at
present, for the benefit of the old states,
it cannot be great object for them to
contend for.
Two principles ought to be laid down
in this question, SO important to the in
terests of the western countryside the
old states deserve this indulgence? II
they do, would it be no injury to the new
states that it should be granted?
Ihope our senators and representative,
and those generally from the new states,