The Arkansas advocate., 1830-03-31

e,n;ration to the West, for the purpose q oteseepIngg hands at home, to carry on
 tf manufactures. l think, Sir, that the f entIeman misapprehendedthe the meaning
 If the Secretary, in the interpretation given to his remarks. understand him only as saying, that since the low price of lands at the West, acts as constant and standing bounty to agriculture, 1t IS, on that account, the more reasonable to provide encouragement for manufac-
 lures. But, Sir, even if the Secretary's
 observation were to be understood as
 the gentleman understands it, it would
 not be ;s sentiment borrowed from any
 New England source. Whether 1t be right or wrong, it does not originate Ill
 that quarter.
 In the course of these remarks, MT. President, have spoken of the supposed desire, on the part of the Atlantic States,
 to cheek, or at least to hasten, Western emigratioll, as narrozO policy. Perhaps
 l ought to have qualified the expressions;
 because, Sir, am now about to quote
 the opinions of one, to whom ] would i,npute nothing marrow. am now about to refer you to the language of a gen tlemen of much and deserved distinc- tion, now member of the other House,
 and occupying prominent situation there. The gentleman, Sir, is from South Carolina. In 1895, a debate arose in the House of Representatives,
 on the subject of the Western Road.--
 It happened to me, to take some part in that debate;I was answered by the ho- norabIe gentleman to whom nave ai- luded, and replied. May be pardon ed, Sir, if I read part of this debate9
 s.The gentleman from Massachusetts
 has urged" said MT. McD., "as one
 leading reason why the Government
 should make roads to the West, that
 these roads have a tendency to set
 tie the public lands; that they in-
 crease the inducements to settlement,
 and that this is national object. Sir,
 l differ entirely from his views on the subject. l think the public lands are settling quite fast enough; that our peo- pie need want no stimulus to urge them thither; but want rather q cheek, at least on that artificial tendency to West ern settlement, which we have created by our own laws.
 "The gentleman says, that the great object of Government, with respect to those lands, is not to make them source of revenue, but to get them settled.-.- What would have been thought of this argument in the old thirteen States2 It amounts to this, that those States are to offer bonus of their own impoyerish- ment, to create vortex to swallow up our floating population. Look, Sir, at the present aspect of the Southern States. In no part of Europe will you see the same indications of decay. De- serted villages-houses falling to ruin
 impoverished land thrown out of eulti- vation. Sir, l believe that if the public lands had never been sold, the aggre- gate amount of the national wealth would have been greater at this moment. Our population, if concentrated in the old States, and not ground down by tariffs, would have been more prosper
 ous and more wealthy. But every in-
 ducement has been held out to them to
 settle in the West, until our population
 has become sparse, and then the effects of this sparseness are now to be coun- teracted by another artificial system.-- Sir, say if there is any object worthy the attention of this Government, it is a plan which shall limit the sale of the public lands. If those lands were sold
 according to their real value, be 1t so.--
 But while the Government cIatinues as it now does, to give them away they will
 draw the population of the older States, and tillfarther increase the effect which
 is already distressingb felt, and which
 must go to diminish the value of all these
 States possess. And this, Sir, is held
 out to us as motive for granting the present appropriation. lwould not, in deed, prevent the formation of roads on
 these considerations butIcertainly would
 not encourage 1t. Sir, there is an ad.
 ditional item in the account of the be-
 nefts which this Government has con.
 ferred on the Western States. It is the
 sale of the public lands, at the minimum
 price. At this moment we are selling
 to the people of the West, lands at one
 dollar and twenty-five cents, which arc worth fiffaan and which womb coll .,