Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-02-06

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widemcssS Sir, II was not till Gen. Vaync's VIC
tory, III 1874, that it could be said We had conquer
cd the sdvagcs. 1t was not till that period
that the government could havc considered 1T
sell as having, established entire ability to pro-
tee, those who should undertake the conquest OF the
wilderness And here, sir, at the epoch ofi79I, let
US pause, and survey the scene Ii rs now 35 years
since that scene actually existed. Let US sir look
back and behold it. Over all that is now Ohio.
there then stretched one vast wilderness, unbroken,
except by two small spots of civilized culture, the
| Que ut Marietta, aud the other at Cincinnati. AT
these little openings, hardly each pins point upon
the map the of the irontiersniau had level!cd
tie forest, and let in the sun. These little patch
cs Of Garth, and themselves almost shadowcd by
tie ovcrhanging boughs of that Wilderness, which
had stood and pcrpetuated Itself, from century to
century ever since the creation, were all that had
been RENDERED verdant by the haud Of man. In an
extent Of hund eds and thousands OF square mics
no other surface OF saiing green attested the pre-
sence OF civilization. THE hunters path crosse
mighty rivers, flowing ID solitary grandeur, whose
sources lay In remote and unknown regions OF the
vildcrndSs I: struck, upon the north, ON n vast in
land sea, over which the wintry tcmpests ragged as
on the ocean; al around was bure creation. Il was
fresh, untouched, unbouuded, magnificent wilder
ness And, sir, what Is it now? Is il ina pina,icn
oaly or can possibly be fact, that presents such "a
change, as surprises and astonishes US, when we
turn our eyes to wha; OHIO now is' Is il reality or
u dream, that IN SO short period even IS years.
there has sprung up, ON the surface, NJ indie
pendent s ute, with pllion of people, A million
than that OF all tho cantons of Sw zerand cQca to
one third OF ell the people of tie United States
when they undertook to accomplish their indcpen.
dence. This new mcnber Of the Republic las al
ready LETT far behind her. majority OF the old States
She is now b. the side Of Virginia and Pennsylva-
ria aud IL point OF numbers, will shortly admit no
equal but New York herself. Ifsir, we NAV iudpe
OF measures by their results, what lessons do these
facts read us, upon the policy of the G.yernmcut,-
What differences do they authorize, upon Oh. gencr-
al question OF kindness, utkindaeSs? What con-
victons do they enforce, As to the wisdom and abil
ny, on the one hnad, or the folly and nCaracty
on tie other, of Our general adnlnsi ration of yas-
tern sdars' Sir docs it not require some portion of
self Prospect IN Us, tn imagine that if our light had
shone OH the path Of government, flour wisdom could
have been consulted in its measu es, more rapid
advance TO strength and prosperity would have been
experienced. For my own part While an, $, rr,ck
With wonder - the success, also look with adnra
ton e. the wisdom ard foresight which originally ar
ranged and prescribed the system tor the settlement
OF the public domain Its operation has been, with
out moments interruption, to push the settlement
of tie western country to the full extent OF our Of
most means.
Bnt, Sir, TO return to the remarks of the honor
able member from South Carolina He saws that
Congress has sold these lands and pit the money IN
TO the Treasury, while other Governments, uctnr in
q more liberal spirit, gave away their lends and
that Se ought also to have given ours away. /
shall not stop TO state account between our rev.
enucs derived from land, and our expenditures in In
dian treaties and Indian wars. But, I must refer
the honorable gentleman to the origin OF our own IL
tie 20 tie SOIL Of these Territories and remind him
that We received them on conditions and under
trusts which would have been violated by rivnr the
soil away. For compliance with those conditions nd
the JUS, execution of these trusts the public faith was
solernnly pledged. The public lands OF the Unit
States haze been derived from four principal sources
First. Cessons made 10 the United States by in5i
vldaal States on the recommendation or rcnuest Of
the old Congress. Second. The compact with Geor
gia, IN 1902. Third The purchase of Louisiana IN
sNt.aA 1rrlT y.
OF the first class the important was the crs-
sion by Virginia of all her rght and title Us VOL of
soil as JursdcIon To all the territory within the i
its of her charter lying 10 III Northwest of the rv
or Ohio. 1t may not be ill-tined to recur to tie
causes and occasions Of this and tie other similar
grants.
When the war fthe Revolution broke out, q great
difference existed in different Stat in the propor,ion
between people and territory. The Northern and
Eastern States, with very small surfaces contained
comparatively thick population and Tiers was rem
orally within their lims, great quantity of waste
lands belonging to the Government, or the Crown of
Eng.aud. On the contrary, there were in the Souh
crn States, in Virginia and in Georgia for example,
extensive public domains, wholly unsettled, and be-
longing to the Crown. 0s these possessions would
necessarily fall from the Crown, in the even: of n
prosperous issue ofthe war; it insisted that they
ought TO terolVe the United States for tue rood
OF the whole. The var, IL was argued gas under
token and carried on Mt tho common expense of oil
the colonies; is benefits, if successful ought oso to
y,
when vnnquished, ought to be regarded as the gene
raj acquisition of all Whle yet the war Sas raging
II was contended that Congress ought 10 have the
power To dispose ofvacnnt and unpatcncd lands com
monty called Crown lands, for dcffaying the expen-
eos Of the war, and fer Othcr public and general
purposes. "i,osson nnd JUSTICE said the Assembly
Ee% Jersey, in i17s must decide that the property
which existed in the Crown Of Great Britain prcyi-
Gus 10 the present Revolution, ought 10 belong
TO the Congress. in trust for the usc and benefit OF
the Untee Gtatcs. They have fought and bled for
It, IN proportion TO their respective abilities, and
therefore the reward ought NOT TO be professionally
distributed. Shall such States as are shut out by
situation, from availing themselves of tic least ad
vantage from This quarter, be left TO sink under an
enormous debt, whilst others cnabed in short
period TO replace az their expenditures from the
hard earnings Of the whole CON e6crac,'"
Doved by these considerations, and these address
ses made 1t, Congress took up the subject, and in
September, $50, recommended TO the several States
IN the Union, having claims 20 Western Territory,
to make liberal cessions of portion thereof 10 the
United States; and on the 10th Of October, 1880,
Congress resolved that any ilnls, csded an pun.