Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-04-19

disprOpOrsionate share in the expenses OF the
State Governments. in noticing the complaints
springing from these circumstances, the commit
tee take occasion 10 present the other side OF the
question. They refer to the application BY com
psct. between the General Government and the
new States, of FIVE per cent. on the nett proceeds
of land sales to internal improvement; to the
land reservations for purposes OF education; ara
IN the numerous grants of land for local purposes.
In the spirit which has uniformly actuated the
General Government on this subject, the Com
mit,ee recommend an appropriation to each
:. of the seven States referred to, OF further
:. sum Of ten per cent. on the nett proceeds OF
:. the sales of that part Of the public lands which
:. lies within it, for objects of internal improve
ment in their respective limits"
On the second branch of the inquiry, with which
the committee were entrusted, viz: the expedl-
ency of transferring the Public Lands to the
States within which they lie they remark, that
this question comprehends, in its consequences
the cess,on of the whole Pubic Domain OF the
nation: Because, they say, cesslons similar I"
those indicated by the letter OF the Resolution
would of course be hereafter made TO future states
of the Union. Adverting TO the immense amount
of the suggested cessions, they state the quahtty
of the whole public domain to be l,e9o.o7iIoS
acres, and its value tn be Sl,S6S. 5o9,o9l. Inc
value of these lands they notice IN several aspects;
and they alude 10 the grave character OF mea-
sure. which would ALLEVIATE property OF such i'm
meBse value. belonging to the whole, IRON It's
owners. and transfer it to part only OF those
owners. Thev again notice the excellence Of
the Federal system IN relation to the public lands,
and dwell with great force on the defects OF any
systems that could be substituted for II by the
States. Besides the danger of collisions betwe cen
the States, and the spirit of hazardous specula-
ton which wOuldbe inevitable incidents of the
suggested Innovation, another and sraver evil
would be. the new and dangerous relation OF Gre
ditur and debtor, which the transfer would estab-
iish between, the General and seine OF the State
Governments The credit system, which 1t had
been found from experience necessary to abolish,
would be revived with accumulated grievances;
the States would, for their respective purchases,
become debtors to the Federal Government: the
identity of their situation in this respect woad
produce community of sriets and OF feeling, IN.
spring project, Of dlsunion; the General Govern
ment would be unable to cOerce payment from
the defautiDg State $; the very nature OF the re-
lations between the General and the State Gov
ernmpnts, excludes any idea Ut resortiDg to the
ultimate remedy pursued by one foreign nation
TO pxtort Justice from anoiher;he Judiciary Coo'd
afford no riesIrab { aid; II would, moreover, be
,neauitable IN the General Government to selle
the property of innocent citizens TO pay debts
CuntraC ted bv the States in their sovereign capa'
cities; the expedlent of mortgages on the coded
lands would prevent Or relard subsequent sales
by the States; aud. on the whole. there would be
inevitable delinquency. without remedy, on tue
part Of the debtor States.
The report repeIs the idea Of cessions for Pri-
ceS merely nominal. as being unjust on the part
of the General government; reminds the Senate
that the cessiou, irnm Louisiana, Florida, and
Georgia, we're obtained from the common trea
sure: and presents some curious. as well as I'M
portant details showing the inequality in the ac-
questions If the re, ewing States, as compared
with their population. respectively.
The general conclusion TO which the Commit
tee are brought, is that it is inexprdent for the
General government either to cede the public
lands to the States within which they lie, or to
reduce their prices they again advert to the
merits of the existing system for surveying and
selling those lands But they remark that 1t may
very properly be ConsiGe ed whether the proceeds
OF sales, being no luugrr necessary to def'ay the
expenses Of the g"vernme 1t, may not be brneh-
caly appropriated to some orn'r objects. Be
fore indicating any precise object, they advert to
tne lmpOTtdHt uulSs ilCtutu' W vi
outstanding the resources of country in times Of
prosperity and peace. so as to be ready to meet
those adverse vlcisstudes from which all history
shows that no nation is exempt. LAS the pro-
"ceeds of the sales of the pubic lands are not
s. wanted for ordinary revenues which will be
abundantly supplied from the imports. the COM
.'mittee respectfully recommend that an appro-
"priation of them be made for some other pur-
g poses for limited time, and to BIZ resumed in
s. the contingency of war;" In such an event.
they might be applied to the prosecution of the
war. or to paying any debt that may have been
contracted for its prosecution: and on the return
of peace, aud payment of the war debt, the fund
might be again applied to some suitable object,
other than that of the ordinary expenses of 60
vernment.
In regard to the specific appropriation Of the
fund under the restriction stated. the majority of
the committee recommend thai after deducling the
ten per cent. for the States, the residue of the
fund should be- divided for five years among the
twenty four States according to their Federal Re.
preventative number, to be applied to Education.