Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1832-06-06

= Souid NC hiolJtdIuCd upOi pttIlCIpICo Vi Suul
: policy as to the United States, can it be ser
D ously contended by any one, that the State
: in which these lands are situate could be ir
], duced to make the purchase, and place then
y selves under mortgage to the other States 70
: the payment Of the principle, when the estat
: purchased would not yield, annually, a sur
7 equal to the INTEREST," The committee do No
r believe that any State in this Union woul
: pursue policy SO suicidal, and therefore deer
ut wholly useless to propose TO the States an
terms upon which they may become the pul
tehasers of the public lands within their respet
Live limits.
: The second consideration presented by III
ptfdRbit lands 70 the new States, is that it woul
Ebe well calculated tc remove all cause of di
Ifculty with the General Government and th
State upon the subject Of the public lands
4 lhe cause of difficulty to be removed by adop
|ting the course recommended, is not indicated
4 by the report.
II it be that exhausting operation, and con
sequeDt embarrassment, produced by the con
slant drain of the circulating medium from
the west, he result of the action Of the Fed
leral Government upon the subject of the pub
lie lands, to which the Secretary Of the Treas
ury alludes, the remedy proposed will moi
cure the evil, unless it can be demonstrated
that the States separately will exact less, and
disburse more money in the purchasing States
than the States united.
| Whilst the General Government shall contin
I ne to derive revenue from the sales of public
lands, it may be expected, at least it should be
hoped for, that in some mode, sum of money
equal to the exactions for the public lands, will
be thrown back by the public disbursements in
those States SO much affected by this constant
drain of their circulating medium.
! Can it be believed, that, when the proceeds
arising from the sales Of the public lands shall
become the separate property of the States, ac-
lcording TO any ratio of division which will be
agreed upon, the amount derived annually from
the debtor by the creditor States, either for inter
est principal, will be returned into circulation
among those States thus made tributary.
This difficulty and complaint Of the new States
J with and against the General Government, will
only be transferred to the several States who be-
come the receivers; and, instead of peace, con-
cord, and harmony among the States, we may
lexpect to witness discomfort and discord, bitter
and uneeasing.
The Secretary of the Treasury may probably
have reference to "a Pretension advanced by some
politicians, by which the right and title Of the U
have been denied: if so, this is question thu
committee will not discuss. If the acknowledg
nent of the right Of the United States to these
lands by the organic laws Of the States IN which
they are situate, does not protect them from thu
claims set up for some of the States by few pol
iicans, who labor to give to the terms stree ant
sovereign State,s some magical influence, ant
thence draw strange conclusions; nothing which
!. the committee can say, by way of argument, car
save the public domain from this newly discover
ed right in the States. 1t will be time enough t.
argue this question whenever the States shall at
tempt to appropriate the public lands, The com
mttee are of opinion that no "cause of difficulty
with the General Government and States" eve
can arise upon this question:; at all events, tina
is not expedient to avoid it by dlsposing OF tn
|pubic lands as recommended.
In connexion with this subject, the COMMITTEES
have been called upon to consider the policy IS
Iofen the subject of debate in the House Of Rep
resentatives) of dividing the proceeds Of the pub
lie lands among the several States. This is
Question surrounded by more difficulty and EN-
barrassment, and one upon which the committe
were unable to unite in opinion. A majority O
1 the committee, however, believe that any pledg
or disposition of the proceeds of the public land
among the States, for State purposes, before tn
money shall have reached the Treasury of tn
United States, would be unwise, and productiv
Iofincalculable injury to the States, whose growt
and prosperity much depend upon the ameliol
alton of the present system of dsposing OF tn
public lands by Congress.-Pledge the proceed
to the States Tor State purposes, and all hope Q
further relief will be cut of. The new State
may then calculate to "pay the penalty Of tn
; bond, yea, even the pound of flesh"
i The power of the General Government to max
: this distribution may be we'll questioned. Thos
5 who contend for such distribution of the proceed
], derive the power from the grants Of the severa
n States to the United States, and from the secon
section of the fourth article Of the constitution
1.-THE United States A recurrence to these grant
! land an examination into the terms employed, an
the objects intended by them, may not be unpro
table in conducting the mind to correct JUDI
ment upon this subject.
. The committee do not propose to inquire in'
E the right of the Congress of the United States
$ have demanded, or the obligations imposed apo
e the States to make cession, of their public d.
!. main. The necessities Of the confederation seen
}, ed to require it, and the enlightened PATRIOTS
!, of the States ye!ded to that necessity, and su
u rendered them 'sfor the common good"
Is The terms employed in the grants by Virgil