Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-04-24

1892, showing the amount expended hy the Uni
ted States ia the acquisition ol public lands, and the
proceeds of the sales which have been made
This document from the Treasury Department
shows that the amount thus expended exceeds
that received for sales, by nearly eicUca mi0RS of
dOliIrS.
The report states the quantity Of unsold land on
which the foreign and Indian titles have not been
cxtinguishcd; the grants to Ohio, Indiana Illinois
and Missouri, for Internal improvements ana. the
grants for literary Institutions and CGuc1tion IL
then presents some strong views Of the inexpcdcn
cy of reducing the price of the public lands; shows
That the present prices not too high, by tho
evidence ofthc brskuess ofthc sales, and the large
quantities which have been sold; and contends that
reduction i'll price would operate unjustly and in
Juriously to the government and to former pur-
chasers by diminishing the value of their property
reduction, say the Committee would also be rcrni-
cious by It's tendency To accumulate large quaint
ties OF land among ovcrgrown capitalists; and thew
illustrate this position by the example of the mill
tary bounty lands. They then explain the iniuri
Gus bearing ot reduction on Ohio, Kentucky and
ionnesscc-thc States from which the greatest en-
igratlon procccds-in lessenng the value ofreal es
tate IN those members ofthc concderacv;in dimin
lshlng their interest in the public domain; and in of.
icring an effective bounty to further emgrations
he argument derived from tho large quantity
oil public land yet remaining unsold that the pro.
sent price is too high is answered hv n reference
to the rapIdty of sales, &c. The Report notices
the proposition that the price of tic public lands
Is rag, and that, In the present state and pros
poets OF the revenue, such tax ought to be reduced
The Report denies that there is any tar i'm the
case, and argues that, on the contrary as
sum ton those who have already paid tho al
legged tar much entitled to The ,uuit,llc
consideration of the Government as future pur
chasers ut reduced rates. 1t denies, however, that
reduction OF the price of the public lands is ne
cesSary to accelerate the settlement and popua-
ton OF the States within which those lands lie
iheSe States arc seven III number, viz: Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Mississippi, Aahama Missouri
anu louisiana; and 1t appears, sirom some sta
tistlcal details presented by the Committees that
from 1920 20 1880 the progress of populati ION in
the States Just named has been so raud ms ia re-
qure no additional stimulus. The population
table from which this result is derived and which
IS appended to the Report, exhi ,its the gratifying
fact that, during the period lust Indicated The
whole population of the United States has ipcrcos
cd about hrty-thTce per cent. Each OF eleven
States exceeded, and each of thirteen States fell
| short of that rate of increase
Few political readers are ignorant Of the fact
| that in the new States of the Con!cdcracv cnns;
dcrablc satisfaction had existed, in consequences of
J inc government nehg an extensive proprietor of
lands within their borders, without paying taxes for
lt'anu OF the exemption of such lands from taxa
ton five years after sale This state of thnns has
In those sections of the Union, been regarded as
operating inluriously to the resident andhodcr by
expressing him with disproportionate share in the
| expenses oil the State Governments. In noticinr
| the complaints sprnging from these circumstan
ces' the COMMITTEE take occasion to present tho
| other side OF the question. They refer to the an
General
vernment and the States, of five per cent on
the net proceeds of land sales to Internal Improve
het; 10 the land reservations for purposes of edu
cdtoh; ana TO the numerous grants of land for To-
| cal purposes In the spirit which has uniformly
aclua'cd the General Government this subject
the Committee recommend an appropriation to
each OF the seven States referred to, of further
''sum OF ten per cent. on the net proceeds of the
sales OF that part of the public lands which lies
"within ii, for objects of Internal Improvement in
''thcir respective limits"
On the second branch of the inquiry, with which
| the Comm tee were entrusted, viz. the cxpedency
OF transferring the Public Lands to the States with
IN which they c-ihey remark that this question
comprehcnds IN its consequences, the ceSson of
the chOie Public Domain Of the Nation: because
thcy say ccsSions similar to those indicated by the
letter OF the Resolution would of course be hcrcaf
ter made t. future States of the Union Adverting
to the immense amount of suggested cessons they
state the quantity of the whole public domain TO
be $1,000, ST. 1853 acres, and its value TO he
81, 1863, 5S9, G9I. The value of these lands thew
notice III several aspects; and they audc to the
grave character of measure, which would ALLEVIATE
| property OF such immense value, belonging to the
| whole, from its owners and transfer it to a part
only OF those owners. They again notice the ex
cellcnce OF the Federal System in relation to the
public lands, and dwell with great force on the de-
iects OF any systems that could be substituted for
1T by the States. Besides the danger of collisions
between the States, and the spirit hazardous spe-
culaton which would be inevitable incidents Of the
suggested innovation, another and gravcr evil
would be, the new and dangerous relation of Gre
dltor and debtor which the transfer would establish
between the General ard of the State Go
yernments. The credit system, which it had been
round from experience necessary to abolish, would
be revived with accumulated grievances; the States
wcAd, Tor their respective purchases become debt
to the Federal Governments the identify of their
situation IN this respect would produce communi-
ty of gricts and of feeling, inspiring projects of
dlsunlon; the General Government would be una
BILE to coerce payment from the defaultng States;
Inc
raj ana the State Governments, excludes any idea
of resortng to the ultimate remedy pursued by one
foreign nation to eXtOrt justice from another; the
Judiciary could afford no desirable aid; it would
moreover, be incqutable in the General Govern
ment, to seize thc property of innocent liens to
pay debts contracted by the States in their sovc-
reign capacities; the cXpedicnt of mortgages on
the coded lands would prevent retard subsequent
sales by the States; and, the whole there would
| be inevitable delinquency, without remedy,
| the part OF the dsbtor States
The report repels the idea of cessicns for prices
merely nominal, as being unjust the part of the
General Government; reminds the Senate that the
cessions from Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia,
obtained from the common trcasure and presents
some curious, as well as important details showing
| the inequality in the acquisitions of the receiving
States, compared with their population, respect
! lively.
| The general conclusion to which the Committee
are brought is, that it is mexpedient for the Geno
1 cral Government either to ccdc the public lands TO
the States within which they lie, or to reduce thor
price. They again advert to the merits of the
Isng system for surveying and selling those lands.
But they remark that it may very properly be con-
sIdercd whether the proceeds Of sales, being
longer necessary to dcr1y the expenses of the GO
vcrnmcnt, may not be bGnciicdlly appropriated to-
some other objects. Before indicating any precise
object, they advert to the important duty, incident
to government, of outstanding the resources of
country in times Of prosperity and peace, 20
y f.,