The Arkansas advocate., 1833-09-11

Shoarn to be apalpable violatioa of tke con
 dat,ons upon ichich the seeeqai States ce-
 ded their ciaims to the United Stafes.
 We have seen that Congress encouraged the cession of the western lands to the Uni ted States by promising that in such an event, they "shaH be disposed of for he common benefit of ihe Uaiied Staies.'
 New York ceded her claims on condition that the lands should "be and enare for the use and benefit of such of the United States as shall become members of the federal al- nance of the said States,o and to make the condition more emphatic, added, .and for no othef purpose or use WhataceycGo f=N | that the lands, ashall be considered as common fund for the use and benefit of such of the United States as have become or shall become members of the coniedera- tion or federal alliance of said States, Vir- elnia inclusive, ,"-and not content with this, proceeded to stpulate the precise principle by which the common benefit should be ap- portioned, viz: "according to their usual respective proportions in the general charge and expenditure''-a to bar every other appropriation of the lands and every other principle of distribution, added-sand shall be faithfully and bona fide disposed of for that purpose, and for no other use or pur- pose whatsoever"
 Massachusetts ceded her claims upon the condition that the lands shall ssbe dis posed of for the common benefit of the United States.n
 Connecticut ceded her claims to the Uni ted States upon condition, that the lands shall be disposed of s.for the common use and benefit of said States, Connecticut in- elusive.n
 South Carolina ceded her claims on con- dition that the lands shall enure to ssthe common benefit of the Union."
 North Carolina ceded her claims on con- dition, that the lands 'sshall be considered as common fund for the use and benefit of the United States, North Carolina inclu- siye," and then to fix the principle of distri- button and prevent for ever any other ap- propriation of the land, added according to their respective and usual proportion in the general charge and expenditure, and shall be faithfully disposed of for that pur- pose, and for no other purpose whatever"
 Georgia ceded her claims on condition l that the lands shall s'be considered as a common fund for the use and benefit of the United States, Georgia included, and shall be faithfully disposed of for that purpose, and for no other use or purpose whatso- eyer.'
 Upon these conditions the several ces- sions were accepted by the United States. These conditions, therefore, became part of the fundamental law of the United States, which cannot be violated without an act of bad faith towards the States making ces- l sions. In the most authentic and solemn manner, three points were settled in these acts of cession, viz:
 l. That the Public Lands shall be dis posed of for the common use and benefit of the United States.
 ?. That each State shall participate in the common benefit according to is respec- tive and usual proportion in the general charge and expenditure.
 3. That the Public Lands shall not be disposed offor any other purpose whatso- 1 ever.
 The mode in which each State was to receive its proportion of benefit according to ''tjte general cbarge and erpeadsturc," Is prescribed III the act oi Congress approved August 4th, l790, appropriating the whole proceeds of the sale of Public Lands to the payment of the Public Debt s'until the said debt shall be fully satisfied" This applica- ton lessened the taxes to be laid and col lected for that purpose and benefited every State in the exact proportion that such ''gen- eral charge" would otherwise have fallen upon her citizens. By being paid into the general treasury after the debt shall be dis charged, and by being applied to the current expenses of government, the proceeds of the land sales would diminish the amount of the general charge" and continue to benefit the several States in the same way.
 Let us now see whether MT. Clay's Bill is in conformity with the conditions on which the United States became the owner of needed lands. The first section of the Bill is as follows, viz:
 "Be tt enacted, That from and after the 31st day of December, in the year of our Lord, 1882, there shall be allowed and paid to each of the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illi- nois, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi and Louisiana, over and above what each of the said States is entitled to, by the terms ofthe compacts entered into between them, re- spectiyely upon their admission into the Union, and the United States, the sum of twelve and half per centum upon the net amount of the sales of the public lands, which, subsequent to tneday aforesaid, shall be made within the several limits of the said States; which said sum of twelve and half
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