The Arkansas advocate., 1833-09-04
POLITICAL.
From the Ifzaalsiaetan Glabn.

from tRe 1T GSiifHgf96 Gf0te. THE PUBLIC LANDs----MR. eLAY's BILL.
 NO. I.
 l ORIGIN OF THE PUBLIC LANDS.
 III short numbers we propose to examine into tbe policy of the Bill for distributing among the several States the proceeds of the sales Of Public Lands, provided for in an act which passed both Houses of Con- l gross at their last Session, and was retained by the President.
 Me wiii first inquire into the origin of the the Public Lands of the United States.
 Prior to the Revolution, the Province of 1 seofgeia, afterwards the State of Georpia. extended westwardly to the Mississippi ri- yer, embracing the present State of Aiaba- ma and most of the State of Mississippi Those regions were then entirely occupIed by the Indian tribes.
 South and North Carolina also claimed jurisdiction over strips of territory running westwardly to the Mississippi, embracing al least the State of Tennessee as now bound cd.
 The charter of Virginia embraced all the territory ''fom the point of land called cape or point Comfort, all along the sea coast to the northward, two hundred miles, and from the said point or cape Comfort all alongthe sea coast to the southward two hundred miles; and all that space and circuit of land lying from the sea coast of the precinct l aforesaid, up into the land throughout from sea to sea, west and northwest ; IIilis I ilis grant embraced the present States of Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and the Territory of Michigan, all occupied by the lindIans at the time of the Revolution, with the exception of small portion of Ken lucky and few French settlements in Illi- npis and Michigan.
 l lNew-York had some undefined claims to the western territory conflicting in part with those of Virginia.
 The charter of Connecticut extended her territories 4'from the said Narraganset Bay on the east to the South Sea on the west part, &c. &c. embracing portion of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and coming Ill direct conflict with the charter of Virginia.
 The charter of Massachusetts also ey- tended to the South Sea and involved the same difficulties
 Maryland, Delaware, New-Jersey, Rhode Island and New-Hampshire seem to have had no claims to lands in the western ter ritories of the present United States. In this condition were the several colo nies when the Revolution broke out. The urgency of the occasion forced them to unite on equal terms without settling boundaries or considering their comparative strength. But when the Articles of Confederation were presented to the States for their ap- Proyal, the attention of statesmen was called to the future, and the small States having no claim to the western territory, became alarmed at the prospect of aggran- dlzement which seemed to await the larger States. Some of these hesitated to sanc- ton the Articles of Confederation.
 The State of Maryland in TITS utterly refused, unless the large States would sm- render to the U. States the jurisdiction and soil of the western territory ssto be parcelled out by Congress into free, convenient and independent goyernments,o and memoraliz- ed Congress to that effect.
 The difficulties which had arisen induced the State of New York, in l7S0, to pass ''an act to facilitate the completion of the Articles of Confederation and perpetual union among the United States of Ameri- ca." The preamble to this act sets forth the difficulties which had arisen, in these words:-"Whereas the Articles of Confe- iteration and perpetual union, recommended by the honorable Congress of the United States of America, have not proved accept able to all States, II har,ng been conce,ped iitai c portion of tue aoaste and uucult,uated territory, acithin tkc limits or claims of cer- tain States ought to be appropriated os c common fund for the expenses of tte acar," &c. The act proceeds 10 authorize the Delegates of the State in Congress to cede to the United States all the right of New York to the soil and jurisdiction of the western territory, .for tte use and benefit of such of tbe Um;ted Sfates as shaN become members of the federal aHiaace of tue said .Stotes, and for no other use or rpurpose iohat- S0eUef.o
 Hseems that Virginia, whose claims were perhaps the best defined, having already extended her settlements into Kentucky and having conquered from the enemy the posts of Kaskaskias and Vincennes, re- monstrated against the claims of other States to a surrender of her territory in that quarter. The memorial of Maryland, the proposal of New-York, and the remon- strance of Virginia, were all referred to committee. Upon their report. Congress. on the 9th day of September, l7SO, adopt ed the following preamble and resolution, viz:
 sThat having duly considered the several matters to them submitted, they conceive | if unneceScarv to exan1ine into the merits