Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-12-16
MR.. CLAY'S LAND BILL.

Owing to tie great length of the President.
objections To the Land Bill, and with a view oil
ecOnomizing, our space for agreeable variety.
we present an abstact, embracing all the main
| points Of the executive communication, with
! such extracts as will serve to place The pih OF
the matter completely before our readers. When
documents Of this sort can be compressed, we
shall perform that Office for them; since the
public desire. aud retain, only the cbief points
and allegations.
The Land Bill reached the President about
the close Of the last session of Congress; and
SOON after the convention Of those bodies in
their present session, he returned it with his Oh
jec,iuns. The history of the Public Lands and
the disposition usually made of the subject, BY
the different state legislatures can be told in a
few words.
In 1777, a motion in Congress to amend the
articles of confederation so as to fix the west.
ern boundaries Of states claiming 10 the Mis-
sissippi or Sosth Sea, and to lay out the land
beyond, SO ascertaned, into separate states, as
they might be wanted-was lost. Maryland on.
" voting for it. The state Legislatures of the
period all objected to the measure. All the
states acceded to the articles with the exception
Of Maryland, the delegates of which state were
instructed to press upon Congress the fact that
the waste lands alluded to above, should be
deemed common property, subject to be parcel.
led out by Congress into free and independent
governments
This was opposed BY the New York legislature
in March 1870; that body contending that this
waste territory ought to be appropriated as fund
to support the war. Congress soon after recon
mendpd that those states which were concerned,
should surrender q portion OF their territorial
claims for that purpose,-each state, however,
relipqushing thereby no right DOR interest to the
back country. Congress afterwards passed re.
solution. pIcdsing the United States TO the seve-
raj States, as to the manner which any lands
coded by them should be disposed Of After this
resolution. in 1881, the legislature OF Maryland
authorized their delegates in Congress to sign the
articles Of confederation, which was done, on the
1st of March following.
The cession Of lands to the United States, on
terms similar to the above, with the condition
that the overpIus fund which remained after de.
fraying the expenses Of the war, should be appro-
priated to the use Of the confederaled states then
and thereafter, was consented To by Virginia.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, South Carolina, and
Georgia, on terms generally cOinc idcnt. Con.
gress, in May 1885, directed that the proceeds
Of western land sales, the property of the United
States, should be paid into the Treasury, to be
used in defraying the public debts. In '87, Con.
gress presented certain articles Of agreement be-
tween the people Of the States containing public
lands and the western States. by which the lie.
gislatures of new states should never interfere
with the first disposal Of the sales BY Congress,
nor with the security Of possession furnished BY
Congress. TO bona fds purchasers These con.
ditions have been compiled with by the people Of
all the new territories, and some OF them have
yielded their waste lands entirely to the use and
disposition of the United States.
He then proceeds to show that the obligation
Of the United States to dispose Of the public lands
for the common benefit, continues unimpaIred;
that the proceeds of these lands have never been
SET apart as a separate fund. but constitutes a
part OF the aggregate national revenue. As yet
the revenue arising from the lands has not been !
sufficient TO meet the general charges On the Trea
sury which have grown out oil them, by about
8l.Sl4, CSC. The annual proceeds Of land sales
have increased. and the charges diminished, so
that at reduced price those lands would dsfrav
al charges arising from them, and save the trea.
sury from advance on their account. Believing
that to be the only proper mode, the president OBJ.
ects to the Bill Of Mr.. Clay, as subversive Of all
the points and views above mentioned.
From these facts and proceedings, the presi.
lent contends, that the waste lands Of the west
we're designed as the common property Of the
United Sta,es-that they were coded by the
states Tor that purpose, and no otber-and the
,vals Of these lands sold under the confedera.
ion, were for public use in dsfraying debts. &c.
Finally, the President argues that Mr.. Claws
bill would lead to consolidatiun;-tha it is the
pest policy that the public lands should as soon
Is possible, cease TO be- a source Of public rev.
,nue; and suggests that a plan be adopted to ac-
:ompsh this object, (which shall impair no
principle. violate no compact, and deraDge no
ystem. Phil Int