Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1834-01-08

From the PRESIDENT OF TIE UNITED STATE
returning, srith has objections, the bill emit
tied 'an act TO appropriate for a limitet
time, tie proceeds of the sales of the pub
lie lands Of the United States, and 70,
granting landto certain States"
(CoNgLUDED.)
With such cafe have the United States
reserved to themselves, in all their acts
down to this day, in legislating for the
territories, and admitting states into the
union, the unshackled power to execute,
in good faith, the compacts of cession
made with the original states. From the.
facts and proceedings, it plainly and Ger.
tainly results:
/. That one of the fundamental primer.
Piles on which the confederation of the
United States was originally based, was.
that the waste land Of the west within
their limits should be the common pro-
perry of the United States.
9. That those lands were coded to the
United States by the states which claim
ed them, and the cessions were accepted
on the express condition that they should
be disposed Of for the common benefit of
the states, according to their respective
proportions in the general charge aud ex
pendlture, and for no other purpose what
Isoever.
5. That, in execution Of these solemn
lcompacts, the congress Of the U. States
did, under the confederation, proceed to
sell these lands, aud put the avails into
the common treasury, and, under the new
constitution, did repeatedly pledge them
for the payment of the public debt of the
United States, by which pledge each state
was expected TO profit in proportion to
the general charge to be made upon il for
that object
These are the first principles of this
whole subject, which, | think, cannot be
contested by any one who examines the
proceedings of the revolutionary congress,
the cessions of the several states, and the
acts Of congress under the new const.u-
ton. Keeping them deeply impressed
upon the mind, let US proceed TO examine
how far the objects Of the cessions have
been completed, and see whether those
compacts are not still obligatory upon the
United States.
The debt for which these lands were
pledged by congress may be consdercd
as paid, and they are consequently re-
leased from that lien. But that pledge
formed no part Of the compacts with the
states, or Of the conditions upon which
the cessions were made. 1t was con,
tract between new parties--between the
United States and their creditors. Upon
payment Of the debt the compacts remain
in full force, and the obligation of the u.
States to dispose of the land for the com
mon benefit is neither destroyed or i'm
paired. As they cannot now be executed
in that mode, the only legitimate question
which can arise is, in what other way are
these lands to be hereafter disposed of for
the common benefit of the several states,
I''according 10 their respeetiue and usual pro
portion IN The general charge and erpendi
tue?" The cessions of Virginia, N. Caro-
lima, and Georgia, in express terms, and
all the rest implicitly, not only provide
thus specifically the proportion according
to which each state shall profit by the
proceeds of the land sales, but they pro-
coed to declare that they shall be '.faith-
fully and bona .jide disposed Of for that pur-
pose, and for no other use or purpose schatso
c0cr." This is the fundamental law Of the
land at this moment, growing out of com,
pac:s which are older than the constitu-
lion, and formed the corner stone on which
the union itself was erected.
In the practice of the government, the
proceeds ofthe public Ian ds have not beer
set apart as separate fund for the pay
ment of the public debt; but have been
and are now, paid into the treasury, where
they constitute part of the aggregate o
revenue, upon which the government
draws as well for its current expenditures
as for payment of the public debt. i
this manner they have heretofore, and d
now, lessen the general charge upon tn
people of the several states in the exac
t proportions stipulated in the compacts.
These general charges have been CON
{, posed not only Of the public debt, and tn
! usual expenditures attending the civil an
military administration ofthe government
a but of the amounts paid to the states wit
which these compaets were formed; tn
+ amounts paid the Indians for their rigt
o of possession; the amounts paid for III
: purchase Of Louisiana and Florida; an