Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-12-03

sion
4" R.soloed, As the opiuion Of tbs General As
.crhs, hat any art by which the Congress ot the
l'nlled States shall give tie public lands Ia tie
States IN which they are situated ~ any at rs
which the minimum price al which the lands ar.
uua sold shall be reduced, would seriously affect
e prosperity ol all the old States, and do grcaf
injustice 10 those STATES by which tlcy were orr
enaliy coded 10 the Conicdcracv.
Resofred. tartbtr, As the opinion of this Gc-
neral Assembly, thai the public debt having been
cNinpnishcd, and the object for which the cesson
oft,. respective portions of the public domain b>
the States which originally held them, having tIus
been accomplished, that such disposition Of the
public lands the proceeds thereof, ought to be
made among the States Of the Union, as shall be
proportioncd to the respective sacrifices and cx-
pcnditnres incurred by them in support of the T.
nited States or, AT least IN proportion 10 their
Federal population
1t is with great pleasure that find public at
teniion and more drawn to this subject. II
is impossible to shut our eyes to the evidences OF
its daily growing importance, and 10 the conse-
qucnt necessity that some general principles in
relation TO its ultimate disposition should be
Immediately and definitely settled. Dcmagoguts
are already appealing 10 the avarcc and cnpidity
Of the people of the States in which the Public
Lands are situated, con,rnding either for the
duclion of the price Of the Lands 10 a sum low
~ scarcely to pay the expenses incurred in survey
ing and bringing them into market, or for their I'M
conditional accomplishment to those Sates--And
they will derive powerful auxiliary aid to this I'M
Just and graspinc demand from the present over
| flowing State of the national treasury. When II
question is asked, what shall be done with ii,
surplus revenue = they will reply give up IT,,
western lands, uhich annually pour 80 many mil
lions into the public Golfers, to the several States
within which they are situated" And aItlouci
jhc oR States, to whom all that territory oriei-
nall, belonged, either by conquest or purchase
are strong enough TO resist this nquitons and
prepostcrous claim, yet let it not be forgotten that
every year diminiehos their comparative strcncth,
and, that, consequently, if they do not speedily
determine upon some equi able rule of apporon-
ing the proceeds Of the SUES of these Lands, the
day is not distant when they will be deprived of
the power To do at all
That the Public Lands constitute common
fund, in which cacl, of the States possesses Joint
interest, proEortioncd To its federal numbers.
cannot, as an abstract proposition, admit Of "A mo-
men''s doubt, in any candid and dis;nicrcstcd
mlnd. The chief obstacle in the way of its adjust
mcnt, seems to exist in the mode of collecting and
distributing the proceeds Of their sales-some of
tie oyer-scnsitivc State Rights men, real or pre-
tended, protesting against any system which
might place the State governments in the attitude
OF lcnofcjarics and pensioners of the national
treasury. But this objection is more specious
than soId--morc iancful than just. Such an OBJ
lection would have been equally proper when the
States applied to the general government for reim-
horsemcn for monies expended, during the last
war, in the "atonal defence. The Public Land,
)elone 10 the States. 1t was it is true, oricinall,
intended that they should constitute fund for ma
'ional purposes. But their value so far on;,tri,,
the estimates which the most sanguine had formed
in relation tor, and it being clearly shown, HAT fer
nat.na! purposes, they are not now, if tie, ever car
he again necessary, that necessarily com.
PEELED 10 adopt a new policy in relation to the dis
.rbution Of the monlts arising from their Salc>
" hat system can be devised, less objectionable !,
, it, opcra nr, and more beneficial in is effect,
than ,l.al ihr !'neral government, shall con,nl.
to exercise supervision over their sale tie col
lection OF the monte, artistic thcrctiom, and it, dis
trhntlon among the several Stale. in such proper
lions and in such manner, AS may be agreed upon
not aS tie 0ini0n6r, hut as the aPfn. of the
States Would the States be Tie pensiossr, OF
the general government, because they received
from II annually monies which belong 10 them
rs well might it be said that large landed pro-
prictorls the pensioners of tho steward who col
lccts his rents, and pays them over into his hands
The idea, 1t seems to Us, is utterly prcposterou,
and ab>urd-lt is "of tie stuff that dreams are
made
No one can doubt the benefits which vouId ,C
necessity accrue from this policy. Ii we do not
, intend that millions upon millions shall aucmo,,
IN our treasury, to lie idle in its vaults and nor
chance To constitute great fund for purposcs of
ccrruption-and il the old States do no, in,,,d ~
ALLEVIATE their right in the Public Lands and ro-
hnaulsh them, in fee SIMPLE to the States in which
they are stua,ed-and if the general co,crpm.,,
Is by the constitution Invested of the powor If ox
pending IT, in advancing the cause of Publ;c Fd,-
cation and in carrying on a system or J,,,r,.l
Improvement, commensurate with the GROWING
necessities of the peoplc--wliat shall b. don, v;I
the money what can be done with il. unless il b
appor'Ioned cqnabl, among the States TO h., c,.
pended by them in promoting the GREAT e,d. .,