Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1836-06-25

exists, with the exception of the al
mount of money thus to be disposed
of-for it could not have been anti
cipated by the President that the sur
plus above the real wants or conven-
lent expenditures of the Government
would become SO large, as that re-
tanning it in the Treasury would SO
much diminish the circulating medi-
um as greatly to embarrass the busi-
ness of the country.
What other disposition can be made
Of it with view to get it into ;mme-
date circulation but to place it IN the
hands of the State authorities? SO
great is the amount, and SO rapidly is
it increasing, that it could not be ex-
pended for a very considerable time
on the comparatively few objects to
which it could be appropriated by
the General Government; but the de-
sired distribution amongst the People
could be Immediately elected by the
States, from the infinite variety Of
ways in which it might be employed
by them. BY them it mig ht be loan
ed to their own banking institutions,
or even to Individuals mode of dis
tribution by the General Government
which l sincerely hope is in the con-
temptation of no friend to his coun-
try.
I'd. Whilst ! have always broadly
admitted that the public lands were
the common property of ali the States,
1 have been the advocate Of that mode
of disposing of them which would Gre
ate the greatest number of freehol-
ders, and conceived that in this
way the interest Of all would be as
well secured as by any other dispo-
sition; but since, by the small size of
the tracts inwhich the lands are now
laid out. and the reduction ofthe price
this desirable situation is easily at
tainable by any person of tolerable
Industry, am perfectly reconciled
to the distribution of the proceeds of
the sales rs provided for by the bill
introduced into the Senate by Mr..
Clay; the interest of all seems to be
well provided for by this bill; and as
from the opposition which has liIther-
to been made to the disposition of
the lands heretofore contemplated by
the representative ofthe new States,
there is no probability of its being a.
, doptcd, think it ough; no longer to
ne insisted on.
3rd. AS / believe that no money
should be taken from the Treasury
of the United States to be expended
on internal improvements, but for
those which are strictly national.
=. the answer to this question would be
easy, but for the difficulty of deter
mining which of those that are from,
!, time proposed would be Of this des-
cription. The circumstance Of the ex-
Icitement which has already been
, produced by appropriations of this
kind, and the jea'ousres which it will
no doubt continue to produce 1t per
sisted in. give additional claims to the
mode of appropriating all the surplus
:. revenue of the United States IN the
manner above suggested. Each
, State viii then have the means OF
: accomplishing its own schemes of In
ternal Improvement. Still there Will
be particular cases when contem-
plated Improvement viii be OF great
= err advantage to the Union generally.
: and some p1rticul States, than to
I that IN which it is to be made. In
: such cases. as well as those in the
Y new States. where the value of the
e public domain will be greatly enhan
e ccd by an improvement IN the means
:. of communication. the Gen1 Govern
l. ment should certainly largely contri
butte. To appropriations OF the lat
e ter character there has been no very
l. warm opposition. Upon the whole
e the distribution of the public revenue
y amongst the States seems likely t.
: remove most. ifnot all. the causes oi
/ dissension Of which the internal I'M.
3; provement system has been the
5 fruitful source. There is nothing. II
! my opinion. more sacredly incumbent
II upon those who are concerned III the
n administration of our Government
than that of preserving harmony be-
J. tween the States. From the con
l. struction of our system there ha:
c been, and probably ever will bc.mort
c or less jealousy between the Genera
land State Governments: but there I:
y nothing in the Con>titution-nothin.
: in the character of the relation: