Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-01-14
CONGRESSIONAL.
From the National InteUigemcer.

Although (said hey l find myself borne
down by the severest aff1iction with which
Providence has ever been pleased to visit
me, | have thought that my private griefs
| ought not longer to prevent me from at
tempting, illas Ifeel qualified, to discharge
my public duties And | now rise, in
pursuance of the notice which has been
given, to ask leave to introduce a bill
to appropriate, for limited time, the pro-
ceeds ofthe sales ofthe public lands ofthe
United States, and for granting land to GER
tain States
feel it incumbent on me to make a
brief explanation of the highly important
measure which have now the honor to
propose The bill which l desire to in
troduce, provides for the distribution of
the proceeds of the public lands in the
years 1888, "a, IS, Sc, and 81 among the
twenty-four states of the Union, and con-
forms substantially to that which passed
in 1888. 1t is therefore of a temporary
character; but if it shall be found to have
a salutary operation it will be in the pow
er of "a future Congress to give it an indef-
mite continuance; and, if otherwise, it will
expire by its own terms. In the event of
Wal unfortunately breaking out with any
foreign power, the bill is to cease, and the
fund which it distributes is to be applied to
the prosecution of the war. The bill d.
reefs that ten per cent of the nett proceeds
of the public lands sold within the limits
ofthe seven new states, shall be first set
apart for them, in addition to the five per
cent. reserved by their several compacts
with the United States and that the resi-
due of the proceeds, whether from sales
made in the states and territories, shall be
divided among the twenty-fou states, in
proportion to their respective federal pop
ulation In this respect the bill conforms
to that which was introduced in 1872
For one, I should have been willing to
have allowed the new states IL l-2instead
of 10 per cent; but as that was objected
to by the President, in his veto-message,
and has been opposed in other quarters,
thought II best to restrict the allowance to
the more moderate sum. The bill also
contains large and liberal grants of land to
several of the new states, to place them
upon an equality with others to which the
bounty of Congress has been heretofore
extended, and provides that when other
, new states shall be admitted into the
Union, they shall receive their share of
6 the common fund.
2 The nett amount of the sales ofthe pub
lie lands in the year 1888 was the sum OF
, S3.967,682 IS, in the year 1884 was
$4,857,6 60, and in the year 1885, &C
cording to actual receipts in the three first
quarters, and an estimate of the fourth, is
8 $i2,X22, l2l l5-making an aggregate
q for the three years of LOAF, 4O4 &c.
e This aggregate is what the bill proposes
1 to distribute and pay to the twenty -four
states on the lst of May, 1885, upon the
= principles which | have stated. The diff
i ference between the estimate made by the
Secretary of the Treasury and that which
r l have offered Of the product of the last
quarter of this year, arises from my hav-
ing taken, as the probable sum, one third
- ofthe total amount ofthe first three quar-
= ters and he some other conjectural sum
e Deducting from the $2l ,O47,4 O4 SO the
" fifteen per cent. to which the seven new
r. states, according tossthe bill, will be first
n entitled, amounting to S2,6l2,25O l8
r. there will remain for distribution among
n the twenty-four states of the Union, the
O sum ofSl8,435, 1854 FL. Of this sum the
+ proportion of Kentucky will be S96O,947
s. 41-of Virginia, the sum of 81, 58l ,66e
n 39-of North Carolina, S988,632 40
3f and of Pennsylvania, S2,O83,233 81
IS The proportion of Indiana, including the
q fifteen per cent, will be S855,588 80
g Ohio, 1877, ITO Sand of Mississippi
t. S958,945 AZ. And the proportions of all
v the twentv-four states are indicated in {
e table which hold in my hand, prepared
IS at my instance in the office of the Secreta
J. ry ofthe Senate, and to which any senator
O may have access. The grounds or
d which the extra allowance is made to the
J. new states are, first, their complaint tina
: all lands sold by the federal government
ID are five years exempted from state taxa
J. ton secondly that it is to be applied ir
re such manner as will augment the value
Of ofthe unsold public lands within them $
of and, lastly, their recent settlement.
y REDUCTION OF THE REVENUE.
e Mr.. CALHOUN offered the following reso
id luton -
Resolved, That the Report of the Secre
tary of the Treasury of the 18th inst, rela
a tive to the duties that may be repealed, be re
~ ferred to the Committee on Manufactures
III with instructions to report bill providing
s. for the reduction repeal of all duties, which
s, in their opinion may be reduced or repealed
ce consistently with due regard to the manu-
as featuring interests.
D. Mr. CALHOUN, on offering this resolution
" adverted to the immense surplus which wa
~ daily accruing in the public treasury, t
" which we must look for an immense increas
le of power in the hands of the Executive Gov
u, eminent and the overspreading of the coun
III try with corruption and subserviency. Thi
In was not proper occasion to discuss the &C