State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-06-28


standing of every man in the nation to go
about hunting among the giant minds OF
our statesmen to discover its origin.
MIR Chairman, | shall not respass on the
patience Of the committee by repeating the
arguments which have been SO well and so
conclusivey stated by others, to show the
constiutionality and propriety of u distri-
button of the proceeds Of the public lands.
1t has been shown to this committee, 10y
gentlemen who have preceded me in this
debate, and particularly by the gentlemen
from Virginia (Mr McCoMAs) and Ken
lucky, (Mr UNDERwoOD,) that this disri-
button is not only in conformity with the
Constitution, but is, so far as the important
cession of Virginia is concerned, imposed
upon Congress as duty by the very IAN
guage and spirit of the deed Of cessiUn.
And confess am unable to see how this
Government can otherwise honestly dis
charge the trust reposed in it by that act
of cesson, than by giving TO Virginia and
each of the other States their respective
shares of the common fund. Sir, ! have
not heard the ConstiuItionaity of this
measure seriously questioned. Any OBJ
lection of that kind, it seems to me, would
now come altogether too late. 1t has hilh
erto been supposed that the power of this
Government over the public lands and
their proceeds was unaffected by the lnIi-
tations imposed in the Constitution on the
Use of money raised for revenue purposes.
have looked into the various elementary
writers OH the Constitution, and find they
all concur in giving to that article of the
Constitution which coniers the power on
Congress "to dispose Of and make all need
full rules and regulations respecting the ter
rltory ard other property belonging to the
UIited States" Il construction which would
leave the proceeds wholly unrestrancd to
the purposes for which taxes and imposts
may be imposed. 1t is an article separate
from, and wholly independent of that con-
trrring the taxing power and cannot be
crcunlscribed by It's limitations. From
the very commencement of the Govern
ment, we have been in the constant habit
of lcgislatng on this construction, and the
constitutionnlity of such legislation, so far
ms | am informed, has ever remained un-
questioned. We have made grants of the
public lands to States, 10 corporations, and
individuals, for almost all conceivevablc
purposes--tor purposes to which no one
would have thought Of appropriating the
general revenue. We have appropriated
over eight millions of acres for common
schools, more than two millions for inter-
nal improvements, and about FIVE hundred
thousand acres for colleges and academies,
ninety thousand acres for religious and
charitable institutions and in the acts OF
admission into the Union of each Of the
seven new States, tive per cent. on the
amount of the sales Of the public lands
within their respective limits, is granted
by Congress, either for the purposes of
Internal improvement or education. And
are we now to he met with an argument
against the power of Congress to make
this distribution trust not. Sir, if any
constitutional question can be considered
as settled by long, uniform and unnter-
rupted course of practical legislation, the
general power over the lands is one of
them?
have been amused, sir, at the variety
and contradictory character of the objec-
tons which are made to the distribution ms
proposed by the land bill on your table.
The pronencss TO contradiction in the ar
guments which are adduced against this
measure is so great, that you seldom hear
an objection raised by one gentleman, but
the next one you listen to astounds you
with one of directly and opposite character;
or public document against this distribution,
in which q prominent position assumed in
one paragraph is not contradictcd aud
overtlrown in that contained in a succeed
ing one? ! am persuaded, sir. that no
more efIectual way of oycnhrowing all
these arguments could be devised, than by
collecting them all together and placing
them in juXtapostion with each other. |
81 4 L.,
sufficient refutation. will moi dctnn the
committee by noticinga all the extraordinary
objections which the ingenuity of gentle
men has devised against this measure of
distribution, but | must beg leave to notice
few of the most prominent Of them.
Sir, one person objects against this bill
because it is temporary, ii is limited in its
operation; it only proposes distribution
settlement of the question in regard to the
public lands. | believe this is one of the
objections in the Veto Message to the bill
which passed the two Houses in '33 An
other objection now made is, that the mea-
sure will be u permanent one. 1t is said if
the distribution is once made, if the States
and people but once get taste Of this
treasure, they never will give it up. And
tIIlo HlSl dISuHlell, 81 Complementary 10 the
wisdom and intelligence Of the people, is
one which is urged with considerable car
nestness and do not know but the time
may soon come, if it has not already arriv-
ed, when implicit faith in it will he requr-
ed as one of the qualifications for member
ship in what gentlemen are pleased to de-
nominate the democratic Party" ] con-
TESS my democracy is not of that character
| have entire confidence in the ultimate
decision of the People. Ifthc distribution
works well, and the revenue ofthe country
will admit it, it will be continued other
wise, it will he abandoned.
Sir unOther ohpction unlo nuo;nst iii,