Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-02-04
:
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.


| hNHMoNp, jan. go ie3S
To-day, Gov. Tyler. delivered an able and elo
quen' speech IN defence of the principles and views
se''of'h IN the Report aud Resolutions on the
SUBJECT OF the Public Lands, and in reply To the
arguments Of several gentlemen who had preceded
h'm' Without attempting any thing like \ full
sketch OF his speech. tfor took bu, Few notes, and
shouldbc unable. even were my notes more copious
they to do Justice to To tho speaker or 10 his
arguments, propose to advert to a few Of its most
prominent features,
Gov. Tyler contendcd that tue distribution of the
proceeds Of the sales Of Tho public lands is the only
measure which can put a stop TO tbcsc punerou,
and unconstitutional appropriations, by Congress,
for docks aud harbours. creeks and rivers, and
other local works, which annually appear ON the
Statute book and which last year amounted to up.
""fus OF 'hfec millions OF dollars, in addition an
"neApended balance remaining of the sppropra.
tons OF the year preceding, amounting to nearly
three millions more lie admitted tina, the Mays-
vile Veto accomplished much good ut the time !;
but he said that II had only driven tho Monster from
the land to the Undertaking occasion 10 animad-
vert on that construction Of the constitution which
10 hardly more ludicrous than II is ,nisehieyous,
that is within The constitutional power Of the general
government 10 Improve rivers Jeioc, but no, aJorc
ports OF cntty-ndi,rous, because it makes the
meaning OF the constitution dependant upon the le.
g'sation OF Congress, in whose discretion ports of en-.
Try aie established and misc hievous because il may
lead TO the establishment Of ports Of entry At points
where Nature has dcerecd that they shall not exist
merely to secure an appropriation, which, ,eere such
port not established it would be unconstitutional to
~
Cen Jockson desired, when he vetoed the Maysvillo
BILL to arrest the whole system of appropriations ior
internal improvements, (Which, by the way. do
no) but that he was afterwards miscd Nv his ady,-
sers and induced TO sanction bills resting upon prn.
cipcs il not identical with those Of the Maysy,lle
bill, which he had vetoed, certainly as indcicnsible
do not know, however. whether the General and
his friends will relish 50 equivocal compliment
which dc''aets from his understanding precisely to
The extent that IT exiols tho constitutional opinions
winch he was every day ignoranty violating.
Gov Tyler called on these gentlemen who were
opposed 10 distributing the proceeds of the sales of
the public lands to inform the House by what other
mode heywould secure TO Virginia her just and e.
quail nlcrcs, in that great fund II the prcscn, sys
tenn remains unchanged i, is certain that Congress
wiz Non'h"o " ""Nc annual appropriations IN
aid OF local Improvements, in which Virginia "
have no slare--ior no representative from Virginia
will ask for an appropriation to be expended upon
works with which Congress has no right to int
We must therefore insist upon Distributions or else
surrender the hope of ever obtaining that Just and
fair proportion oflhis fund which we have night TO
claim. The truth is, it is not a question whether
Congress has htto distribute this fund.- for that
has Arrays done and is still doing but il is whc
Their the distribution shall be equal unequal in its
character! Whether the new States shall enjoy all
its benefits, whether their older sisters shall not
participate in them And il will soon be too late,
Judging from the sigus of the times, to discuss
this question:; for, as Gov Tyler appropriately ask
days ago, IN the Senate Chamber Of the United
States, declared that the new States would not be
satisfied with half of the public lands within their
limits on. red to them by MI. Calhoun. but that they
would soon be strong enough to TAKE ALL and
that, when they became thus powerful they in,en
ded thus to act !, And Gov. II. warned the House
that although this threat came from Thomas II.
Benton 1t was not to be despiscd or dsrcgarded on
that account. Although SOLITARY and alone, he
might put that ball in notion" he would soon be
backed by the whole power fthc States interested in
this mednated system Of spoIiation and hence the
Jolly ofmouNing here nice consitutio nal points when
were loudly warned elsewhere of our duty 10
interpose, in the most prompt and cndc,ual man
ner, if VIC would prcsvere our just interest in tho
the public domain from the grasp Of bandit plumber
ers.
Gov. lyle, indicated himself agans, tho mpu-
taon oinconsistency in now supporting tho policy Of
distribution when in 1892 be had opposed Mr.. Clay's
celebrated Land Bill, lie opposed tht bill acc ordng
to present recollection, two grounds ls that it
qured the appropriation of the funds, directed TO be
distributed, 10 specific purposes,-to Internal I'm
provement. Education and Colonization, objects, to
which that government having right directly to
contribute, had just as little to contribute thus ind
rectiy and 2dly, because Mr.. C.'s bill gave to the
new States bonus of 124 per cent. by which that
system of inequality in the distribution pcrpe,u-
aled, agans, which he now. as them made war
In the course of discussion, Mr.. Edmunds, Of Hal
flax had assumed the ground that the distribution of
the money the public received from The sales of the
public lands would drain the treasury, and leave it
without the means, from the ordinary sources ofrev-
enuc, ofmectng its necessary expendtures-and he
secuted the idea of future retrenchmcnt in the dis
bursemenls ofthe federal government as an idle
dream. In reply to this Gov. Tyler very orclblo
and eloquent 10 his remarks. He expressed his aston
ishmcnt that such confession should be made by
prominent member OF that party whose chief had
rome into Office with The promise of Retrench-