Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-02-04
THE PUBLIC LANDS.

u DdiioH"' y - p'Ehu''N ~
,en,ion to which its importance gives 1t a just claim
The c upidity OF the new States, in connection with
the ambition Of political aspiranrs, who, TO obtain
their votes, are willing TO " dispose Of this mighty
inheritance for less than a mess Of pottage, threat
ems soon to wrcsi from its rigb,ful proprietorst Their
lds, proportion Of this almost exhaustless fund, I'M
less some plan can be devised. which will place II
beyond their reach, and disconneci il entirely from
the party struggles tha, ever aud anon aglts,e The
county.
Nj. Calhoun, 10 his late speech on the engross-
ment Of the bill for graduating The price oi the pubic
lands, presents some statements which, while at hrst
sight, they are calculated TO astonisll us by The
almost miraculous increase, which they disclose, OF
the population aud power Of The rev States, are
neserilele IS FAT from j%usliiyiuP, it seems TO u.s. the
conclusion to winch they Lave driven that gentle
man-wlich is, in brief, that in order TO retain a mole
~ Of The proceeds Of the sales Of The public lands, il
Is The true policy Of TIC general %eosenment to 'd's-
pose Of the whole of those lands, in fee sim
pie, to the States in which they respectively lie, on
condition ,hnt the said States will assume the exclu-
si,c anacemen Of such lands, including their sur
vcy and sale, aud the collection OF the money for
which they may be sold to individuals. such a
conclusion implies an absence Of that proper coer-
eve energy in the general governments. N which, II
ii be really thus deficient, II is unworthy Of the re-
speet OF The people, while il lmpotes dcgree Of
%g,asping and criminal ~cupldiiy 10 the new States,
which, III II indeed ex SITS, makes theif alliance rather
an evil 10 be deprecated than a good 10 be desired.
We arc aware that Inc Senate, from Missouri, tMr.
Benton,) with that contempt for common honesty
which has always signalized his conduct, secuted
even Mr.. Calhoun's most liberal proposition, (Which,
by the way, is the highest bid for the Presidency that
has yet been made and declared thai the new States
would soon be strong enough to substitute Their
WILL for reason and right but the people Of
those States have not studied ethics in so loose a
code as that by which the character Of the Hero Of
Chapel HH was formed, and will not seek to plum
der those from whose bosom they sprung, and TO
whom they are indebted for the most generous sys-
tenn of colonization that has ever existed from the
foundation Of the world. But we are running rath-
err ahead Of our subject.
FIRST, as TO The facts stated by Mr.. Calhoun-facts
we'll known, but not often brought prominently to
public attention. Twenty seven years ago, Mr.. c.
tells us, when he first took his seat in the popular
branch of Congress, there WAS but one new State,
lOhIo,) and she had but one representative, " Jerc-
miah Morrow, an honest aud sensible man, who was
at the head Of the committee on public lands, and
had the confidence Of The House so completely tina,
his voice was the law on all subjects connected with
thein-so little interest dad they AT that time excite"
Within that brief period, The new States have in
creased from one to nine in nnmber-insread Of Q
Senators Of 80, they have now Is of Sand three
more territories are almos, ready for admission into
-. Vii. .l;,I aha. i, .l-Il IT.. II. IN
give them 81 Of So and their increase in the House
of Representatives has heen in even "A greater ratio.
And next year the census is TO be taken, under which
IT is impossible 10 conjecture the augmentation of
their population. and Of their consequent relative
increase in the House Of Representatives and in the
Electoral College.
But there is nothing in these facts. startling rs
they are, which, rightly viewed. should drive the
nation 10 ,ho rrecipItate conclusion which Mr.. Cal
houn seems so eager TO embrace. For, in the first
place, il The old States continue true TO themselves,
their majority in the Senate, which they will in all
probability retain at least until 1850. will enable
them, should the new States attempt TO make their
" ,eiif the law upon the subject, TO restrain and hold
in check the Wholesale heebooters +: and, secondly,
by that time, several Of the nero States wall have be-
come identified thoroughly in interest and feeling
with the old-Ohio, Alabama and Indiana certainly,
and PERHAPS Michigan, Illinois, Mississippi and
Missoufi,-by the sale OF most OF the valuable pub
lie lands within their limits, bv which their intctio,
interest in those lands will be nearly extinct, while
,heir right to the lands beyond their limits will be
vast and yearly augmenting in value. 1t will evil
IDENTIFY, therefore, so so on as the title 10 the Public
Domain within their limits shall have passed rom
the government into the hands Of individuals, be
their int, est to prevent the alienation Of this nation
al property from the purposes for which it was OIL
glnally designed, and to hold the government TO a
Just and equal administration Of its trust. We per
ceive that this feeling begins already 10 operate in
OHIO and Indiana, as II has long done elieciually in
Tennessee and Kentucky, which are somewhat older
and il must continue TO extend lis influence in the
direct ralio of The extinction ofthe government title
To the public domain within THEN limits. This nat
ural working Of the system-by which the new
States become gradually but certainly assimilated to
the old inleres, and fceliue-will be ou, sure safe.
guard against the universal spoliation and robbery
predicted so confidently. and apparently with SO
much delight, by the Senator from Missouri, and
which seem to be anticipated with so much GER
lain,y and apprehension by his new ally from South
Carolina.
Believing, then. that the dangers apprehended
from this source are altogether ideal, il behooves the
old States to insist upon the adoption of some plan.
by the general government, by which the presen,
o,,ss ineou,litv in the dist,ihutiop of The proceels