Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-09-30
POL e'Ag..
From The Nee York Courier.
Mn. CLAy's LAM Blu.

Mn. CLAys LAND BiLt.
From the views that We have already presented oil
Mr.. Clay's policy in respect To Tho Public Lands
II Is apparent that the time bad arrived, in his OPP
nioD Tor n final adjustment Of this important qurs-
tion. lie regarded the national domain in The liphi
of u" common fund.-" to he managed and dir POSED
OF iof the common benefit Of the States. THIS
properly, he thought. should he prudcny and pro-
wdcntly adminisefed--hat II should not he wan
tony sacrificed NJ inadequate prices, aud that II
should not be unluslv abandoned, in violation Tho
Trust under "hchit was held, TO favored section
Of the county. These principles were the basis of
the bill, which he lett II his dnly introduce IN the
Senair, IN discharge ol the must coniided To the
committee. IT is our pcrseni purpose to furnish
an analysis ol the provisions Of this bill.
l. II provides thai after the ihtt, first dav of De-
cember, So l2d per cent. II tie nett proceeds oi
tue public lands, sold within Their limits, shall be
pad To OHIO, India, Illinois, Alabama Missouri aud
Mssssippi over and above what eaeh OF these ST ates
is entitled 10 by the eompacts of hel, admission uto
the Union, to be applied 10 Internal Impfos emenls
aud purposes of Education, within husr Suites, un-
der The direction of their Legislatures --ndepeud-
emil, of the provision Tor the construction aud main
tenance Of the Cumberland Road
II. After tins deduction. the residue of tic nett
proceeds is 10 lie distributed among The dheul ~
States. according to ther respective federal rtptr-
sentative population, 10 be applied 10 such objects
of iniefnal improvement. education conniyatnn,
MS may be designated by thelt respective Lrei>la-
lures, the ACCOMPLISHMENTS al any previous debl.
contracted farlntefnal Improvements.
III. The act to continue IN force for five years
except in the event OF a wan with any foreign power,
and additional provision Ia be made for my new
States thai may be meanwhile admitted into the I'm.
iun
". The minium pioe ofthc public lands not 10
be increased aud not lisa than $50. 600 per
anunm TO be APP lied to complete the public sur
veys.
Y. Land Offices 10 be discontinued in districts
where Tor successive years the proceeds 81 sa es
are Insufficient to pay the salaries OF the officers
employed,
VI. Grants are made 10 Mississippi, Louisiana
and Missouri. 500 GOO acres eqch, TO Indiana OF
ll5.272 acres; to Alabama 100000 ares Illinois
&c, 900 acres, lying within the respective limits oi
those States. These lands not 10 be sold nj less
than 81 25 per acre, and the nett proceeds To be APP
piled TO nernl lmprovements-namely, roads.
bridges, canals and Improvements al water courses
such Improvements 10 be Tor the transportation OF
the uni,cd States mail and munIliors Of war, aud
transport lion OF Then troops, Nihoa tho pay menl
OF any toll whatever.
Such we've the siGip'c and cquiiablc provisions OF
the Land Bill oi Mr.. Clay. TO The new Slnes they
were abundanily liberal without Violating the terms
of the original ccsson by The old States Tor the
money laid onl in the rev States for Internal In
proycmrnts. subject 10 the use oI The bncd States,
may be Justly regarded as tof the common bencht'
Of the tuInn.
The lnrUdnCuliun oil iNe report ina bf u h'
Clay created no httlr surprise aud excitement IN
the SENATE II VAS llardl, expected OF u candidate
TO, the Presidency. thai lac should Lave so promptly
and prremptnpiy rejected HE opportunity, thus
tc,,'tinrty presented. of bidding for the votes al
IN. nen States by holding ont the prospect nj least
Of plumber and Acknowledgements But on this sub
iecr ms on nll others, Mr.. Clay took the broad
Iionnl ground lie looked nj tie question ASH state
man. not us n politician lie suffered no individual
inducements 10 influence hls opinions on his policy
His paramount sense OF duty; hls habiiua oi
the sacredness of eompacts; his superiority 10 local
sectional and personal considerations, were never
more consipio uously and mole hobofsbly manifest
cd than un this occasion.
We inadvertently stated in previous article that
Mr. Clay was chairman Of The committee on Man
ufaCiures. MI Dckerson was the chairman, and on
the fourth Of May moved in The Senate to take up
the Land Bill; Mr.. King Of Alabama moving 10 re
fer il 10 the committee Public Lands, win the
view Of elicing from that body a report IN opposi-
ton. The motion Of Mr. King was subsequently
carried bv The casting vote oflhe yicc- president and
on the eighteenth oi May. The counter-repor was
introduced in the Sena,e. 1t recommended that
tie minimum price should be fixed dollar per
acre, and that when lands hal been offered for salr
eve years should be reduced to fifty cents. The
Bill was made the special order FOR the ooh Ct June,
when it was taken upby Nj. Clay and vocaltd with
his usual eluqucnce ard ability. Mr. Benton tepl.
cd Various motions were made tot postponcmcnt
and amendment. The policy OF reducing the Price
was urged with great peitInacity by the friends Of
the administration but The objections Of the report
to this policy Justly regarded asunansw cradle,
and on the third OF July the Bill essentially in the
same from rs reported, received its final passage IN
the Senate BY a vote of 90 yeas to Is hays. The
late period of the session which IL sent 10 the
House, and the conflict of opinion ~ that body
in respect some OF its provision, enabled The adj
mins,railon TO effect lis postpone to the hrsi
Monday of the fJlluwing December by a vote OF 81
yeas 10 IS nays.
This Of course, was equivalent 10 its rtjecion-
but such the wisdom aud obIous equiv OF it's
provisions, and highly did il commend ItseIl the
good sense OF the people, that the adnnlsu alton
party compelled 10 Weld TO the unt ontroIlahe
force Of public sentiment At the next session,
therefore, oil Congress, the bill again taken M,
aud passed the Seaate by vote of "a 10 20, and the
popular branch by vote ol96 to4n 1t was semitic
the President Tor his approval.-Noimthstandi he
Unprecedented favor which had found among the
immediate representatives OF the people, IL
"trampled," as Mr.. Benton subsequently boosted,
with hls usual nsoleuce. under the :" big loot ol
President Jackson" The dissolution Of Congress.
belorr the expiration Of the constitutional term Tor
which he was authorized TO retain the bill enabled
that arbitrary aud absolute magistrate defeat the
obvious will of the people. lit bad been returned
to Congress The session oi It's passage would
have become law without the signature of the Pie.
sident 1t therefore withheld and NJ the next
session was sent back with the veto of The President
His objections TO the bill aud the policy laid down
on this subject, Tor the friends OF the admins,
tralion we shall briefly consider 10 another ar
ticle.
Jeto Of Mr.. Clay's BHl-Laad Policy The Id
ninis ration On ihe filth oil December e33, Pres
ident Jackson returned the Senate with his chico
rims the and b III that had passed both branches