The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-12-29

among the general and liberal oosernmsn n,ssnT6
They SANDER u.s. and say they VIII teach ~. ~.
states 10 epsiae This may be the language OF soms
poIiteians but for one, he believed y was ~. -
sentiment OF the people Of the Wes, ouIn a;nded
ope Of this country and these gentlemen are aeupg
snau and not speaking the sentiments oil ahigh-hhu
| ed and generous constituency ,
if,he West wishes 10 carry lis internal improve
ts 10 Law open It's avenues To bear the piodueuohs
- ,ha soil 10 the marts Of commerce. let these genie
men vote for the amendments he had onefed' anu
growing as they had grown already ihey ~ouu M.
with nsigorated power and increased s'iuss - ;
and inheritance Let the public moneys be divided
| mang an the States and the means oil iniofmauoh
will be dfused They can increase Their Importance
by improving the inielec-inculcate the youth WIN
EDUCATION and that wherever there y mihh 'he'e !,
LIVER and wherever there sinteect there strength
If ,bey please not TO spend their portion for purposes
~ internal improvement, let them spend u as they
deem fit and have the disposition OF IT,
Although he gave his own opinion, yet nc spoke
an his subject he was the sentiments OF the Peo
| ME Of his own State, He knew he spoke the senu-
ments of the people that sent HIM here Ills otate
ks the other States in this Union, las had 10 CON
tend with embari assnens and difficulties In the great
race of wealth and commerce had spen. ~ laI' uo'
lar and al this time especially, she most required that
/ her own should be gwen to her. The General Gov
eminent was made trustee by the States OF inns ,on
/ feJeIacy They ceded 10 her the public domain II
was given TO the General government ~ rust uu'
The specal conditions that il should again be divided
| among them. !.
He did not feel di posed to rcspass long on the time
OF the House but for himself he was ready to vote
| on the proposition He had merely thrown OUT these
views on this occasion der that this House might
think proper he hoped they would settle this ques
lion now because al time could II be settled with
more advantage TO the country and = me STATES.
\ He did not fear as some gentlemen did, that when
the West should receive It's dstrbutse representation
~. "a, nat
the West would be antagonist TO the old states Nofth
and South He believed that the interests OF ONO
Indiana and Illinois would be in favor Of the plan he
proposed He thought II was rather their interest TO
have dividend among the States than system OF
general robbery
j Can YOU expect Che asked) that nation Ike ours
we can cultivate the whole surface OF the earth Gan
il be supposed that these lands worthless, because
we have population al once 10 MI them upf ms,
sir is be the progress OF years, and II we would
have but little patience would find that these
lands which called refuse ands--worthlcss now
would be worth five ten dollars an acre, IN fifteen
wears He had travelled through the west--had seen
no refuse ands--no barren soil in the west They were
now pied hut he had never seen any quarter
on which, If the arm of industry were applied they
would not be valuable, and almost beyond price lie
knew that it had been the custom OF gentlemen nom
Alabama Tennessee and from the south To tell OF the
| inferior quality of the land That It had been the
practice among the planters to enter government land
there al dollar and quarter an acreto exhaust the
soil and rather than take the necessary course OF en-
rchng it by chemical processes and other ways TO en-
ter new lands, and thus make barren waste of enc
half the country. That it was a matter of economy
with them the most rapid road To wealth. That thus
like the locusts of Egypt they destroy all that green
before them, and leave all behind them dreary and
barren waste. That this the cause of their bar
renness-but the prices ought to be increasedand If
the government lands were higher they would still he
entered but the settlers instead of being migratory
would divide the soil, and become part and por-
ton of the land itself be knew the bill had been IN
troduced for the general surrender of the land TO the
! States that he would say only one word--he was
not willing TO attach improper motives to any gentle
man on this Hoor-but they would find the squatter,
as he is called-the pre-emptioner-would 20 against
the PLAN and for this they know very well when
YOU surrender this land to the States and expect
| the General Government will require but a pittance
for it, that the States know the value Of these lands
il being under their jursdctlon-and they VIII IN
crease its price and at arrest the squatter.
Their chance of obtaining residence without taxation
of keeping the public domain by paying but mere
pittance for twill not he great among the States
as now in the federal government. Now they take
possession of these lands and remain ten or fifteen
| years without being taxed The States will adopt a
system there which will give the squater less advan-
tage than he has He did not charge this on the
gentleman from South Carolina Mr.. Pickens) as his
purpose; but he would find those 10 whom he throws
out this plan, would spurn it and throw 1t back on
them and say that they would sooner undertake to
rob Uncle Sam than any of the States in the Union
! The gentleman from South Carolina says he Is not
willing regard this question in the aspect OF reve-
4 nue. measure. He Mr.. J would meet HIM on that
ground and shake hands with him there. He would
accord with the sentiments of the gentleman from
South Carolina, and view this question as not part
of our revenue question. He knew not 10y what rea-
soninp the gentleman had reached the same conclu-
sion he had attained but he would give one or two
reasons which had induced him to come To this con
cuson When the Constitution was framed every
means of revenue from the States was taken away ny
the Constitution--from commerce--iiom a taIlt-
were taken away from the States and gwen TO the
general government The public lands were then "A
subject of fruitful discussion and the States were
willing to make the surrender in the Constitution to
raise the from lmportations and this trutal
public domain to be divided among the States &C
cordinp TO some fair and equitable basis he pubic
domain would come IN ITS place TO carry on the opera
tons OF the State governments, and leave the people
free from the enormous load OF direct taxation we
find that Pennsylvania has now already adopted q
system of direct taxation for the purpose OF carrying
on her distinct policy. She has embarked largely
in the system of internal Improvements, and to meet
her expenses she has taxed her own czens-gNe her
her lust rIrhts-her own part, of which you stand
trustees and PcnnsylvaDia relieve her citlzens
from direct taxation and your government has reve-
nue. enough to carry on her own operations Glve
Maryland her JUS, distrbut,c proportion OF the sales
Of public lands and she saved om direct taxation
To give Virginia and if mistake not, her interests
South Carolina; their dis,rbutiye proportion of the
proceeds of the public lands would be most accepa-
f BILE measure there and would enable them to pay
, their debts but South Carolina although opposed
To the general governments emhnrking the sys-
tenn VT is not the less ANXIOUS that her rail ways
should tap the great valley of the West and that her
internal improvements should be continued,
Mr.. PlCkFNS said South Carolina intends TO
pay her ocn debts
/, Mr. JOHNSON did not doubt it. "A nd really il
was high point of honor for man 10 ray his o,cn
debts but be would ask the people of South Carroll
ma, whether they would sooner pay direct taxation
. han l.n,,, k,
f pie That must be strange agriculturst who would
say that he would rather pay direct taxation than not