Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1841-03-06
SPEECH OF MIR. WHITE, OF INDIANA
On the Land Question.
Delirered in the Senate Of the Tinted States,
January 1911, 1871.
TcoNcLUDED.

cession is to be made, further than 10 quote pas
sage upon that subject from the report OF n com
rnt,ee in the Indiana Legislature, made III Feb
ruary last. They say:
s:Besides the objections that will be made to
this measure by the old States, its gross inequal-
ity cannot make i, generally acceptable to the
new States. The portion allotted TO Indiana
would be double that of Ohio. Illinois would III
like manner quadrupie Indiana. Missouri, Arkan-
sas and Michigan likewise. The result would be
that those States to have the least benefit
who have borne the heat and burden Of the day
The settlement OF Michigan, Illinois, Missouri,
Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, has been
comparatively easy to that OF Ohio and Indiana.
They have endured no devastating wars, their
homes have no, been pilIaged and destroyed, and
their citizens massacred as ours have been; nor
have they paid into the rational Golfers any thing
like the Of money TINT Ohio and Indiana
have done; therefore this measure Of Mr.. Cal
nouns So unequal in all its bearings, cannot be
acreptubie, especially 10 Indiana"
To this viii only add, tina, IT is impossible so
uaequal a system can endure. and III its destruc
ton II inevitable tina, the States will stand by
the deeds YOU have gwen them, stripped OF all
condition la such dilemma, of but little avail
will be the defoasance in your deed or your re-
versionary interest.
The committee Of thu. body on the public lands
of the last session, did not attempt vindicatIon
OF this measure upon any ground OF economy or
right, bat base their comnendation upon the
equity due to the new States, and upon tho
practicabiliIy OF The subject as IA topic OF Federal
legislation, and If doubling the validity OF their
own argument, they attempt to lessen the Impor-
of the matter by dispuraging the tuHd deem
ed to be available out of tho public domain. ]
shall not attempt 10 follow the comnIttcc through
the intricate process Of reasoning, by which they
endeavor to show that the prescn, value OF all the
unsold lands in the nine States upon which this
amendment would operate, (beIng one hundred
and sixty millions of acres,) amounts only to the
Of twcnty-siX millions, to four hundred thou
sand dollars, about seventeen cents per acre,
although would DO difficult TO assent 10 such an
estimate. The committee, 10 determine the cX
tent of the subject, should have looked at that
boundless territory which lies west Of the States
immediately M med III the afDendment aud which
will claim its benefits the moment they are ad-
mttcd into tho ConfodcTucy. tt - ''ft0 (" s.'P
pose thu. their claim can be resisted; nor do I'M
ngne that Tho advocates of this plan contemplate
any other result. The consequence Is, that Iowa
of the Territories coming into the Union
with 1900 inhabitants will claim an immediate
cession of their lands. The average area OF the
Western States is 1000 900 acres; this, divided
among 10000 inhabitants, would be 800 acres to
each person, aud to each family of SIX persons
three thousand acres. Thrtv-lve per cent. OF
this (thclr proper lnieIcs would give to each such
family ten hundred and fifty acres. What an aP.
peal to the cupdiy of our IcrritorIal inhabitants !!
What clarnorous demands will i, beget on the part
OF the Territories for premature admission INTO
the Union! What conflicts with your authority!
How will the gait turn tn poison IN their cup and
corrupt the Legislation of the infant States. Ii
there be application to tempt the poPula-
ton from the Old States Iuto the Territories the
wit of nan could not des ise more ;fcctual one
than this.
BIt, SIR, IT will give rise to other and unusual
difficulties. The Federal Government will be
backward 10 eXtingnish the Indian title within the
Territnres, when The benefit is to the
i al. IL.
ganzod into The States The uniform policy Of
the Government has been II eX;InguIsh those IL
ties fast practicable; but now that The neigh
boring settlements have rendered Indian lands
more valuable, there will be a constant struggle
between the Territories and the Metropolitan
Government, which shall avoid the costly sacrifice
1t has been the boast of our Institutions, that a.
midst the Earring interests of the States, the Gov
ornment has always preserved the most paternal
relation towards its provincial appendages, the
Territories. Let the plan Of cesson succeed, and
this relation will be broken up, and in its place
will be substituted the most cold and bitter rival
~. One of the States named 10 the amendment
tMichgan) has, remaining within her limits, a
bout eight millions of acres of Indian lands.
These lands lie adjacent 10 Lake Superior, and
of little value. You had not many thanks
from Michigan when you gave her these lands
IN lieu Of those valuable possessions the Maui
NEE bay. and her gratitude will scarcely be in
creased when you require her to pay out Of her
own Golfers for the extinction OF the Indian title.
cannot omit, before concluding my remarks
upon this topic to inquire what would be the con-
dItlon of lndiana. IT this cessiou were accepted,
Evidently one of posiiveioss. There are remain
ing within the limits of Indiana, including that
part of the Miami Reserve, not purchase d, I'M
sold lands amounting TO 5,706,5oS acres From
this, deduct the sixteenth sections reserved for
school Purposes, and the canal lands. Gin all about
6ol 900 acres,) and there remain o,Oo5 sos acres
large part of this refuse land, which has been
IN market from twenty to thirty years. The
whole cannot be estimated at more than seventy
hyo cents per acre. making sum of 3. 79l .63l
dollars. Thirty FIVE per cent. on this amount is
lS29,O7O dollars, which is the gross sum to be
retained by the State. Against this sum We have
70 set Oft the following amounts.
GROSS amount due the Miamies and
fo''awa'amiss by existing treaties, S255,54i