Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1841-07-19
o7TH ooNGREss.....FI SESSION.
sPEECt OF MIR. JOHNSON OF MD.
ON THE DISTRIBUTIONS PRE- EMPTIoN
BILL CONCLUDED.
TUESDAY, June 30.

Whole on the state of the Union (NIr. Law.
renee, OF Pennsylvania, in the chair on the bill
TO appropriate The proceeds OF the sales of .the
public lands, and to grant presumption rights.
Mr.. w. T.. Johnson, who held the floor from
Friday last, resumed his remarks in favor of the
hill.
lie said that, when lie was arrested in his re-.
marks on Friday last, he was cndcavorng to show
that, according to the genius, the spirit, and the
letter of the acts Of the cession, the public domain
never was intended as u source of national rcven-
ne Tor the purpose OF supporting and carrying on
the wants aud expenditures of the General Gov
eminent. How far he had succeeded in sustain
ing that position it was for the committee To de-
ternnine. lie had ut least convinced himself
an1 he could not change bis opinion, unless some
argument or evidence shonld he furnished to the
committee, such MS nc had not met with III his
reading aud investigation Of this most important
subject. He had then stated that, if that fact
were conceded If the position which he had as
sumed was tcnable, then the whole ground of OPP
position must be surrendered, and the question of
eXpedicncy alone remained, whether, with the
power delegated by the trainers of the Constitu-
ton to the General Government the public do
main, or the proceeds of the sales of the public
domain, should be divided among the States, or
whether they should continue to remain part Of
the public fund for the support OF the General
Government.
Before he concluded, he would endeavor to Of
strate that the proceeds of the public lands, upon
any ground of law, of principle, or of expediency,
should not remain in the Golfers of the nation for
the purpose Of being expended by the General
Government. File had referred, by way OF illus
lraton, TO the law Of 1890, which assumed on the
part OF the General Government the debts of the
States. To illustrate this position he could refer
TO the language OF The then Secretary of The
Treasury, 10 TINT famous report OF MIR. Hamilton
III 1870, that convincing and strong argument
which he then made in favor Of assuming the
State debts, upon the ground that the General
Government, by the very language of the Con-
stution, lid arrogate To itself supreme power
over the whole question Of commerce dat the
States were stripped of that power, and conse-
quently, of the means OF iqiidaling the immense
debts which they created in the war VI the Revo
luton.
lie, however, would not dwell longer on tina,
point. ANTICIPATING for u moment an argument
which might he urged against this bill, that the
revenues of our National Government were not
now overlooking, he might respond 10y stating that
they were not Overlooking at the time of the as
sumption Of the State debts by the General Gov
ernmen, nflcr the Revolutionary war. But
looking to tie quarter iIoin which such an 0ec-
ton might come, he would meet it by sa, ing that if
we traced the history of the as, 10 IL later period,
we should find that an eminent Senator, TO whom
he had referred when lie last addressed the Com
niitee,) Mr. Dickinson, Of New Jersey, in 1876,
long before the liquidation of the national debt,
made report TO the Senate of the United States
in favor then Of dividing the proceed, not of The
public lands, but of dividing portion Of the pro-
ceeds of the .rercnue among the States, AMI for
postponing for time the liquidation Of the nu-
Ional debr, according to the law which crcaled
and established the sinking fund, on the ground
that the revenues of our Government, notWith-
standing its heavy debt, adequate not only
TO meet oil The wants of The Treasury and 10 H.
quidate the national debt, but ut the same time,
and pdri pnSsu, 10 divide five millions of dollars
for series of years among The States; and after IL
certain period OF years TO divide The sum OF ten
millions of dollars among the several States. Up
that report the Senator made speech with e.
lahorate care, us his report had been the result OF
great reflection and preparation and he (Nlr. j.
would say that whilst he would not even agree
fully with the sentiments of that speech, it was
the ablest which that gentleman made in public
life and 1t was The speech which gave hm the rep
utation which induced Cen Jackson 10 invite Inn
into his cabinet and to become one Of his cabinet
advisers.
Mr.. j. here read certain portions of the speech
referred to.
Here lNr. J. contnued) the strong State rights
ground was taken, that by giving 10 the States
their own property, IL would give them the powei
OF creating and establishing internal improvements
themselves, thus relieving Them from the annual
perpetual unceasng calls upon The General Gov
erDment to aid them in their great State works.
Thut was the argument urged by Mr.. Dickerson-
that even the public revenue from customs as wei
as from the public lands might lie di,idcd among
the States, so that the States, in their independent
and sovereign capacities, could carry on their
works of internal improvement without implOring
and heseechng the General Government To nit
them in those laudable and essential undertuk ngs
Here Mr.. J. might pursue the argument, read
the report, and quote from the speech OF this
| gentleman, but it was sufficient for him to know
s,l., AL ni..lrn a.
thousand times fold broader than he Mr.. j. wa.
willing to take. and that ho maintained those
grounds with all ability rarely, u ever, surpassed.
But he Mr.. j. might refer 10 still higher au-
thority-higher at least TO some gentlemen on th.
floor, il not TO the gentleman from South Carroll
IN, (Mr. Pirkens, who had put an inquiry TO MIR
| J. which the Reporter could not hear) lie MIR
| j. might refer TO the Message OF General Jack
son himself, who took distinct ground in favor o.
the distribution of the public revenue and who
! nj that time made an argument, convincing AND
converting to all his friends, and throughout III,
whole expanse OF the nation. Would not the
history of the past give us some light in reuftol
TO the present? And, he would ask, IS gentlemen
did not subscribe TO all the broad aud luiitidinou
doctrines of Mr.. Dickerson aud Genear jack son
might they not ut leasl narrow down 10 soneilIiril
like tangible constitutional, legal, md equitable
principle aud say they would not take these argu
mens in the aggregate, but that they would see i
uIcTo WINS ilol iuHl, S'eut tAiSeH
cy Of ours, to be found mewhere, upon which
the States might look with m anxious hope, ant
sec il, by the use and appropriation of that fund
1 they might not relieve themselves, without einbur
RAISING The General Government from their debt
from overshadowing gloom and nigiying
which now Cypress them For his own part, h,
wished it to he distinctly understood, by hoso VIII,
! might honor him by replying TO his arguments
| that he had not taken the broad and eXpansiy,
ground ASSUMED either by Mr.. Dckerson, The ia
yorite Of General Jackson, nor General Jackson
himself nor the ground urged by Mr.. Hamilton
u IN his report, aud which Congress adopted il
1890, by the assumption Of the State debts. H.
(ir. J.lat this time neither proposed the assump
t lion of tho debts Of the States, nor the genera
j dislrihulinn of The proreeds Of lhe rayenie from