The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1841-02-11
{ NUMBER 30.

aud Wild experiment? Vi hat have been its
results Il commenced, abou, forty years
ago, or little more, in one Of the great
Western members Of the Confedercy, uhe
Slate Of Ohio, tie settlement Of which took
place as much as twenty years later than in
/ the case Of her sister and neighbor, Ken.
lucky. and what is her population now
From the returns Of the Lew census il is
found to amount to a million ard a half OF
/ souls-rearly double that Of my own Stale,
although Kentucky had preceded her by
such great length Of tine. And if we
still 60 TO Indiana, still younger sister III
( the great family of States, we shall End that
she exhibits population Of between six and
seven hundred thousand, nearly equal to
! that Of State which was her predecessor IN
the establishment Of independent State SOY.
creign;y by thirty years. viii not 20
1 through the list. Al tho members Of the
Senate are doubtless familiar with the re.
lutns OF tie late census. Al these great
7 and astonishing results, have taken place
under that system which we are now asked
to change. lst wise--is il prudent-is It
s,atesmankc, 10 reject plan from which
have proceeded such glorious fruits, for an
uutTied, aud, as believe, mos. hazardous
experiment
/ What is the history Of these pre- empton
laws! They arose, think, in the first in.
stance 10 the case OF what Is called Symmes'
Grant. John Cleves Symmes purchased
from the General Government large tract
Of land between he Great and the Little
Miemi Rivers, in Ohio, including the spot
where Cincinnati now stands. He was un.
abio to pay for it, but finally made a com.
/ promise with the Government, aud took
+ less amount Of land. lie had, in the mean
! time, sold out to numerous sub purchasers,
who, icing iunoceRi third parties, and hay.
! ing purchased in good faith, were supposed
to have fair title 10 pre- eDptlon for the
Improvements they bad made, and the farms
they had opened 10 cultivation. Congress,
accordingly, granted to them right to pur.
chase from the Government the lands 'hey
held at tie minimum price prescribed by
law, Then came the cessiou of Louisiana,
many Of the occupants Of which had settled
o. their !hrms while that Territory belong.
cd 10 the Spanish and the French Govern.
menls, undNr grants freely made, while 9th.
ers had euteged on their lands with conf
deuce that, according 10 the established
usages aud custo:es Of the country, donations
Of land would be obtained, totally unaware
Of the change of sovereignty which had
PASSED Upon The souniry without consulting
them. The question lhsn arose, what
ought, in equity to be done with their case
And the American Government came to the
conclusion, that all who bad thus come into
possession of tLelr land, were equliably en-.
titled 10 the right Of pre- cmpion, winch was
accordingly extended to them. Nextssme
a third case--that OF the hahokia, kashas.
kIs, aud ST. Eincen. settlers in Illinois and
Indiana. These inhabited French Villages
were settled IN some cases more than GEN.
fury ago, aud we're not drawn within tho
action OF our land system till about so years
since. These people, having settled under
. like circumstances 10 those in Louisiana,
were held to have claims equally equitable,
and pre- emptiou vas granted TO them also.
/ Thus the system stood till 1880, under Gen.
Jackson's Administration. Then, for the
first tme, was introduced an entirely new
principle, and il is that which is contained
N lie substitute for this bill proposed by
the Senator from Vermont. There is,
however, wide difference between what
tiis bill proposes and the practise niroduc.
ed under Gen. Jackson's Administration.
( The pre-. empiion laws, as altered in 1880,
allowed right Of presumption to all settlers
on public lands from specified day, who
would assert their rights before the eYpira.
ton OF The law, the operation of which was
limited 10 two years. This new principle
continued to be periodically re enacted till
some seven or eight years ago, when it en-
cogntercd gallant resistance from friend"
who regret 10 say is not now by my side,
but who has passed from this place, and, &C.
cording to public rumo7, is destined to a
more useful If not higher sphere than even
that Of a scat in this body, august as it may
be. Great frauds and abuses were detect.
ed IN the execution Of the pre- emption laws.
Spectators freely used them, Floats es.
pecIally, we're found to DO fraught with mi.
guilty. With the efficient aid of my friend,
Mr.. EwIngt) we succeeded IN arrestng,
for time, these pre- .emphon laws. We
succeeded in putting an end to special and
unlawful privileges. We succeeded in re.
storing the principle Of fair equality IN the
disposal of the public lands. But those in.
teresls, speculative and others, which are
always awake, always watcaful, always on
the alect, 10 get up the prescription laws,
under the convenient and plausible guse of
bensfuiug the poor made rally in 1885.
We we're then told that thirty thousand sell
tiers had entered the territory Of Iowa.
! The Senate was assured that these persons
could not be removed from the public do.
rlain; that all the military force Of the
/ Union would be insufficient TO remove them;
and thus, under a species of moral duresse,
you we're induced to pass the law of 1888:
and it has now been in operation for two
years. But. not contented with all the VIC