Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1841-03-30
SPEECH or MR.. ALLEN,
OF ONO.

! I'm h6 prOpoStttOn OF mr.. CrHteHden
distribute the proceeds of The sales q
tie public lands 10 the States, submit
ted as an amendment to the pre.emE
tiOn Bill, then under consideration. =
Senate January 25, 1871.
If, Mr.. President, British ministe
were upon this floor, TO propose measure
for our adoption measures most benefi
cial to his own country and ruinous Il
ours-he would, | presume, in the frs
place, advise this Government 10 mort
gage its whole domain TO he bankers o
England, in security for the debts of the
States. Next, he would insist that the
FIVE millions Of dollars, now annually
brought 10 the Treasury from the sale
Of this domain, should be paid TO those
bankers through the agency ofthe STATES
they being constituted thus British fac
tors TO receive and 10 remit the amount.
To supply the consequent deficiency in
the national income, he void luIther re-
commend the imposition Of new lax.
equivalent TO that sum upon the Amer.
can people, and particularly upon those
Of the south and west. Then, would he
advise that this additional burden should
be levied as a duty upon The silks and
wines received by US from France, in ex-
change for our cotton; and upon this lat
ter would he more especially insist, be-
cause the imposition of such duty would
inevitably divert our W lole trade in cotton
from that country to England; and by Civ
ing monopoly TO her Of this great pro-
duct of our soil, comprehehdi1g, as it does
one halfo of our entire exports enable the
English purchaser TO fix his own price up
on il. ..rasu... .,.r...
Such would be the counsels Of Brit
ish minister; but, sir there is no British
minister upon this floor. And yet we
have heard these very measures, one and
all, urged upon us-urged with zeal and
with passi"n-and that too, by the Sena,
Tor from Massachusetts, (Mr. Webster,)
the very man who is soon TO become the
organ of intercourse between his own and
The British Government.
In order to attain these results with
the apparent sanction of the constitution
and therefore TO veil its breach, as well as
The frighiful consequences Of such meas
ures. from the eyes of the people, words
and thigs have been transposed; objects
prOfessed whilst the opposite are sought;
and reason as we'll as truth been made
subordinate tOa form of phraseoogy,
which both condem. That the people
may not start at this levy Of British tax
yearly, offve millions upon them, it is
first, TO collect it through the Sc.
creI means Of The customs; il is next de.
clared TO be a tax on luXuries merely,and
therefore burden alone upon the rich
and finally its payment to British bankers
when collected, is to be called disIribu-
lion ofrhe proceeds of the public lands
10 the States. But the impOslure stops
not here. For whilst il is by all conceded
including the Senator himself, that con
gress has no authority in the constitution
10 distribute the national revenue, yet he
seeks that authority, first by going behind
md beyod the constitution to the deeds
# cession; then by denying the name of
.evenue TO The fund derived from the
auds: and in the end by returning TO The
constitution in order TO embrace lands
lever ceded.
In the first part Of this circuitous
we are told that the public do
main is not the property Of the States,
lnited as a whole in their character of
Federal Union, but held by them, in
his character as trust for the benefit
eyeralIy Of the individual States. This
: said to be manifest from the cessions
xecuted BY part Of the States to the old
Congress Of the confederation; and it is
non the assumption of this fact that The
rgument is rested, which deduces from
hose cessions the power of The present
Government, acting under constitution
ince adopted, to distribute the revenue
rising from ill the lands among The states
Individually. But sir, all the lands were
ever so ceded. On the contrary, the
reater part lie far beyond what we're
yer the utmost limits Of the ceding
,ates, and we're purchased by this, from
,teign Governments, since the constitu.
on was adopted. Here then whilst the
lain Of power to distribute, founded upon
he alleged character Of the cession, is
x,ended over the entire domain, The
essiops themselves are found to embrace
ut an inconsideIable part. sT
As to this portion thus ceded prior to
he constitution it has been shown by
ther Senators, TO lave been vested, not
trust, but in absolute 2rOpeHy,in the
opfpderations Yet, ! adverttO this with
ut dlepmng it important. For the OBJ.
,ctofthe ceding States ,whateveritm might
len have been, has since become utter.
,immateriaI; because this Government {
oIds DO power over the lands in virtue
g .lsa s.1.,,c,,o h,,t hv (. N sx.uvosa f,ra nj