Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1841-09-23
Law Of the United states.
TpUBLIC-No. io.1

! rights.
| BE IL enacted by the Senate and Hous,
tof Representatives Of The United STATES o
America, in Congress assembled, Tha
from and after the thirty. first day Of De
cember. ia the year Of our Lord one thou
sand eight hundred and forty one, there
be allowed and paid to each Of the State:
of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Alabama, Mis-
souri,, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas
and Michigan, over and above what each
| of the said States is entitled to oy The
terms of the compacts entered into be.
tween them and the United States, upon
their admission into the Union, the sum
of ten per centum upon the nett proceeds
Of the sales of the public lands, which,
subsequent to the day aforesaid, shall be
made within the limits of each of said
States respectively Prorided, That the
sum SO allowed to the said States, respect.
lively, shall be 10 no wise affected or d.
minshed on account of any sums which
have been heretofore, or shall be hereai-
ter, applied TO TIE construction or contn-
uance Of the Cumberland road, but that
the disbursements for the said road shall
remain, as heretofore, chargeable on the
two per centum fund provided for by COM
pacts with several of the said States.
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That
after deducting the said ten per centum,
and what, by the eompacts aforesaid, has
heretofore been allowed to the States
aforesaid, the residue Of the nett proceeds
which nett proceeds shall be ascertain.
ed by deducting from the gross proceeds
all the expenditures Of the year for the
following objects salaries and expenses
on account Of the General Land Office /;
expenses for surveying public lands; sal
aries and expenses in the surveyor gene.
rails office salaries, commissions, and
allowances to the registers and receivers !;
the five per centum to new States--of all
the public lands Of TIE United States,
wherever situated, which shall be sold
subsequent to the said thirty first day Of
December, shall be divided among the
twenty-six States of the Union and the
District of Columbia, and the Territories
of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Florida, accord
ing to their respective federal representa-
tive population as ascertalned by the last
census, to be applied by the Legislatures
of the said States to such purposes as the
said Legislatures may direct: Prorided,
That the distributive share to which the
District Of Columbia shall be entitled, shall
be applied to free schools, or education IN
some other form, as Congress may direct !;
And provided, also, That nothing herein
contained shall be construed TO the preJu-
dice of future applications for reduction
of the price Of the public lands, or TO the
prejudice of applications for transfer Of
the public lands, on reasonable terms, to
the States within which they lie, or to
make such future disposition Of the public
lands, or any part thereof, as Congress
may deem expedient.
SEC. 8. And be 1t further enacted, That
the several sums of money received in the
Treasury as the net, proceeds of the sales
of the public lands shall be paid at the
Treasury half yearly, on the first OF jan
uary and July in each year, during the
operation of this act, to such person or
persons as the respective Legislatures OF
the said States and Territories, or the
Governors thereofin case the Legislatures
shall have made no such appointment, shall
authorize and direct to receive the same.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That
any sum of money, which at any time
may become due and payable to any State
Of the Union, or to the District ofColumba,
by virtue of this act, as the portion of the
said State or District of the proceeds OF
the sales Of the public lands, shall be first
applied to the payment of any debt, due
and payable from the said State or Dis
,rict, to the United States Propided,
That this shall not be construed to extend
to the sums deposited with the States un-
der the act of Congress Of twenty-third
June, eighteen hundred and thirty SIX, en-
titled " An act to regulate the deposltes
of the public money" nor to any sums APP
parently due to the United States as bal
ances of debts growing out of the transac-
tons of the Revolutionary war.
SEC. 5. And be IL further enacied, That
this act shall continue and be in force UNI
til otherwise provided by law, unless the
United States shall become involved IN
war with any foreign power in which
event, from the commencement OF hostIII-
ties, this act shall be suspended during the
continuance OF such war Procided, ne
rerthelesS, That If, prior to the expiration
of this act, any new State or States shall
be admitted into the Union, there be as.
signed to such new State or States, the
proportion OF the proceeds accrulng alter
their admission into the Union, to which
such State or States may be entitled, upon
the principles Of this act, together with
what such State or States may be entitled
to by virtue of compacts TO be made on
their admission into the Union.
SEC. 6. And be IL further enacted, That
there shall be annually appropriated fol
completing tho surveys ofsaid lands a sun
not less than one hundred and fifty thou.
sand dollars and the minimum price al
which the public lands are now sold al
private sale shall not be increased, unless
Congress shall think proper to grant alter.
nate sections along the line of any cana
or other internal Improvement. and at the
same time to increase the minimum price
i of the sections reserved I; aud in case the
same shall be increased by law, ercept az
aforesaid, at any time during the opera
ton OF this act, then so much of this ac
as provides that the nett proceeds Of the