Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-11-23
CoNGREss:-lst Session.
SPEECH Of HON. LEVI WOODBURY.
~. W INV HAMPSHIRE,
No.. o. TIE LAND DISTRIBUTION BIII
Detteered n tic Senate Of the UnitM StulS. vednrs


OF sew nAarsHIRs -
M. o. TIE LAND DESTRUCTION BIII
'''ee'e1 N TIC Senate Of the United STATES, Wcdncs
day, August 25, 1871,
IN Tue no Massage ofthc Bill for the Disr;bufnn Of
tue Proceeds of Me Public Lands.
NJ mpooobulN spoke as follows
iss'aen,: cea>der this bill as proposing the
Sc ,ha I'm N y administration Of aIe cor
history. Nor it one =. ,bnso nus oecuriea
forms In epach for good or ei,,;Es 5ha h;Hh
Christianity, or some memorable re,,Inon !; C,a. - s
popular rghs-bmt will FORM it is sa.sd ,0es "
evil and disaster, IKE The dsluge or the cholera like
"war, pestilsnce, or famine" ''"s
why, Sir, what is the manifest character ....
frt.;t OF the CASE whether look al it in ...I -
pc .fcal view: In the former view, il is less 49,,
q nation BY the General Cove :nment Of thousa,,
ofncres ofand. Its Q wing away, outright, q
terrry enail in extent lp NOR than half thu smaller
Kingdoms of Europe added together. Il; is parting with
productive fund or capital for financial
richer than that of the most gorgeous Of Oriental des
polisms We throw away, like lie base JadrdR, par
1rorh his tribe. We do this too. when represented
TO be embarrassed in inances-whcn our expendi
lures are rapidly increasing when twelve millions o
debt have been authorized and ten or fifteen more
are IN progress and when large augmentation oil tax
es on some Of the greatest necessares of life has pass
ed one House, and is waiting your table the sanction
of the other Above all these considerations, We do
this when no surplus exists, or is likely 10 exist, and
when the loss of the yearly OF The lands IS not
only TO be sustained by the General Government but
new resort become necessary for equal, If not larger
amount, 10 be exacteG back in taxes from the States
and the people.
In political view, the is still worse II pos
sible IL is unequal and unjust 10 particular States
to particular sections Of the country-to particular
casses-and it is in this and other ways demoralzing
to society, and dangerous 10 the Union itself.
In these opinions may err But my conviction of
their correctness is strong, that do not hesitate 10
throw the facts and reasons which they are founded
before political opponents and 10 ask Of them
consideration md deberaton. No person is more
ready 10 do justice than myself 10 others from whom
am divided by differences in opinion, and what
ever Of party disciplne-of hasty Stale Instructions
or imperfect examination, may have operated TO carry
this bill thus far know that there are candor, patr.
ot'sm, and conscience cnough yes, Sir independence
and high honor enough the other side, yet To arrest
so alarming innovation as this, if can only bring
the real facts and true principles of the 10 bear
fairly on their Judgments IrWEy, Sir. ! am bound
to try BY the instructions of my State well
of duty And had The screw, u contest for physical
exhaustion forced ME to rise al untimely hour,
should have spoken, Sir, at the risk of per,shng al my
post
Let me first dispose of several topics which may be
regarded as incidental or collateral 10 the main ques
tons. Some of those have, on former occasions, sud
with friends Of the bill, assumed importance
10 which they badly entitled, and must therefore
be swept away
Thus The chairman Of the Land Commiltee, alr.
Smith Of lndana,l who has industrously watched
over this re- urged its adoption because the pub
lie lands were auc,uatng source Of revenue. What,
Sir are we 10 give valuable estate II liz income
IS Irregular Wonld an individual throw away farm
or fishery, because this year nc realized one thou
sand dollars from it, and the next but eight hundred
dollars, and the next twelve hundred: Absurd. /
have heard the argument pressed on other coca
! 10 II. n.
apply TO- its authors, it is not founded in fact Here
are the Official returns in my hands, from 1877 10 1910
inclusive, Of the revenue from customs and from lands
separately. Take out the three years Of 1885, g and
when the prices ofevery thing were raised
lifcally high by BAN, expansions, and when the prices
of the public lands were not by Congress raised with
the rest, and consequently surplus capital in many
places rushed into the purchase Of lands-how then
stands the comparisons Why, Sir, the average
from customs was about twenty millions yearly, and
that from lands about two and half millions, and the
departures from these averages much ofcner and
much greater in the former than in the latter Tn the
mode Of reasoning, then, which has been pursued on
this point should give away all the receipts derived
from customs, rather than those from lands But
enough of this.
The collateral topic is, that the lands ought not
to be regarded source Of revenue. Why should
they not be, much any other productive proper
ty: Why not be used for proft-especially when,
without them, we must resort to higher taxation? III
gentlemen regard them as owned by the General Co
vernmen only in pledge, mortgage, or trust, till GER
tain objects accomplished, and then to be returned
to the States will show that such trust either
exists, if existing, has been accomplished in all IFS
objects is attempted to be recognised and carried ont
By the provisions Of this bill. But now passing by
these if the lands not 10 be kept for revenue why
Use them source Of expense rather than revcnue
Why pay The proceeds Of them by this bill, after
some small deductions, and do not pass over with
them nor deduct all the charges still yearly connected
with them' These consist Of the Indian expenditures,
eqnang for many years past more than all The present
revenue from all the public lands Here they are, Sir,
in the tabular statements before going back quar-
ter of century In year three millions and irac-
,ion in another nearly three and half and in another
exceeding four millions.
Why also, should not deduct pass over TO
the States with the income Of the land, the burdens,
in procuring and defending it, connected with the Flo
rida war, and Revolutionary pensions, each enough to
absorb the whole No, Sir. Instead OF distributing
The proceeds of the lands BY this BILL because should
not make them Of revenue, do it with the
certain and inevila lie result Of making them source
If expense We give away lavshly the income from
hem hut reserve almost all the heavy expenditures
incurred annually account Of them, to be paid by
heavy taxation. told the chairman on former occa-
zion, and repeat it now, that if he will place the
whole accounts of the receipts and expenditures con
lected with the public lands into the hands OF master
chancery whether it relate to the present or past
not dollar OF nett revenue or melt proceeds VIII pe
ound to exist to be distributed. The bill ITSELF then
delusve, in pretending 10 pay over source of reve
,uc or neil proceeds from land alone.
One more of these collateral topics, and have done
With tina, class Of arguments in favor Of Objectionable
measure.
I, is praycly stated that The lands corrupt and
orruptng species Of property and ought therefore, to
,e at once gotten rid of. Indeed. Why more corrupt
han the revenue from customs; Either can be applied
o purposes of personal political aggrandlzement by
Inscriptions politicians. But neither, in and OF them
Selves need be used to promote such proilIgacy-I
And from whom, Sir, does this objection come? From
he very persons who, BY this very bill, still retain IN
me of its sections the absolute right in the General
notwithstanding the distribution to DIS
,ose of any part all Of the lands themselves IN any
manner, and to any object colptng or 0n s
$ hch Congress may deem proper. The bill then de-
roys the argument In fine, Sir, if the lands have,
n special cases, been heretofore applied 10 dishonest
,urposcs the bill retains full power, to make The same
lisposilion of them hereafter.
With these asty remarks on incidental or collateral
points, pass 10 The great paramount and direct pF'nc
lies involved in this alarming measure FIRST, as 10
ome of its constitutional bearings. II we analyze It's