Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-07-03

elusive advantage of the seven States wa:
nigh preventing the establishment of the
Union, can it be supposed that its security
and harmony will be unaffected by a trans.
fer of them from seventeen TO nine States
But the Senator'S proposition goes yet fur
Their. 1t has been shown that it will estab-
lish precedent, which must lead to a ces-
sion from the United States of all the pub
lie domain, whether won by the sword or
acquired by treaties with foreign Powers,
to new States as they shall be admitted into
the Union.
In the second volume of the laws of the
United States will be found the act, known
as the funding act, which passed in the year
1890. By the last section of that act the
public lands are pledged, and pledged ex-
clusively, to the payment of the Revolu-
tionary debt until it should be satisfied.
Thus we find, prior to the cession, an in
vitation from Congress to the States to
cede the waste lands, among other objects,
for the purpose of paying the public debt;
and, after the cessions were made, one of
the earliest acts of Congress pledged them
to that object. So the matter stood whilst
that debt hung over us. During all that
time there was a general acquescence in
the dedication of the public lands to that
Just object. No one thought of disturbing
the arrangement. But when the debt was
discharged, or rather when, from the ra-
pidity of the process of its extinction, it
was evident that it would soon be dis
charged, attention was directed to proper
disposition of the public lands. No one
doubted the power of Congress to dispose
of them according to its sound discretion.
Such was the view of President Jackson,
distinctly communicated to Congress, in
the message which have already cited.
GAS the lands may now be considered as relieved
from this Pledge the object for which they were
coded having been accomplished, it is in the dis
erection Of Congress to dispose of them IN such way
as best to conduce to the quiet, harmony, and gen.
eral interest of the American people,"
Can the power of Congress to dispose of
the public domain be more broadly assert
ed! What was then said about revenuel
That it should cease to be source of rev.
enue! We never hear of the revenue ar
gument but when the proposition is up to
make an equal and just distribution of the
proceeds. When the favorable, but, as
regard them, wild and squanderous projects
of gentlemen are under consideration, they
are profoundly silent as to that argument
| | come now to an examination of the
terms on which the cession was made by
the States, as contained in the deeds of
cession. And | shall take that from Vir-
ginia, because it was in some measure the
model deed, and because it conveyed by
far the most important part of the public
| lands ocnuiroI from, tho ra1inor Stotac I
will first dispose of preliminary difficulty
raised by the Senator from New York.
That Senator imagined case, and then
combated it with great force. The case
he supposed was, that the Senator from
Massachusetts, and had maintained that
under that Decd there was a reversion to
the States, and much of his argument was
directed to prove that there is no reversion,
but that, if there were, it could only be to
the ceding States. Now neither the Sen
ator from Massachusetts nor attempted
to erect any such windmill as the Senator
from New York has imagined, and he might
have spared himself the heavy blows which,
like another famed hero, not less valorous
than himself, he dealt upon it. What
really maintain and have always maintain
ed is, that according to the terms them
selves of the deed of cession, although
there is conveyed a common property to
be held for the common benefit there is
nevertheless an assignment of separate
use. The ceded land, admit, is to remain
a common fund for all the States, to be ad-
ministered by common authority, but the
proceeds or profits were to be appropriated
to the States in severalty, according to a
certain prescribed rule. | contend this is
manifestly true from the words of the deed.
What are theyl THAT all the lands within
the territory so coded to the United States.
and not reserved for or appropriated to
ANY of the before mentioned purposes, or
disposed of in bounties to the officers and
soldiers of the American Army, shall be
considered common fund for the use and
benefit of such of the United States as have
become, or shall become, members of the
Confederation or federal alliance Of the
) said States, Virginia inclusive, according
: to their usual respective proportions in the
general charge and expenditure, and shall
; 'be faithfully and bona fide disposed of for
that purpose, and for no other use or Pur.
l pose whatsoever"
+ The territory conveyed was to be re-
J garded as an inviolable fund for the use
and benefit of such States as were admit
5 ted or might be admitted into the Union
2 Virginia inclusive, according to their usua
9 respective proportions in the general charge
: and expenditure. 1t was to be faithfully
3 and bona fide administered for that solt
r purpose, and for no other purpose whatever
c Where then is tie authority for all thos