The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-02-06

i
#, m 1t has been not quite 95 900 600 Nor il this
difference the only balance against Thus far the
sales of the public lands have not reimbursed the ex
penses Of their acquisition and preparation for sale
The following is the official statement of the account
current OF the United States with their public lands
Statement Of the cost in The acquisition and manage
meat Of the public lands and of The receipts arising
| from The sale thereof 10 the 30h September, 1888.
The whole expenditure under the head of Indian De-
partment, from the commencement Of the Govern
ment TO September 80 1888 so far as car be ascer-
tanned from the records of this office,
amounts to s32,o47, 59s
Bs the convention of France
of the Sd April, 1903, the
United States paid for
Louisiana, in stock and
money sl5,OOO,OOO
Interest on the stock up to
the time it became redeem
able $500 1853
--- 90, 529, 1853
BY the treaty with Spain of
the 22d February, 1919,
there was paid for the Flo
rdas the of 100000
Interest on the stock consti-
tuted per act of 24th May,
1924, to provide for the
awards of the Commits
soners unler the said ira
ty, up to the time it was
paid off ,4S9,76S
---- 6,4s9, 76s
The payments to the State of Georgia, on
account of lands reinquished TO the
United States including the value of
arms furnished that State amounted to $50 900
Amount of Mississippi stock issued under
the act of Sd March, 1915, and redeem
ed at the Treasury, exclusive Of the
amount received in payment of lands ,S32, 375
There has been paid for salaries and con-
tingent expenses of the General Land
Office I,l26,6os
For salaries and incidental
expenses of the several
land offices, out Of the pro-
cecds Of sales, while in the
hands Of the receivers 3, 227 ,939
For the salaries of registers
and receivers, by warrants
on the Treasurer of the U.
States 92,9o3
3,s2o,s4a
For the salaries of surveyors general and
their clerks and Of the commissioners
for settling land claims, &c. lO32 666
And for the survey Of public lands 3l06,S 3l
penses Of Indians - ~ 1913, 736,o47
The cost in the acquisition and manage
ment of the public lands, exclusive of
the paid for cessions from foreign
Governments, and expenses of Indian
wars, for which specific appropriations
were made %, 4s4, 056
lO2,22o, lo3
Receipts into the Treasury from the sale
of the public lands to September 3d.
1000, exclusive OF TcCelWs from lHHus
sold for the benefit of Indians so, 9Oo,379
Treasury DEPARTMENT,
REGlsTER's OFFICE, Feb. i 1899.
T. l.. SMITH, Register
NoTE-The records of this Office exhibit no speci-
fc appropriations for suppressing Indian hostilltles
until 1885, prior to that year. the cost of wars with
the Indians paid out of appropriations for the
Army generally. The expense of Indian hostlllties
from LIST January, 1886, to Both September, 1888
amounts to s. ,232, sos "a.
This account does not include the heavy disburse-
ments for Indian wars, which, swelled by the recent
enormous expenses in Florida may be safely set down
at forty millions of dollars With this very large ba-
lance standing against the land yet in possession of
the United States, if the calculations of the value of
that residue made by the Senator from South Carroll
be correct the whole will not reimburse US, much
less the 65 per cent which he proposes to reserve
And thus shall have squandered not only what
Virginia and the other States gare u.s. but also large
sum Of money contributed by the old States in the
form of taxes upon their citizens before the States
now proposed 10 be benefited were IN existence. In
this most obvious view of the case give out of the
Treasury few favored States, thrtyfve per cent
of many millions of dollars collected from the other
States BY this operation, Virginia will not only
have given her lands, but her money also She will
have transferred her property and paid to those
who take it, The quantity of land proposed to be |
surrendered by this act of cession is according to the
report of the select committee, one hundred and hty
four millions of acres living various portions of the
quantity is upwards of fifty millions of acres, certain
w munifcent donation. The average annual IN
come from the sale of public lands for the last twenty
wears is about five millions of dollars. Assuming this
ratio the annual grant in money to these nine States
is more than million and half of dollars. II is
equal 10 the civil list of those States II is the as
sumption of the public debts of those States II is
the distribution of the whole nett proceeds of the pub
lie lands amongst nine States.
1t seems to me that the mode OF calculation by /
which the mover of this amendment brings down the
value Of the public land is erroneous but whatever
that value may be, we have power to cast away
One thing is certain that the sales yield an income OF
five millions and that, in all human probability, they
will continue TO do for the next thirty years Their
value for sum in hand therefore is correctly estma
ted by very obvious process. The annual receipts /
should cover the annual interest and provide sink
ing fund for the capital. BY this mode of calculation,
then allowing the income from the public lands to
terminate the end of thirty years, the present value
in hand would he upwards of fifty millions; and the
proposition thus reduced results in donation, in pre-
senfi of seventeen millions Of dollars TO the nine
States The eagerness manifested by the Senators
representing those States is natural. There is agran
deur in this munifcence which subducs the magma
ton and casts into shade the vast donation Of NIr
pnia-differng from that too, in this that, whereas
Virginia gave all the States herself included tins
proposition gives TO one-third Of the States containing
less than one-sxth Of the population
That the average Of the last twenty years Just
at least sufficiently low, criterion OF the proceeds
Of the public lands for the failure, will be apparent
from the consideration Of the great increase OF me Po-
pulaton, which furnishes the demand Tor new lahos.
The United States contain ~ millions OF inhabi-
tants and increase ut the Of about I0Oo0 year
The demand for new settlements will increase In
corresponding ratio with the population. II may be