Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-01-07
POLITICAL.
ANNUAL MESSAGE
Ofc Erecutire, to the Legislature 4 hary'and Deem
brr srss;ou 1SJ0t

place in the financial affairs OF TIE Stale AS lhey
then fully explained and as aodtonai oetas WIN
only necessary for me 10 give gncral statement OIL
their present condition. M
hundred and nine thousand dollars; ,n when the STOCK
authorised by existing laws shall hYe been all lssuec
il will amount to fifteen mllons, URGE huhute' unu
forty-six thousand. 49,
The sinking fund, which, last year was one million,
thirteen thousand three hundred AMI seyenty-two dol
lars has been increased to million, seventy SIX
thousand, FIVE hundred and thir,y-thr,e dollars
For the year, ending the first d1 OF tile present
month the revenue, exclusive Of tie sums received
from internal improvement COMPARES, and oil those
drawn from the special dcposites, amounted to oo,-
61S and the Disbursements EXCLUSIVE of payments 10
these companies and of the interest the public debt
10 S259, 465; and this statement shows the amount OF
the ordinary revenue and expenditures.
The whole receipts ofthat year amounted to sd2 231'
and all the expenditures to Ss+5,2f, which sur IN
cludes the payment OF Soco,cI9 On account VI "e -
tcrest of the public debt. a.,
According TO the estimate of the Treasure, The de-
mands OH the treasury for The present year. ~" amour,
to 1927 0Go and the receipts to $1,000 w WIN T,'
leave deficiency of rather more thal 3o~V,poo ,n
surplus revenue, now remaining ore'p 20 49,:
900, which, being deducted from .hi eS'la,e1 ueil.
cicncv will leave a balance, % be! pFovoea ior' o,
about Sio0000; and after TIE pFesen;year' ,he annual
deficiency will be upwards OF SIX iundred thousand
dollars
This being the condition of the treasury, it is easier
10 perceye the necessity of making some provision to
sunnort the ,Ted, of the State thar to suggest such
measures as will accomplish that object without being
oppressive to the people
In some of the States, disposition Jas been mahesl-
ed 10 RELY upon the general government Tor the pay
ment oftheir debts and 10 claim for that purpose the
proceeds of the public lands It's contended mat these
lands were coded the General Government 10 be p
piled to the payment ufhe national d.5i; and that the
debt having been paid the Statesare Low eaed TO Tue
revenue arising from that source.
| A statement of The principal facts connected with
this question: will show, that the States hive no Just
claim TO the revenue arising from the sale o. the public
land and that they would derive but little eneh IRON
it, if they had. 90
At the commencement Of the REVOLUTIONARY war, yr-
rina New York, Massachusetts, South nnt North Ia.
rolna, Georgia and Connecticut, severa!y claimed
such portions Of the Western country, included
in their respective limits and subsequently, edcd them
TO the United States for the common belciit oil the
Union Previous 10 the cesson, Congress had given a
pledge, that the unappropiated lands which might
" be ceded or relinqushed TO the United St,es by any
particular State, should be disposed Of ft the com
" mon benefit of the United States, and be eted and
/" formed into distinct Republican States
The cessions accordingly made; and was stIpu-
lated in the Virginia deed shat the land cedeo shonld be
" considc red common fund for the ar bcncii. Of
" such of the U. S as have become, or sh, become,
members of the confederation, according their usual
" respective proportions in the general ci!ge and eS-
pendure, and shall be faithfully and btaa fde dis
posed Of for that purpose and for no other or pur-
" pose whatsoever.
The deeds from North Carolina and Georgia, con-
tain the same conditions that of Virginia while the
other States relinqus.ed their titles, III more gene
ral terms, for the common benefit of the Cnin When
the cessIon was made by Virginia, Congsss had no
power sto lay and coec, taxes duties and nros;s, but
was obliged depend upon the State governments, for
ther respective proportions of the ha'ge and
expenditure" The public lands, in yeldlgfa revenue
TO the General Government relieved the SKIES to The
extent, from their respeciiue prororuns OF the
general charge, ard formed common fund f the bene-
fit of all the members of the confederation
to the obvious meaning Of the Virginia deed
To consider the United States as having no other
right 10 the Western Territory, besides tat which
derived from the deeds of ccssion IS TO place the
subject in point of view, the most iavofbe to The
claims recently set up in behalf of the Safes Blu,
understand the question properly, it is necessary to
consider the prior claims of the United Safes; and
also the circumstances under which Virginia and
other States rclinqushed their titles.
From the earliest settlement of the colnies, con-
troverses existed among ,hcm respecting their ter
rtoral limits which interiercd with Zach other
on the Atlantic coast, with the pretcnsiono of France
and Spain, in running westwardIy to tie Misss-
sppi river and the South Sea BY the treiy Of 1853,
the western claims Of Great Britain wer limited to
the Mississippi and the extensive territory, claimed by
France the Eastward of that river, was sded to the
British Crown After the declaration of Independence,
was commended by Of the Statcs PARTICULARLY
Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland,
that the Crown lands, "f wresed from lie common
senemy BY the boodand treasure of the tteen States,
sought to he deemed property, subject to
sthe disposition Of Congress- for the gencr good
Maryland protested against the exclusie claims of
the large States and insisted "tla the coatry, unset
"tled al the commencement of tho war, cImed by the
aBritsh Crown and ceded 10 it by the trsty of Paris
"should be considered a common propeT subject to
sbe parceed out by Congress into freq convenient,
"and independent States"
The large States differed among themselves, as TO
their respective limits and each claimed larger por
ton Of territory than the rest wiling 10 allow.
The claims Of the Union were derived f,m the con-
quest of the disputed territory by means the
force, and from the treaty of peace undetwhich all the
rights of Great Britain, both in the soil ac jurisdiction,
passed to the United States.
This subject q source of constanth Irritation, and
threatened dissolution of the Federal alliance. At
length Virginia, New York. and other States, which
claimed the Western lands successfully relEqushcd
their titles for the common benefit Of the Union
Whatever might have been the uncertainty of these
conflicting claims there be doubt, hat after the
REIMBURSEMENT Of the State titles they all vested
in the U. S., the conditions expressed in the deeds
of cession; which, being accepted, formed compact
between tie General Government anu The States The
cedng States relnquisied portion of disputed terri
tory which they could not have retained without dis
solving tho Union, defended with their separate
force. All the States secured the benefit Of having
common fund provided, for dschargng the debts and
dcfraying the expenses Of the General Government
and for relieving themselves to the extent othat fund
from er respective proportions Of the general charge
and expenditure. "
The United States were bound to indemnify the
States for expenses previously incurred and OBJ
ligcd to purchase the Indian titles, and make large
preliminary expenditures, before the lands could be
sold and, if they not entitled to the proceeds of
sales, they assumed all the burdens of the compact,
without deriving single advantage from it. The
States however, evidently intended that the Territory,
and The revenue arising from t. shoad be surrendered
to the United Stacs common fund, for paying The
general charge and expenditure or in other words
for dschargng the debts and defraynr the expenses Of
the General Government. In Of the deeds n: ces
sion there 10 be found reservation of this fund to
the separate of the different members Of the Union;
any stipulation, that it should he applied exclusively
to the payment of the public debit the slightest init
nation that it 10 be distributed among the States
for any purpose whatever.
The fourth article Of the Constitution recognises the
territory as belonging TO the United States.
Mr. Madison, in the 35.h number of the Federalist,
audes TO this territory ''as mine Of vast wealth to e
T,,tc md larr