Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1841-03-20

MT. Mason's Report the DistrI but ion of the
proceeds of the Public Lands.

MI. Mason's Report on the Distrl button of the
proceeds of the Public Lands.
House. OF REPRESENTATIVES, Jan II, 1911.
Mr. SPEAKER-The committee on Federal Re
lntions To whom were referred so much Of the Iaio
Governors Message relates to the distribution
of the proceeds of the public lands, and so much
of his Message as relates to the dstrbutIve share
that indiana would be entitled TO receive under
Mr. Claws Land Bill after the payment of tho
National debt; also the accompany Iug documents
upon the same subject, being Report from "a Sc
lect Committee made TO The New York Leglsia-
rure on the 4th day of Nav, 1910: also sundrv
resolutions of the General Assembly of the State
OF Connctucut on tins subject, adopted at their
May session, 1910, also two several resolutions
of the General Assembly OF the State of Vermont,
adopted the 2Oh OF November, 1899, tho
same subject; also preamble and resolutions of
the General Assembly of the State of Kentucky,
approved February 12th, 1910, embracing the
same matter, have had the same under their con
sheraton, and have directed me to make the fol-
lowing Report:
The Committee have devoted ,ha, u,,e ntion to
the subject that It's great Importance deserves,
and after careful and full examination of The
whole subject, they cannot but express their full
conviction of The correctness OF the sentiments
expressed in the resolutions adopted by the Le-
gislatures Of New York, Vermont, Connecticut,
and Kentucky, well as the opinions expressed
in the Annual Message of our late Governor Da-
vid Wallace, upon the right of the States 10 the
proceeds of the sale OF the public domain, after
the cytlnguIshment Of tho NATIONAL debt. The
Committee, happy to find the sanction OF our
frs inansGra Address, 10 which he has taken Tho
same elevated ground as that occupied in the res
oluiions above referred TO.
The Committee do not deem IL necessary To e.
ter INTO lengthy o. detailed argument upon this
SUBJECT or 10 refer TO the deeds Of
which have been made by the States cedinp The
pubic lands, or TO The purchase of Louisiana and
the FlorIdas, IN which large portion OF the pub
lie lands is situated. They feel themselve, re-
heved from the performance of this arduous DUTY
by the report of the Committee to the New York
Legislature upon this subject, and now having
upon the desks of members in printed form
and IN which the claims of the several States to
the proceeds Of the sale Of the public lands are
set out In The most clear and forcIble manner
The resolutions of the States of Vermont, Con-
nectIcut, and entucky, your Committee are hap.
pv to find present the same views as tn. Q cx-
pressed by New York The right OF the States
TO the proceeds of the public lands, since The paw.
ment of the National cbi. up TO the prese nj pc
Rod, and until the General Government shall
take steps to dsburse to the States their eds
Is a ubJect Of much Importance, md one IN which
the States are greatly interested. IL the United
States Government IS trustee for the several
States as claimed by the Message Of our late
Governor, the subject is Invested Of all doubt,
the States, is in the opinion Of your Committee
established by the documents before spoken of.
and that The public domain cannot by any princi.
pie Of law moral TIgh: be diverted from the OBJ
Iect, for which 1t was originally coded to the Uni;
ted States.
The States having sumbered upon their rights
during the payment Of the National debt. have
not surrendered nor weakened their claims upon
this subject.
The application # The proceeds of The public
lands to the payment of the National debt,
IN discharge Of solemn obligation the Govern
ment owed to her public creditors, and the reser-
walton TO Government, purposes OF these proceeds
afforded the only guaranty they possessed, for the
ultimate payment Of their claims. The fufment
of these engagements has left that fInd to be
applied to the of the States expressed IN
the various grants and cessions made to the Gen
erai Government as a Trustee for all the States
that became members of The Federal compact.
From this view Of the subject, the Committee
are clearly OF the opinion, that the United States
is both legally and morally sound to pay over TO
the States all Of the proceeds Of The public lands
that have accrued since the payment of the pub
lie debt.
There is no principle better established than
that a Trustee IS morally az well as legally bound
to account for his agency TO the party IN whose
favor the trust has been created, and although IN
tho case before Us the States have no means OF
enforcing their legal claims upon the General Gov
ernmep,. We, the Committee do no, for a moment
doubt, but that the United States Government
will, when properly advised, be actuated and gov
erned by those great moral principles on which
our republic is based. and pay TO the States their
in,, demands, as the adoption ofa different course
would be a violation Of public faith. and calcula-
ted TO subvert the principles OF the Government
From, these considerations, the Committee have