Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-04-22
No. II5.-vOLUME XXXyIII.

friends this side of the House should prevail if the
proceeds OF the public lands be the property Of tho
States, and could be recovered such, If there were
any court in existence competent 10 try the cause-Hhy
should these States be deprived oil this fund in time OF
war: They Will then need II more than in time OF
peace; and you will find them successfully assert.
ing their claim IT. even during the continuance Of tho
i, war.
In considering this important subject we should
not conine view merely to the present moment,
and to the fleeing interests and embaassnlens Of the
day. As patriots and statesmen, ought to look
into futur.y, and shall then that if we now give
away the land fund, Which only certain source
oil revenue from the very nature Of things the customs
must iaIl us when We require them most. Now Is The
tune TO strike for the Restoration of this land fund.-
never If the States shonld begin receive their por.
tons Of The money and regulate their legislative policy
accordingly, the fund is lost 10 forever They will
cling TO il with the grasp of fate.
Be- in the second place, ! contend that, mere
mat u dollars and cents so far ss the States d.
recty Interested IN the question, will be far adj
vantageous them, thai the United States should re.
tain possession Of this fund. And here let present
The question 10 you might occur, and most proba.
bly, would occur. The States in the semannuai
receipt OF the income from the public lunds-tey have
passed laws, providing Ter its appropriation TO certain
State objects, and the money Tie of opplca
lion TO these purposes-a then commences, and
. hat is their condition. Al the very moment when
their necessities are the greatest, they find themselves
suddenly deprived OF this income which they had been
layishly eypendlng What, then, becomes inevitable
resort 10 additional, direct taxation their part,
to supply the place Of fund which had been thrust
upon them IN the days of comparative prosperity,
when il could he Of but little service, and which
is suddenly wres.ed from them in the day
of necessity and danger In addition to these
! cumulated direct taxes, their people must then sub
NIT to heavy direct taxation by the General Co.
vcrnment, rendered inevitable by this very gift Of the
proceeds OF the public lands to the States in all future
time except during the actual existence of Be-
/ we ma ~ i'm "
vera of the States have squandered their proportion Of
the surplus revenue received from THIS Government,
their income from the public lands will do them but
little good. "Come easy, 60 easy is maxim truo
as il is homely; and in instances at least, the
States have been stimulated by this surplus revenue
to embark in and rnprofta bic schemes Of internal
Improvement which have greatly increased their debt
BE- yond what it would have been had they never re.
ceyed dollar from the General Government.
In broad and expanded view, have no doubt il is
directly hostile the of the States themselves
to withdraw this fund from the General Government.
1t s their true interest that this Government should
possess all the necessary for the defence ard
protection of all the States 1t must be tn bulls ark
between them and danger The ayenging arm Of their
common Government ought never 10 he pased by
their avarice orby their desire 10 seize fund which
necessary for the safety and glory Of the coniederaed
nation.
The Legislature Of Pennsy lvania--and | am sorry
TO SAY that this State like several her sisters large
ly i'll deb-has not thought proper 60 provide for the
appointment of an agent to receive It's dividend under
tile Distribution law. 1t has adjourned without taxi
ing any action the subject So strong IS the feeling
Of the country against this law, that several OF tho
States have positively refused to accept the gift Pub
lie opinion has spoken, and will yet speak, tones Of
thunder against Congress, whose duty 1t IS 10 maintain
the rights and protect the interests o all the States for
having parted with the means which ntispcnsab!y
necessary 10 enable them accomplish these great
,ional objects.
But, again, in the third place, would suggest that
the peace aud harmony OF the several States composing
retain the proceeds 6ftlae should
teralion 10 superior all the pecuniary interests which
can be brought 10 bear upon the question What is the
condition OF the new State: This Government has
ever been TO them liberal and boun,Itu parent AL.
though they may sometimes have been d'sconten,ed
and dissatisfied, yet, in the main, they have been will
ing acknowledge that we have done them l'beralJns-
tice But if we give away the proceeds of the pubic lands
within their limits all the States, what will be the in
eyitablc The Senators and Representatives
OF the old Suites will be less than men VI they
do not watch, with The jealousy INSPIRED by direct per-
sona interest," every grant of land 10 the new States dcta
ted by the enlarged be rail- and successful policy which
we have hitherto pursued. Could n S. nator Repre-
sentative from Pennsylvania ever forget, IN voting up
on any grant Of land that every thousand acres granted
would withhold from the Treasury OF his own State
one hundred and twenty five dollars' Under the in
iuence Of this feeling present liberal and enlarged
policy will be converted into one selfish and strict in
few years, such course Will produce extreme dissa-
ts!action and discomfort throughout the new States
and their people wall begin 10 assert the claim which
the; have already than limited nj on this floor,
thai the whole of the lands within their limits belongs TO
themselves by virtue Of their sovereignty. THIS wond
become of the most dangerous questions which has
ever ugiated the nation, and might involve II IN civil
war. Now whilst these States are satisfied with the
present syeu and freely paying nto the national
Treasury three millions OF dollars per annum for the
support of the Government Of all the States ought we,
rashy and against their consent, 10 change TINS WISE
policy; think not. II drive them TO evaporation,
we may possibly however unjus:ly, lose the whole ia
attempting 10 grasp too much. They have now become
| ccusonled To the old land system, VIII oh contains
within itself wise restraint upon them u THIS be ne
cessary I'm the Of time, STATES as well as men,
grow old Ohio is now old State in feeling, as well
as interest Nearly all the valuable lands within her
limits have already been sold Indiana is rapidly ad-
vancinr to the position. Tie existing new States
are I'll becoming old, aud wall exercise with the old thir-
teen salu,ary influence upon their still younger SIS
tiers in preventing then from adopting any course which
would disturb the harmony Of the Union change tho
wise principles under which the new States have been
settled from the beginning. Our present land system
is glorious system lis vlluc has been tested by long
experience. To abandon it ash!y, after long years OF
signal success, for and untred experiment,
would in my humble udgment be almost suicidal.
/ These are the % neral reasons why should oppose
The distribution Of the proceeds ot the public lands
among the several States, even If The Pccun'ary dfl-
cutes in which the county s now involved, had no
existence. In present embarrassed condition,
however, does appear to to be the s,rangess and
mos, unuccoun,aoc policy that was ever conceived by
mortal nen TO abandon this source Of revenue. This
is my fourth suggestion. Now, SIR have made some
poor calculations, in my own humble manner, in re-
gard TO the present condition of the Treasury These
| shall not trouble the Senate with, the ingenu-
Gus and able statement Of 4 much higher authority
than myself, RI refer to the chairman of the Com
mittee on Finance, Mr.. Evans,l have furnished mo
with every necessary fact Although do not agree
with him every particular, yet for the purpose Of the
present argument, shall assume his statements to DO
entirely Them what's the financial condition
of the coun.ry-,he condition to which has been
duce in ll,e more than short year, by my Wing
friends who have had the control Of public affairs since
the 4th day of March, 1911 , 1t IS now adm'tted-n-
deed it cannot be denisdtha thu ex'avagant and pro-
figale Administration of Mr. Van Buren,, of which
we heard so much in the campaign Of l340 left debt
upon the country of only S56Ou,Ooo speak, without