Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-07-15
TwENTY-sEvENTH CoNGREss--2, Session.
SPEECH OF MIR. RIVES, OF VRohA.
On the Provisional Tariff biH-in the Send Of the u.

On The Provisional 1arlH biH-lH the Sena 0J We u.
S, June 81, lS42.-(CoNcLUDEDl
The Declaration, (Which bears date on Il 18th De-
cember, 1872 proceeds, after a fiji introducon, to de.
clare, in the name and on behalf of the Ldslaturc OF
Maryland,
sIhat we will accede 10 the confederate provided
an article or articles be added thereto givlntull power
to the U. S. in Congress assembled 10 ascerln and Ink
the Western limits of the States, claiming extend TO
the Mississippi, or South sea, and expressl reserviig
or securing to the u. S. a right IN common, in ID TO all the
lands lying 10 the westward Of the frontiers aforesaid,
in such manner that the said lands be sold d, or other
wise disposed Of for Mt common bcnfFt ~ attic Stairs;
and that Me money arising from The sale ofiosc lands,
or The quit rents reserved thereon may bePemed ana
taken as mart Of tie moneys JtiOnging 10 M. s., and
us such be appropriated by Congress towan dJr@ythg
the expenses IF The rar. and the payment cint1rest on
moneys borroarsd, or TO be Gorro,eed on the redit of the
u. S. from France or any other European f1er, or Tor
any other joint benlft If hhe US.
Nothing, surely, could be more explic and une-
quivocal than the language used here. IL Western
lands, according TO the demand Of Maryld, were to
be disposed of for the cowm"n dencFt of athe states,
and the money arising from The sale hrf was to be
deemed and taken IS ''part IF he none belonging
to The United SuttS,' and as such, 10 be proprIaied
by Congress toward %defraying the expaSs OF the
war, the payment of the national debt,'r for 'any
other joint benefit of tie Unicd States This de-
claration of the State OF Maryland, anli renon-
STRANGE of the General Assembly of Vrsia OF the
Nth December, 1899, protesting against AZ right IN
Congress, to decide on the claims oil certaaand com
panies to Il portion Of her Western terrltf3 were re-
ferred, BY Congress, TO one and the same sninittec.-
On the 9Th day of September, 1880, the ipIrt of that
committee was taken into consideration, ii a resolu'
ton was ,hereupon adopted by Congress commend
ed to the States which have claims To u Western
country, TO make liberal ccssions Of the territorial
claims, ''lor the general benefit, aud theby 'eittc-
tually remove the only obstacle TO a tnatat 'hcaiion
of the articles of Coafede ration, - aud eaes,Iy re-
1ues:ing 'the Legislature of Maryland t%authorIze
their Delegates in Congress To subscribe \ said ar
ticles." On The 10Th day Of the iollowg month,
another resolution was adopted by Congres declaring
that "the unappropriated lands that may ceded or
relinguished to the United States BY anparticular
State, pursuantto the recommendation OF ongrcss OF
The 9th day of s. september last, shall he disBed OF for
the c0mmoa beagft Of The u. S ,"&c. Virgin, thus ap-
pealed In by Congress, and having before II the reso-
lutions and declaration Of Congress-, and otiarylanj,
on the I'd OF January, 1871, passed an act foteding. the
whole Of her Northwestern territory 10 thai. ;. |
trust, Mr.. President, 1t will be INDUCED M pardon.
able flial pride, when ! say that nothing clbe nob!er
or more elevated than the language of the ramble 10
that monumental act of her patriotism and Indifference.
1t sets forth, that .tiic General Assembly d Virginia
being we'll satisfied that the happiness, Singh and
safety of the U. States, depends, under evidence,
upon the ratification Of the articles for a fedal union
between the Siates,' and then adding, IN tl spirit OF
generous and self sacrificing patriotism, aich ever
has, and | trust ever will continue To actuataer public
COUNCILS, WHeIe TIE Interests ana WelldIt vi IL
Union are concerned, that ''pyJ1ring the gd Of Their
country 10 erery otjet Of smaller importance Viey 'Do
resolve that tins commonwealth will yield tdhe Con-
gress of the Gnittd Suites for the benyft IF u said 4.
States, all right, title, &c 10 her Northwes'n Terri
tory. This act being passed by Nlr.Inin onhe I'd day
Of January, l7cl, the Legislature OF Mlaryiid did, on
the ,iOth day Of The same month, pass an ac'mpower-
ing her Delegates in Congress 10 subscriGcnd ratiiy
the articles Of confederation; and on the ST day oi
March following, in pursuance Of that au"rity, ier
Delegates, in the presence Of Congress, igned and
subscribed the SAID articles, 'by which Il, rs the
Journal Of Congress solemnly expresses i,',he comic
deralion of ihe 4. Suites of America vas %cnpleted.
From THIS connected narrative of the pEeedlngs, in
regard to The ceSsion of The Western Ian, and COLA
ting the remarkably coincident langua. OF all the
con,emporaneous public acts relating to tim, whether
of Maryland and New Jersey, who deanded Their
surrender 10 the Cni;cd States of Copfss, who re-
commended il, or of Virginia, who execud II, can any
thing be- more indispu'ably established, iat II was the
purpose, intention, and cCncurring decration oil ali
parties. that The cession made, was for { Joi"t beneh:
of the Intel States, and not, as is nowfgutd, tor The
sfrrral benefit Of The indiridaai States
The act of cession Of Nirsinia, retired 10 above.
was not immediately carr ed INTO excnton, in c"nse.
quence of some objection made in Cages to two OF
the conditions annexed to the cessioL On the l3'h
of September, 1883, however, Coagres PISSED an a,
acceding to all the other conditions iroesed by Fr'
eini1, and on the Goth day of Octobr GLOWING, the
bFucIul SEiIo VI 'he'''ai Ih
rizing and empowering her Drleeats il Congress To
convey, by deed, unto tic tnjitd SITES, for the bcnCtt
Of Tie said States, all her right, TIT and clam TO The
Northwestern Territory, SUBJECT The terms and
conditions agreed upon. Anon these terms aud
conditions,i Is lie very clause, Is ihuch commented
upon 10 sustain the new theory regard 10 the cha
racter Of The cession) winch is 81 forth in ipsisstmAs
rtrhiS in the act. Nothing can snre concluslvely sho"
what was the understanding Q! tn clause by the Ge-
neral Assembly Of virginia than iai, III the preamble
of The very act setting II forth together win the
other conditions of The cess:on, tly refer TO the ces'
sions OF territory which had been ivited by Congress,
as being Tor The "commcn lcn,fiuf The inion, and,
IN yielding 10 THIS recommendation, they express 'lEe
full confidence, that Congress vi, in justice to Tins
State, for The liberal ccssion she 4ath made, earnestly
press upon the other States, claiming large tracts oi
waste and uncult:vatcd ietriio', the %prcprieiy nf
making cessions, 'quaiIy LIBERAL, II the common te"JA
and support Of the t"ioa." Th,Lrgislature OF VIZ
gina, IN this act, seemed 10 havehken especial care,
by the Use OF the collective term LniOn,) TO exclude
every appearance OF aiahi guity, al to show, beyonu
all controversy, that the cession Itde by them, was Tor
the bencf: OF the tni;cd States inlheir aggregate, and
not their indiridnai capacity. Ad yet, this pregnant
Interpretation Of the character 1 the cession IN Tue
very act under which it's madeis oyeriooked-a cur
cumstancc, the more remaTkaie, inasmuch us lie
whole act is set forth and reciitt III the deed oil ces'
sion it.elf.
(Mr. Smith of Ia, Chairm,n oflhr Committee on the
= hoiiN la'bci NV ~ Hb1 h"t "a u 1870
passed by Congress, v>ry 5000 after the cession By
Virginia, providing for Distribution among The Sia'cs)
Mr.. Rives snid he was quite surprised that a gentle.
man presumed TO he so ctnfersant with the history
of our lard laws as the hohGable Senator from Ind.
ana, should, for a moment, ave been q, ceived rs TO
the true character of thul sdinarce. What was It,
MIR. President 1t provide for the appointment oil
surveyors and a geograrheno lay of the pnblic lanas
into suitable and convenu,t divisions aud snbd'si.
sions, and directed the pla, Of these surveys TO be
returned TO the Board Of Taasury, when the Secre'a'
ry OF war was to draw by d. one seVehth par. d ~
townships and fractional prts of townships 10 salts
fy the military claims, and "tien the Board OF lrea-
sury was to cause the rmaIning numbers TO be
drawn for, in the name of IL thirteen States, respec
lively, according to The notaS in the last priced.
ing re quisition on all the satps." But what, then,
was 10 be done with tles townships and parts OF
tnm nslirs, so drawn for inthe name Of the respective
States: Were they 10 becon' the property vi The reSpec
tive States, in whose naudhey had been drawn, or to
DE sold FOR the particular bnefit Of those States rcspec
lively, No such thing. The piats were simply to be
I-1n