Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-04-05


We have never seen any act Of a legislative body
80 unhesltatngly condemned by all men Of ail
parties, that Of the Senate Of Virginia in refusing
to receive the States portion OF the Land Fund
IL 49, N fact, the o.imoI Of party folly and absur.
dtv, on amalgama'ion OF pure Loco Focoism add
refined abstraciionsm.-nn act that bars oil iusti6
cation or defence, and calls down upon the authors
Of II the heaviest eensure of the people Where ia
the sense Of ~ Is there any thing that will afford
the slightest apology for their courssl Admitting
that the Distribution Act wrong, that in unwise:
will this Justify our honorable SenatOrs2 II VIZ.
GINA refuses her part Of that money, II does no,
annul the act, II does not stop the distribution of
the money among the other States, but IL simply
takes annually out Of her treasury the sum Of
4 Or 10000 dollars. and gives it 20 the balance Of
| the states. Is she not m want Of money az this
| time, that she thus spurns 50 important 4 sum 2
| Let her present condition answer this question.
| Does the James River and Kanawha Compapv
want no funds iorthe completion q a work which
vitality essential 10 he prosperity OF the State
Are her citizens so well educated that they need M
further aid from common schools Have We no
State debt tnat this fund would MD us IN dscbsrg.
ing These nro questions which our Senators for.
got 20 nsk themselves, or they certainly could no,
have been guilty Of rejecting a sum 4 money which
would ard as 80 nuch m our present difficulties
/ The rejection Of this money 10 then evidently ab.
s1fd' % even The net authorizing rs distribution was
wrong.
Bot lei rs look into the merits or The Di.,rihu
ton Law itself ln i75i, virginia ceded ~ Con
gress most Of The lands whence this fund has bsen
deuve1 TOR the use and bencf, of such Of tbs
United states as have become or shall become mem.
Deu Of the confederation or federal reliance 81
| Whilst the proceeds Of these lands were used IN
paying OF the national debt, no one doubted bu,
that the intention 81 Virginia was fully earned out
as expressed in her deed Of cessIon. After th,tob.
| legation was discharged, % was thought unwise. and
contrary % the purposes Of the gfunt, N employ mn
extraordinary fund as this vas, % meet the 0fd,.
nary expenses Of the government, but thit u should
rather be used IN drawing forth tho resource ol
'he country, by increasing the facilities Of inter
course and IN increasing The usefulness and happI.
ness oi The people by extending tho means oi
education 20 all. As Congress could not consiriu.
uonllIy-ns manY suppOse-uceompIish these OBJ
ees herself, she passed law similar TO the present
Distribution Law, m 1882 This act was dsfei,ed
BY Gen Jackson. From that period up 10 he pre-.
sent time, tho proceeds Of these lands, amounting
70 many millions, have gone into the Treasury o
the United States, and been used by tho genera
government
How far the millions thus poured idto the trsa
sufy OF the u ,. contributed 70 the corruption an,
e1uavagsnce which have marked the administrator
Of the sfsits OF the general government for the last
ten years, - not our purpose 70 enquire nov: DO
we wish 70 show some Of the benefits which Vrei
MA, and kanawha county particularly, would hsy