Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-03-26

RS. The Editor then prompted to accept 'iie
nns,,on Of the Secretary lie computes the ainoun'
which Virginia nigh; receive uhdrf VIZ "" IN Iii
Ao,an, of ;la Constitution. Why: Not because
,berc was anv constitutional difficulty IN Inc oS.finn
,;,r or The lard fund; but because he was iealu 'a
,b occep,ance Of This !nnd might lead 10 o'hel oo"a
,,,,s IN the States For lie expressly says, III seeis
=, him ,Iut IS a case iy Itself But, where then was
,be rar that the cceparce OF this und wouo eor.uPe
and deprade the States? Surely, no aiheha'e", u VIZ
CONSTITUTION would prevent lis having That erect u
oh - the tendency Of the law as II now STANDS. -
Sa boon ,rourd by the gentleman from Louisa, that
h nrhlic lands so far from yielding any thing 10 Tue
rJsrol Government have actually been charge upon
lie Treasury. In order TO prove ihs, ne mas lnee ~
statement PREPARED as he tells us by Mr. " f'sh. %
York in hose accuracy he processes entire confidence
Jinr 10 this statement, the public lands are IN deot
is millions of dollars the Treasury tie says, more
AVER that lie does not include the cost oil inaan wars
:, Tho account though lie thinks they might justly oe
carscabe 10 the public lands II seems - me- r. M
RI ,be Gentleman has proved entirely TOO mueh. IL Tue
nnLjc lands have always proved such neavy charge
mon the Trcasury-if, as he says, they nave always
been drain upon the resources oil inc UoVefh'heh.
wby ask, does he denounce iie Dis'rone'on NV.
r. Le orgune Mt be correct, the sooner thcse aos are
dsnosed Of the better for the Government but the
e,Irum.nt il utterly unsound The gentleman dad not
rive the items of the account upon which he reled Out
81, the result AS an Offset will give another stale
ent from The report Of MIR. King OF Alabama In the
lppn
NOR, MIR KING after making allowance for all oil the
, CHARGES upon the lands estimates tho receipts from
iha, source at SIS 10000. Now. If TO this sum be
,daed The receipts from The public lands since The dale
of Mi Kings report IN loi2, (S1o,Oo ouo') II WIZ ap'
near that the Government has received OF Tue nett pro-
cecds of the lands largely upwards Of $l00,oOoGoo
There is n strange contrsriey in the arguments by
which this law has been opposed. The gentleman
who opened The debate, denies the right OF congress
In make the distributions because il is donation to
/ m, Stafes What says his co-laborer IN the same
cause. the Senator from Missouri; In speech Which
! he delivered he SAID 80.
i uRemember The history of this bill-the manner IN
which il was brought forward IN Is.2 and the alarm
WHICH i, spread through all the States They saw
in its passage total change OF their own relations 10
the Federal Governmental change from parent TO
maslers-from the Federal Government TO the Stale
Governments which, becoming the owners OF the new
States would look solely 10 their own interest, ana
10 The collection Of the greatest possible amount OF mo
ney from them No longer any regard for the interest
of the new States chance for graduation for ces'
sons-for re-cnpiions-iar donalions-ior conilfma'
ton of delayed claims: no justice or mercy, III any
| thing.
rhe House will remember, the gentleman from
Louisa denies the right of Congress to make Donations
whilst the Senator from Missouri opposes the bill because
it cuts oil all chance for "donaions, resSioHs, grad"a
tons Here, we have the true secret OF the hostility oil
the opponents of this law. II leaves no chance for
"rradmations for crssions, for preempons, for dona-
tons" This is the "poson thing" which turks beneath
the provisions of this law II rescues this common
treasure in which all Of the States are interested from
the grasp of those who would convert 1t to the use oil
! few favored States.
Arair the gentleman from Louisa objects 10 the
Distribution a,y because Of the grant OF five hundred
thousand acres 10 the new States. The Senator from
Missouri says (" these grants are TOO small, and only
haif ,r5at then sh0nid BE-" The Senator from Mis-
sour proves, most logically, that Congress has no
right 10 .se away the public lands, and denounceS
the BILL because it cuts off all chance for donations,
cessions, &c. The distinguished Senator from South
Carolina demonstrates, with logical precision, that
Congress has right to distribute these lands amongs,
all Of the States, and in the speech, with equal
truth and logic, establishes the right TO distribute them
amongst portion Of the States.
/ The genilemnn from Louisa talked of the extrava-
gancc al the Wing party at the Extra session oil Con-
press | hold in my Land list Of all the appropra-
tons mad al that session, and, with the exception OF
the grauty Mrs Ilarrison and the appropriation 10
deray the expenses Of the session. challenge the gen
eman 10 point out one appropriation winch even nc
can say is exiravaGant.
! (A1r Holiday interrupted Mr. Irving and said that,
as he had admitted the Extra Session to be unnecessa-
ry the appropriation 10 pay It's expenses must be put
down uncaed.io
i Mr. InyryG have not admitted that the Extra Ses
SION was unnecessary But will il be contended by
the gentleman, that because the Extra Session was
unnecessary, all of the appropriations made thereat
were also unnecessary and exlravagant: Among
them find of S497 900 to pay the debts contract
lion of Mr. Van Buren,! Would the gentleman, had he
been in Congress- have voted anst that appropriation,
because he thought the Extra Session unnecessary
(fere Mr. l. specified various other appropriations, all OF
which appeared the face Of the law itself 10 have
been for debts Of the late Administration The only
Two other appropriations were those To the Navy and
the appropriation TO the fortIcaons. AS 10 these the
| gentleman and his party are estoppcd from charging
extravaganza. Why Because there were two pro-
positions before Congress, by MIR. Wright of New
titola oh linu
tfcaons--and another by Mr. Buchanan Of Pennsyl-
vana, TO apply the proceeds 10 the enlargement oil
the Navy Now, both of these propositions are held
up by the friends of the late Administration as rival
schemes 10 the Distribution law, and surely they cannot
demu 10 the appropriation these tco o6nte, as e.
trordgant as they may be.
4 There is another why the gentleman should
denounce the appropriations OF the extra session 10
these two objects. Ii is this both the navy and The
Qualifications were left in such d,lapidated condition
by the administration which lately went out of power,
that absolutely necessary r ITS successors TO put
them IN state of readiness III the event OF war. Ger
RI tainly the gentleman will not deny that there was am
pie reason 10 apprehend n war, when our Minister at
the Court of ST. James, advised our squadron IN the
Mediterranean TO repair 10 our coast. reloce that The
gentleman has made his attack upon the appropriations
of the extra session, inasmuch 1t affords OPP
portunity of indicating them from the charge ofextra
vapancc. may, however, say to the gentleman from
Louisa that he need not expect 10 hold tie Wing party
responsible for the measures OF this edmns ration
For my ow n part so far as am acquainted with their
sentiments am assured that they hold the head Of
this administration in utter scorn and contempt They
regard him as convicted by the testimony of unmpeach
able witnesses of being guilty either OF the most rid
culou, ndccision Of the depts rcachery that par.
ty to whom he was indebted for every thing.
/ will now return to the argument Of the gentleman
on the Distribution Law. IL urged some weeks
since b. the gentleman from Accomac, that whatever
amount might be received by the States from this
source would be wasted schemes Of internal improve
nlent He stated that the amount received by the States
in 1896, was the "nest egg Of extravaganza Now
wish to know Of gentlemen from the West, whose
sli;uents are interested in liberal system of internal
Improvement, whether they mean to denonnce all OF
the internal Improvement which have been commenced
since 36 as extravaganza myself am friend OF in.
ternal improvements b. the State as my votes viii
show; and am anxous that the States shall receive
This fund, because Lrlieve that without II there wonld