Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-07-12
No. l9.--yOLUME XXxIX.

imposed exceeding 90 per cent The land fund should
be brought into The Treasury, md be no longer sub
]ect TO distribution. Honorable senators will recoect
the of argument employed here in favor OF the
measure, at the time Of its passage II sustained
exclusively the principle 10 which have adverted
and elaborate and detailed calculations made by
various gentlemen show that 90 per cent rate Of
duty Us fixed by the Compromise act, would yield
pie for all the purposes OF the General CO.
vernmsnt, without the aid Of the proceeds of the public
lands, which would thus be clear surplus IN the lfea-
sury, that could IN no manner be SO benehc'ally dis
posed Of be turned to The OF the Sateso
But who dreams of surplus with 70 per
of duty any other duty, indeed, that can
be imposed, Instead Of surplus, You have stand.
! ing deficiency of many mons-your Treasury IS
literally bankrupt-you have debt already running up
to between twenty and thirty millions Of dollars, and
your credit is impaired, that you can borrow if at
all, only upon the most desdvantageous terms. And
yet in this deplorabe condition of the national finances
and credit and in despite of solemn legislative COM
pac: To the contrary you called upon TO ALLEVIATE one
Of the most important financial resources OF the nation,
by the surrender OF lis public domain TO the States =
course, opposed to every ordinary maxim CT
political prudence and sound stalesmanship, must
needs find its apology in and ingenious
refinement and, accordingly, It has been Gisccrfr
Cd after sixty years exclusive and undispnied pos
session and of The public lnnds by the United
States, that they do not belong TO them, but are,
in truth, the property Of he several States lind
very difficult, Mr.. President, 10 address myself
honorable colleague (ar Archery long since charac
terized in his nervous aud impressive manner.
faacy gross hardly TO admit of encounter and re-
filalon. Yet il has the sanction OF some highly re-
spectacle names, and has, know, made an impression
on many intelligent minds ~ my own STATE 1t must,
therefore, be met and framiatd and lis utter want OF
foundation in reason and fact be exposed.
But before proceed 10 do this, viii remark that
comparatively little would Ge gained to the cause OF
Distribution, If this new hypothesis we're true.
The whole ARGUMENT built on 4 clans. the deed OF
cesson fran Virginia and applies, of course, exclusive
~ to The lands coded by her. which form but htile more
than onetenh part of the entire pubic domain; tho
great bull: of which having been purchased from
France and Spain, with the treasure Of the
na,ion became, in The fullest sense the property Of
the nation
n Let now, however, see what is the notable dis
covery which has been made, in relation to that por
ton of the public lands cedcd 10 the "Unted Statss'
By Virginia In her deed OF cesson, there is clanse
declaring that "a The lands within The territory ~
Il cedcd 10 the United States " with certain reserva
t,ons) 'sha be considered common fund for the
use and benefit 81 such Of the United States as have
become shall become members Of the eonte deTa
ton federal alliance of the said Safe of Virginia
inclusive, according I" their nsnal resp Give proper
tons in The general charge and expenditure, and shall
be- faithfully and bona e disposed Of for that purpose
and for other use purpose whatsoever II Is con-
tended that this declaration, that The cesslon was 10
enure 10 "he benefit of such Of the U. States as or
shall be members of the confederation, &c, accord
|
ra charge and expenditure" plainly contemplated
separate and distinct interest in the subject Of the ces
sion, in favor Of the individual States, TO be deter
mined by the proportion referred TO. But when il is
eco!lecled that the American States not then,
as now, connected together by intimate political
union bull associated merely by lcagne alliance
| leaving 10 each State It's entire independence and
sovereignty, il will be perceived, al once, that the Ian
guage employed in the deed of cesson aPpropri
atsy apted the peculiar relations then established
lhpf Tnese ed mr. cOnF.ueratpd
ga common Treasury, out of which "all charges OF
war, and other expenses for the common defence or
general welfare TO be defrayed; but this COM
Treasury to be supplied by the several States,
in proportion to the value Of all granted land within
each Stne. The rule by ~hch, according 10 the deed
of cesson the States we're to participate IN the beDetto OF
the fund Of the coded lands, was identical with
the rule by which, under the articles Of Confederation,
they TO contribute 10 The common Treasury, out oil
which the general charge and expenditure was 10 be de-
ayed. The most natural and eirctuai means ny which
the States could be made 10 participate according TO The
prescribe proportion, the benefit Of the public lands,
was bring their proceeds into the common Treasury,
and there apply them 10 the general charge and expen-
diture 10 which the States required to contribute,
by the same precise proportion The plain intent and
meaning therefore, OF he Virginia deed was that the
proceeds lands ceded by her. which were declared
10 be fund, should be brought into the COM
mon Treasury and there to the benefit of all the
States according their respective proportions in the
general charge and expenditure by being directly cp-
Piled TO defray that gener,! charge and expenditure
| That such the destination sough and intended,
by all parties, 10 be given to the proceeds of these
coded lands is demonstrated, beyond all controversy,
by the history of the proceedings connected with their
cession. 1t is well known tia. the large quantity OF
Western lands embraced within the chartered limits Of
of The States and especially of Virginia, and hat
TO be their ultimate destination in the event OF
successful of the contest-wheiber they were 10
enure to the general and r0mmon bcn.ft OF all the
States, the f1cusire property OF The States
N NM
ous and deeply Interesting discussion, very soon after
the CONNIE of the Revolutionary war. This
question, indeed, acquired paramount and control
ling influence that it impedeJ, for long time, the
final ratification of the Articles OF Confederation
These articles acceded TO and ratified 10y ten OF
tile States ON the 0Ih Of July, l17c; bnt Maryland,
New jersey and Delaware. still held ont in their re-
fusal 10 accede them, and all Of them mainly on the
ground that those artics did not g:se to The w. >. IN
Congress, for the general uses Of the confederation,
the entire control and disposal of TIE waste and unap
propriaicd lands lying within the chartered limits of
the several States II is nri!c Instructive and, indeed,
highly important, rs bearing on the true character and
intention Of The ctss;cns which made To see what
language held by these States The subject of the
Western lands. FIRST, in pGnt of tme New Jersey, IN
formal represe submitted by her 10 Congress,
the 25 July, l77S, held the following clear and
! explicit language:
at was ever the confident expectation Of this State,
that the benefits derived from successful contest were
TO be general and proporonae; and that the property
of the common enemy falling in consequence of pros
porous issue Of The war; would belong to the U S and
be appropriated eir We are, therefore, greatly
disappointed in finding provision made in the COME
deraton for npoweng the Congress to dispose Of such
property hui especially the and nnG,entsd faHds,
commonly called tie Crown land- Tor d.frnwng The
expenses ofihe var and FOR such other pntic and &C.
neral purposes.
There is here, certainly, no, the remotest idea init
mated Of any separate and distinct benefit to be de-
rived TO the individual States, and 10 be enj"ged by
them ccycray, from the Western lands, but the de.
mand IS that ''lhey should telongio The U. s and be
appropriated their nse, aud dsposed of 'for dersy
ing the expenses Of the war; and Tor such other pubic
md general purposes, Of the whole confederation
Blu, lei us what ,ll language held by Ma
ryland Size was tie State tina, took The ead sgi.
tang The question Of the Western lands, md for three
IL. IaIa IN