The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-09-13
PUBLIC LANDS.

In No. Ill. we proved from the official
documents, that under the Land Bill Of
1888. Vermont would have received in tho
seven succeeding years the sum of SI,I53,-
1913 %, averaging each yeara sum far moro
than sufficient to bear the whole expenses
OF our state government, to wit--$l64,
744 50.
Of this sum il was stated that Vermont
was deprived by the veto of a locoiocoPres~
ldent, who was sustained by lis parity
We then proceeded to show by the annual
amount of land sales from the wear IsOO
to 1912, that under the Wing land bill Of
l84l, Vermont would receive a sun, annu,
ally averaging s66,599 81.
We now add few suggestions 10 con.
clude the subject. The first Is. that if the
public domain is not sacrcdy regarded AZ
the property Of all the States, it will be-
most unjustly disposed Of Indeed, Com
gress has already exhibited any thing but
an impartial spirit. More than seven NIL
lions of acres have already been given a.
way for purposes local in their character;
yet not an acre has ever yet been devoted
to Vermont, or for her Interests This.
however, is but mere item. hardly worth
mentioning, compared with the monsirous
project of one of the most prominent of
the loco candidates for the Presidency :. Mr..
Calhoun.) and which received the sanction
OF locol committee of the United States
Senate. in May, IS4O.--that plan is 10
cece the lands to the States in which thew
lie, on certain conditions. The conditions
were that these states should manage the
lands and sell them at fixed prices, and paw
the federal government one half Of the a.
mount Of sales: in other words, the project
was TO sell the land to the new states at
hall price. and permit them 10 pay as they
should receive the proceeds of salesl Rob-
berry like that. speaks its own condernna-
ton. When the public domain is wrestcd
from the States in defiance OF their rights.
and put into the federal treasury, il is bad
enough; but when even that government
itself divesis itself of tho sacred trust con-
fided to it by the original states, and gives
the exclusive control and m exclusive in
terest and benefit, to the few states in which
the lands lie it strikes us that il forfeiis
the last shadow Of a-clnim 10 honor, to IT,
tegrity and TO justice.
The second suggestion is, that if tho
public domain is not held us the common
property of the States, and the annual in-
come distributed equally to all, it will be-
come powerful engine in the hands of
corrupt and ambitious men, To ibc used for
the worst of party purposes. Shall we not
say that 1t has become suchl Witness this
very project Of Mr.. Calhoun: who doubts
that it may be used to purchase Interested
Statesl Nay, who does not sec that the
possession of the lands is monstrous bride
10 induce them to give political support to
the party which will pay the price of that
support But we will not enlarge upon this
point.
The last suggestion is, that the govern
ment has as yet but just begun TO dispose
of the public domain-our interest, as
state, is almost inconceivaby vast-and
yet the rapid concentration of political
power in the West warns us that we shall
be stripped of our rights, unless they arc
speedily secured by the action of the Fed
eraI Government. Only lO7.796, $50 acres
have yet been sold.bnnging Sl7O,s4O.942-
81. There yet remain .076, 535, 2l4 acres,
valued at more than thirteen hundred mill
ions of dollaIs.-Vt. Watch.