The North-Carolina standard., 1843-08-02
THE PUBLIC LANDS.

the Editor OF the Star seems 10 be perpie4el anu
lbewildered In his last paper he says, Mr. Cal
houn, at the extra session proposed to cede to the
new States all the lands lying within their boun-
daries, amounting to upwards of one hundred and
fifty millions, upon condition that they would pay
about one half the proceeds into the Fede'
raj Treasury" Now we intend to meet this Gs.
ssrtien of the Editor by facts from the record.
We give an extract from Mr.. Calhoun's speech,
explaining the object and substance of the amend-
ment proposed by him; .-# 9lk sal.
fts object IS to instruct the committee amend the
bill as dispose of all the public lands lying in the States
Of Alabama LOUISIANA. Mississippi missouri
ton of for forts dock yards asenas maya
zines and other public buildings the cesson moi to
place till after the 3O of June 1872, and then only on
the States respectively agreeing the conditions pre-
scrbed in the amendment that s to pass acts rreVoca.
bly, adhere those conditions the most prominent OF
which is to pay annually on day liked, to the Vned
States sixtyfve per of the gross proceeds Of the
sales of the lands that the land laws as they now stand
and proposed be modified by the amendment, shall
remain unchanged except with the consent OF Congress
that the shall be in full OF the i've per cent fund
thereafter to TO those States that they shall be
exclusively liable for the cost ofsurveys sales extinction
of Indian titles, and management generally that the
States may, within certain prescribed limits, gradually
reduce the price of the lands that remain unsod a
ter having been offered for sale ten years Upward may
grant, for limited period, the right of presumption for
ninety days the actual settlers at each step the
duction of price and, finally that il the conditions of
cession be violated by State any particular, all titles
or grants land thereafter sold by the State to be null
and void thus giving the measure the force and soleni
ty Of compact and placing the whole under the Protec-
ton of the courts which would the titles to be
void if made after nfracon Of the conditions OF the
cesson.''
This is what MIR. Calhoun proposed, and does
this look like sbribe" for the Presidency? The
Editor says the lands were to be ceded to the
States, "upon condition that they would pay a.
bout one-he!f of the gross proceeds" Is sixty
five per centum GbOut oae-half" of the gross
proceeds2 Is fifteen per cent nothing2 But the
Editor has not stated, as he was bound in fairness
to state, that under this contemplated cession the
States were to be Exclusively liable for the cost
of surveys sales extinction of Indian titles, and
generally" Is all this nothing
1t has been ascerained, by reference to the best
sources, that the Government pays away for this,
which Mr.. Calhoun proposed the States should
do, more than half million annually. Under
this plan, therefore, the Government would have !
got, out of every dollar sixty-fve cents, leaving
thirtyGve per cent as compensation to the States
for whatever trouble and expense they might be |
at. Nor has the Editor alluded to another matter
in connection with this subject, which seems to US
Of high importance. For the last six or seven
years at least one fourth of the time of Congress
has been consumed in legislating on subjects di-
-eetly or indirectly connected with the public
ands, and this Legislation has not only vexed and
lgitated the whole country, but it has cost the
Government not less than two hundred thousand
Iollars annually. Is this no evil In addition {
0 all this it was part of Mr.. Calhouns policy, t
to cede these public lands to the States as to in
est them with the power, as they always have
he best opportunity, of keeping off squatters and
1truders. What security has the Government
ow that one fourth of all its public domain will P
OF be encroached upon and occupied by men who a
re unable: or who will not pay cent for the Il
lnds they take2 How are these men to be kept p
f2 At the point of the bayouet2 Mr., Clay Il
ven has not been hardy enough TO recommend a
lie use Of force for this purpose. h
The Editor and his party go in for distributing II
nong all the States the proceeds of the sales of Ia
e public lands Will the Editor be good "
lough to show US his constitutional authority n
r doing this2 Will he-can he, or any body m
IN, authorizing the general Government to d. SC
de money among the States? Congress can
'ly raise money enough to pay the debts and e'
fray the expenses of the Government 1t can
ithor pay the debts nor defray the expenses of wi
respective States; they have reserved to them i"
Ives certain powers by which they can raise -,
oney to do that themselves; and any and every -
" which would take money from the Federal -
reasury and place it at the will or under the -1
elusive authority of the States, amounts to 49,,
oss and palpabe violation of the Constitution.
,e Editor of the Star well knows why the Fede- ~
Wings are in favor Of the distribution scheme. :,
, knows that they have involved all the States,
lere they have had power, in debt; these debts
lst be paid but if the people are taxed for this
rpose, they will expel the Federal Wings from
gver. He knows furthermore, that the money istt
ch will go to the States under the distribution vel
leme, will enable the indebted States to dis far
arge their liabilities, whilst at the same time wo
ditionGI tores must be laid, to replenish the uni
easury, thus impoverished and exhausted How the
i these taxes be laid2 In AN INCREASED wh
RIFF. Give away the proceeds of the public hot
ds, and an increase of the tariff or dangerous the