Ponola [sic] weekly register. (Ponola [sic], Miss.) 1843-1843, 1843-04-05
Communicated.
Mt 1ockana, Ponola County Mi.

Mt 1ockana, Ponola County Mi.
Mr.. Editor:-As you have eschcwcd
politics in your paper. and avowed a de-
termination to snail your flag 10 the stan
dard of no political leader infer that
you will open your columns TO the dis
cussion of subjects Of a general charac-
ter alone. shall therefore, in submit
ting the following hasty reflections, en-
deavor 10 avoid encroaci,ing upon your
prerogatlve of neutrality, by exhibiting
any party bias in my remarks.
My object is to call the attention Of the
pubic TO the disposition which shall be
made Of the proceeds Of the 500, 600
acres Of land, donated 10 the State by
the general government.
The act Of Congress which grants the
500, 600 acres Of land in question to the
States, contains the following language.
"There shall be granted to each State
specified in the FIRST section of this act.
500, 900 acres Of land. for purposes OF
internal improvement"
Mississippi is one of the States ma
med, and has, through her Legislature
accepted Of this donation, upon the terms
prescribed-and an engineer has been
appointed for the purpose of surveying
a route for a levec on the bank Of the
Mississippi river, commencing at the
Tennessee line to be constructed Out of
the proceeds Of said land.
| will notice, in the first place, two
other propositions which have been sub
mitted TO the public for the application
Of the funds arising from a sale Of this
land, and then suggest fourth for con-
sideration.
The first is from The editor Of the
Jackson Mississippian, contained in that
paper of the Cd March ult, as follows:
"But we confess, would Congress au-
lhorise the diversion Of the fund to an
other purpose, we would like TO see it
placed in channel TO build up system
of universal education in the State.''
| must acknowledge that the plan Of
the Mississippian has some plausibilty
at first view. But experience teaches
us that the free school system can never
be carried into successful operation in
the south. Several Of the southern
States have tried the experiment, but
the funds have universally been squan-
dered, and no good has ever accrued
from it. Such system is very we'll
adapted to the Middle and Northern
States, but the poorer classes at the
south are too proud to receive gratuitous
instruction. Moreover this fund would
probably fall into the hands fthc MEM
bers Of the Legislature Of the different
counties, or some other irresponsible in
dividua,s, and never be accounted for.
or faccounted for, would probably be
very unequally distributed, and very lit
tie if any good derived from it.
The other proposition TO which re-
lerred is from Col. Volnev E. Howard,
and is contained in his letter to the edi-
tor Of the Mississippian, announcing
himself as a candidate for Senator in
Congress from this State,) and publish
ed in that paper of the Cd March.
Col Howard proposes to appropriate
the proceeds of this land to the payment
ofthe Mississippi Union Bank Bonds and
the Bonds of the Planters Bank of Missis-
sippi. But as the discussion ofthis prop
osilion would involve the whole bond
question, | will pass it by without any
further notice, except merely to dissent
from his estimate Of the value of these
lands, $50 per acre. In these hard