The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1844-01-13

ersl Government, than which more er-
roneons view never was taken upon any
question. II Is obvious, in any Ia.ional
view which can be taken Of the suble /,
hat the only right To the ceGta luHdc
possessed by the United Sales. is the one
it derived under the deeds of cession-
which was, in fact, one OF trnst---and as
The consideration for which the trust was
created ceased to be operative in 1880;
from Ihat period the proceeds righlfnIy
have belonged To lhc States. and should
have been paid over To them according 10
the terms OF the deciding Of ce>sion, And
az to the lands acquired by purchase. they
having been bought with the money cf .tc
siaics--are lhcir property. aud the pto-
ceeds of their sales should be distributed
amongst them. II the iauds did, in fact
belong 10 the General Government. there
might he some apology for the grounds
assumed bv Governor Thomas hot as
they do not, and are only held by it for
tie benefit Of all the states. we must be
permitted to express the opinion that his
coarse OF reasoning is ms uNd in 0rgU-
mcri, because it is based on faseview
Of the case that it is unpatri0tic in prin-
cipic, bt cause it tends to justify the with
holding from Mary land what is her Just
due, at Il time hen her necessities REQUIRE
that she should command all her rcsour-
ccs, aud that it is suicidal in policy, be-
cause il sacrifices to faction, what clearly
belongs TO Maryland.
If the Governor had been paid a:tor-
ney, and bound in duty by the relation in
which he then would have stood to the
parties interested, he could not, in his de-
sire to make the worse appear the better
cause, have displayed more zeal to sup
port The wrong sile Of the question and
it is certainly TO be dcplored, that, as the
Executive Of our State, he had not been
influenced by higher considerations, and
Eobler motives. than those which have in
duced him to present to the consideration
of the people of Maryland an entirely diff
, ierenl issue 10 the one which is justified
by the true facts of the case. II he had
looked al the question in its proper light
| he would have seen that the fiscal con-
Germs Of the General Government have no
/ bearing whatever on the merits OF tie case
so far as The rights of the states to the
land money arc concerned for il is utterly
+ lmraterial. whether its revenue is sufii-
Gent 10 meet expenditures OF not, lha, fact,
! be ii whichever way it may. does not in
, trrIcrc with the claims OF the states to
their GlslrIhutvc share Of the proceeds Of
! the sales Of the public lands, as since 1880,
! they have been legally rs much d charge
] against the United States Treasury, as any
other item Gifts expenditures. The ques-
| ton OF. whether the General Government
can pay the amount of those proceeds TO
! the 'atcs, without Inconvenience? has no.
thing 10 do IN the premises the lands be-
longing to the states, payment of the pro-
cceds Of their sales cannot he withheld
rom the several states without downright
injustice and it but i'll becomes the En-
eculve officer to sustain The groundlrss
professions of those who are striving to
deprive us Of what in law and equity be-
longs TO Maryland
There is ono view taken by Governor
, Thomas that shows how proud he is to
seek refuge III false reasoning, to screen
him from the absu,dity of the faise posi-
Hon in which he has though, proper to
place himself, The tendency of his rca-
soning would lead to this untenable posi-
tion-tlIat because NlaryIand's disribm,rc
&hnre OF The proceeds of the public lands,
will not pay aH her liabilities, that, there
fore, II is wrong TO claim it. Can any
thing be more glaringly wrong in principle
than such rule of action. Suppose an
individual debtor were to say to his cred
ltors, 81 owe You hundred thousand
dollars, but have onl Y twenty five thous-
and dollars in assets, therefore as cannot
pay you all, will pay you nonc''-would
not such proposition be secuted, either
as the act of knave or fool? Certainly
and sull it would be as tangible as the
one arising out of the argument Of Gov
ernor Thomas.
or