Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-04-17
iNplANA-TIlE PUBLIC LANDS.

| Tue lion. X. ID. Owen, member of Congress
from Indiana, has published an address ON the
subject Of the Finances Of that State. in connex.
ION win tho enormous grant of Public Land
wnlch he was instrumental in procuring for her,
Nv me late session of Congress. The sugges-
'ohs which 1t contains, Mr.. Owen remarks, are
MADE without consultation with the authorities of
'he State or members Of the Legislature, but are
such as his knowledge of the sentiments of the
people OF Indiana leads him to believe would meet
"er appreciation and the sanction Of the Legis-
,a'u'e' The following is an extract from the adj
dress:
introduced into Congress during the late
~oss", ol'i' which, fortunately for State,
passed into law, by which there was Granted tn
INDIANA, about 100000 acres of land. To aid ber
IN completing her Wabash and Erie. Tor rather
ONO and Erie) Canal. This work. not inclmded
IN her general system Of internal improvement.
1a. constructed chiefly by means of a separate
fdnu iund, and having cost already about fonr
millions of dollars, will connect when comnIs,oJ
me waters OF Lake Erie, by way Of Maumee Raw
WIN The Ohio River at Evansville. or this in
por'ant canal three hundred and fifty miles arc
a'reaoy finished, or means provided TO finish them.
commencing at either extremity, and gap of a.
STu. one huhdrea miles lying on the line between
AeIra i1aute and Evansville, remains :ncomnIete.
on which, however, the State expended before
sue abandoned the undertaking, upwards of a
quarter OF a million of dollars. About a million
anu quarter more is required TO complete tho
en,.re work, and that sum can lii is reasonable 10
purpose. wi VIC
IL Is the opinion of some of those who arc r,
unfair with the subject and especially interested
III me result, that the nett proceeds of this canal
l"ithin our State line) when finished and in full
operation VIII suffice TO pay one-half the interest
/ I..I,t e III
uis Deliet, the bond holders shall consent tn re
ceiVe the nett proceeds of that canal, annually
| aPPor"ohed among them and yearly increasing
In amount as they surely would, in full liouda,
.ion OF one-half the annual interest accruinu on
1ne foreign DEBT, 1t is my firm conviction, that
i would forthwith permanently provide by
Jaw LOT direct tax, sufficient TO paw the other
hall. About twenty -seven and a half cen,s ~,
tne hundred dollars of her present taxable list
(het'ins about 1875 ,000) would suffice for that
purpose and seven and half cents more (pro-
o o about ,0o0) would pay the interest in
u.i vi nGr domestic debt making in all tax of
three mills and half on the dollar; very heavy
1T must be confessed; but yet half mill Iess
man mat already submitted to in 1871; and I
think not exceeding what the people, if thew felt
assured 1t would effect the purpose, would he
wiling TO bear; more especially it, by improved
management on the part of the several county
boards, the per centage for county PURPOSES were
reduced, as it well might be, to meet such a
contingency. poll tax probably of sixty-fve,
certainly OF seventy five cents, would suffice
with other small revenues accruing yearly 10 The
ola'e' 10 defray the expenses of The Stale Gov.
ernment."
YIN this The Baltimore American remarks-'The
| grant oil eight hundred thousand acres of publc
iand TO the State Of Indiana comes from nortv
winch has refused again and again to adopt fair
ana equal plan Of distribution of the lands among
oil inc States. What claim has Indiana more
'""h any other State TO such gratuty? What
espec'ai right does she possess over the nation
al property! If the gift thus extended to her bv
me General Government shall enable her to 70.
store her finances to order and retrieve ber do
pressed credit, we shall rejoice But are not 9th.
., STATES also suffering under depressed credi.
"nere is the justice or constitutionality of the
po"oy "hich iavishes the public property upon
's o'a'e or that, and leaves other States, having
equal claims and equal need, to struggle alonr
with their own unaided resources as thew best
can!
IL would be far more manly, far more Just and
iloeraI' 10 admit the whole principle at once that
we national domain is the property of all the
otates, held by the General Government in trust
LOT 'heT beneht.-Upon this principle compre-
henslve system of distribution might be establish
cd which would result in some efficient action
and materially aid the indebted States in their ef
forts to extricate themselves from their financial
difficulties. If the public lands are to be made
iund Tor favouritlsm to be squandered here and
there or to be used as the means of purchasing
political influence, frghtfn amount of corrup- |
ton will be generated and much dissatisfaction
and disgust must ensue. A wise government
would ere now have administered that vast pro-
perry for the attainment of solid benefits, and
every State would have derived substantial good
from 1t; but as matters 60 it seems likely 10 be
little more than source of wrangIing, and a sta
pie OFT of which to manufacture political capital.