The daily union., 1846-04-30

. isc, and il was moi 10 be wondered that other
had been led astray. II was said BY the senate
from South Carolina that he was a convert 70 thi
. doctrine at this late hour. Did that conversion
: grow oat Of certain convention last year. III
lIMr. NJ was al a loss 10 know ffom what source
. sprung The gentleman had, no doubt, stated hi
convictions, but he (Mr. N expressed his regre
and astonishment at hearing such sentiments from
such a quarter. If because the government was
llandholder il could do all this, then there was nt
limit to the power Of the government. But Their
could be no power except that incident TO proprie
torship. The government was 10 take care Of IN,
land and TO regulate the sales--that was all tn,
very language used in the Constitution bad refnrenc,
to no other power beyond that indispensabiy ne
cessary 20 the character Of mere ownership OF the
public property. There was no general grant o
power at all. The bill was not small matter in
itself Here were wopublie works, each Of two
hundred miles in extent, and they were very mod
estly asked TO aid them by the gram Of oDe-haf Of
the public lands throughout that whole extent Of
the State-the whole amount although portions OF
IL may have been already djsposQ Of because,
Il sold sections elsevkerc arc 70 he take }
Yet they sere 10 be .old thai for oh this there
would be ample e9uyaisn, 70 the increased value
OF the public land. n one-hsf Of the land had
been already sold, where was the equivalent to be
obisine1 The idea was altogether an absurdity-
a mockery. IL was as adiculous ss the offer OF a
man would he who shoIad propose to appropriate
TO himself one-haf Of his neighbors farm, and in
demnify him for the loss by making the remaining
half Of more value than the whole. Il was all hum
bug He understood thalit was a pioneer bill IL
was put forward to break the way for bill from
Mississippi. Where was he application of the doc
trine TO end' How many roads were wanted in
all the western Statesp Ten miles were 10 be taken
for each road and roads wanted in all dlrec-
lions in these States, IL was easy to see how the
entire public domain could be absorbed in this way.
A system more prepostsrous--more unjust--more
dscordant with any recognised principle Of sound
legislation could not be imagined. IL was the re-
mark Of very wise man who lived during very
interesting period OF the French resolution, that
there were but three ways Of living in the world; one
was by the interest Of capital, the second, by the
wages Of labor, and the third by stealing, so called
or not so called. That was a very strong remark
as applied To individuals, but as applied to corpo-
rato0s il was he (Mr. NJ thought strictly and lit
orally true-they were sustained either by honest
credit in these public works or else by stealing, so
called or not so called-thnt was by plunderlng the
public In ts general capacity, or by plunderng ndi
vIduas. This has been a system of plunder These
works were undertaken with view to punder in
many instances, in others not with the requisite
capital or credit and the projectors, having COM
meneed them and got into debt, make out case Of
necessity for their completion in some way, and
that is by plundering the public or Individuals, or
engaging IN some sort Of plunder. That was the
species Of plunder that they were now called to
sustain. He protested against IT, He did not
know whether the system had already commenced;
but II not, he hoped 1t never would be permitted
commence; and therefore he would vote against the
bill. He asked for the yeas and nays on the ques-
ton.
Mr.. CALHOUN replied. When up before he
made very few observations, and stated that in
his opinion the government had right in its pro-
pretary character, TO contribute to public improve
ments such as roads and canals, sections Of the
public lands as far as might be in accordance with
the extent of benefit accruing TO the public domain
by the improvements The senator from Connect
cut Mr.. NnHsI rose Ia his place and denoupesd
this opinion as involving an abandonment Of his
(Mr, Cs 81 former COURSE Hoy - ssS - NM sen
e,or IL ~h-s ,s,sisdisr !, ne ldr 30
The senator was silent. He could % no, 'snee;T n
what particular he (Mr. C.) had ''abasdoned his
course" He (Mr. C.) thought that, as matter of
courtesy, before he ventured to make q charge Of
this kind, the senator from Connecticut should
have examined his (Mr C.'s) past course and
past action on this subject. There never had been
time when he Mr. c. had not stood and acted on
this subject in the same way. He had voted for
grant Of alternate sections to Illinois. He had voted
IN that way uniformly all times. Yet the sena-
tor from Connecticut, without regarding either his
(Mr. Cs) feelings or a sense of justice, got up and
announced to the Senate that he Mr., C. had "aban-
doned" his former opinions, and was convert TO
the doctrine He (Mr. c. deemed il due to every
man, that when charges Of that kind were made,
they should be preferred only after thorough ex-
animation Of his past life and past action, and ought
not to be ventured on in the dark-thrown out hap
hazard-as in this instance they had been thrown
out by the senator from Connecticut. He (Mr C. }
acted now on the principle on which he had acted
from the beginning-a principle perfectly clear; and
not only it clearly the right of the government
tn ms ake these hin he hot ~
the duty of the government to do so. They did not
in so doing act in their sovereign capacity. The
question of internal improvements was not at all in
voIved, but simply that Of proprietorship whether,
when anything was done to enhance the value of
their lands in the vicinity of the works, they were
not called on and bound in good faith TO contribute
something as the proprietors. As to the extent of
the grant in this case he not then prepared to
offer any opinion. 1t seemed to him large grant,
but the propriety Of that matter for considera
ton. There one portion of the bill which it
was proper to add, did not, in his Judgment, come
within the princip ple-that was TO say, that where
the land had been purchased by companies or ndi-
viduas the State had not right 70 sections, as in
that case the public interests would not be promoted
by the grant, that portion of the public domain hav-
ing been already disposed Of. But, in this, and in
all cases where road passed through the public
lands and application was made when the work had
been commenced, and there was reasonable prob
aoiiity udt the value o tne pubic Iands would be
enhanced, he was in favor of contributing largely,
and in so doing he abandoned no principle. AS far
as he could judge of the localities, the canal would
be of vast importance. The lands intermediate be-
tween the termini would be greatly increased in
value. As to the railroad he could sot exprsss amp
opinion, but was desrous to see il completed, and
for that purpose was willing to grant the desired
appropriation on condition only that the government
should have the of it when required for the con-
veyance of stores and troops.
Mr.. NILES explained. He had no intention to
misrepresent the senator.
Mr.. CALHOUN--of course not--I did not ac-
cuse the senator of that. ..a.
Mr.. NILES had only put such a construction on
the views OF the senator as he deemed w@rahtabe.
He believed that the senator had voted against the
appropriation for the Cumberland road
Mr.. CALHOUN. Certainly.
Mr.. NILES likewise believed that tie senator
had denied any general power Of the government in
any form, to cooperate in assist the execution Of
works of public improvement. Now he Mr.. CAT.
HoUsl told them that certain Improvements might be
made by the government--that expenditures might
be incurred by the government in its opacity Of
proprietor of the public domain. He (Mr. NJ in.
ferred that that principle was broad enough to lead
to almost any result He still thought 81, the prin-
Ia ax,.nL Lt L. G. IL