The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-09-20

saving of more than thirty-thres and a third per
csntum, to the North, by taxing the South
through the customs instead of her slaves!
The PUBLIC DOMAIN AND GOLD MINES Es-
CHEATED TO CALIFORNIA.
But through remarkable piece of good for
tune, the discovery, of extensive and seeming
inexhaustible deposits in gold dust and and 9TH
er forms of bullion, it was apparently OF but
trihng consequence, upon which section the
payment of the war-debt chiefly devolved,-
ior in the depths Of these uDexplored treasures,
not only did rapid and thorough reimbursement
seem sure and near, but the day seemed hard
by when the citizens of all the States were to
be dispensed with their contributions in support
of Government, and have q large superfux from
the placers and the mines, to meet all the rea'
sonable wants of the States, for public educa.
ton, general improvements, &C.; but now, alas
through preciptate aud bunglng legislation,
both the domain and the treasure are lrretreVa-
bly, lost to the States, aud California takes ALL
For more than century past, has the public
code of the world proclaimed as the law, thst
when sovereignty was conferred upon any peo'
pie, all the rights OF eminent and useful domain
passed with 1t as its muniment, unless the same
mad been reserved, through public Act to
which such people had acceded, before they
were seized OF the sovereignty which proclaim
ed them State. This is more emphatlcally
the case with new State entering into our
Federation the Constitution, while recog-
nizing the right of this Government to hold pub
lie domain Tor all purposes within a Territory,
specially restricts the holding it in State to the
enumerated uses of "forts, magazines, arsenals,
dock yards, and other needlul buildings, -
and hence if Congress admits State into the
Union, before dlsposlng OF the public domain
within its borders, or without obtaining an or.
dinance OF REIMBURSEMENT from her, prior to
her admission, the domain passes with the
sovereignty, and not even right OF satferance
over it remains. Such was tile opinion of our
fathers before the Union was formed, for a
special clause in the Ordinance of 1857, ex'
pressIy protected the public domain in the
North Western Territory from escheat, by con,
stituting the Ordinance compact, to which the
States that were to be formed out of it must
assent, before their admission into the Union
and thus reIinquish all title or claim to the
public lands within their borders; and upon
this principle, and with this precaution, has ev'
cry Congress that has been convened since the
foundation OF the Government until aoU, affirm
ed tue necessity of exactng irom the new States
formed out OF the public domains, ordinances
OF REIMBURSEMENT prior to admitting them into
the Union. And phy? No reason can be AS
signed for it, but that in the, opinions of al
these Congresses, by the conversion OF red
eral IsrrHory into a SoDereign State, withou
such a compact the title to the useful as wei
as the eminent domain, would pass as muni
ment OF tine sovereignty conferred by the ac
OF admission, for tue Fedora. title iapsng fol
want ot'a reservation, the Useful domain woulc
necessarily escleat to the Commonwealth of q
| State for the want an owner. The presen
Congress was seasoaably warned, and through
the most unanswerable demonstrations, from
Senator Soule and others, that such would bt
the inevitable consequences; and the domain
and treasures Of California would be irretrieva
bly, lost to US, unless she was sent hack to hel
Convention to execute the Ordinance befor'
her admission into the Union. But alas fol
the country! An inexorable majority, free
with raving lust Of dominion, and fearing tha
through returning sense of justice, giving &C
cess to the South below the line 50 80, in des
perate haste it rushed madly on, and risking al
has lost all