The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-08-30
THE PUBLIC LANDS.


industrious classes have been pressed in the East they
have fled to the West and thus has the frame work Of
society been sustained. II properly husbanded these
public lands may prove like resource for hundred
years TO come -.,t. t..t+.l#.Ie hsflt8
No single advantage is gained by prematurely dsposine
of these public lands either by gill or by sale For
country to be prosperous and wealthy certain
tration OF capital and population is necessary II we
were scattered our whole territory in the proportion
OF one family to each square mile should sink into
state bordering savagesm. II the public good alone
were consulted would not hasten TO add to the
Der OF new settlements 1t is far easy for indus
trious poor men 10 make comfortable livelihood and
give their children good education in districts in which
there is some concentration of capital and population
than in districts remote from markets, schools and
churches, however rich those half settled quarter
settled districts may be in natural resources.
BY pushing our settlements too far into the wilderness,
we do, moreover, gross injustice to the Indians who
have natural right to the OF these lands hunting
grounds till we prepared 10 bring them into cultiya-
ton.
The public lands being public property, Congress has
the money that is in the treasury These lands have cost
noney-more money than they have ever returned 10
government or are likely to return for many years They
are held in trust by Congress for the benefit OF all the
people of the United States, and Congress has right
dispose Of them for the benefit Of part.
Some compensation, it is admitted is due to the new
States in which there large tracts OF public lands As
the United States government, as landlord, pays no
taxes while the private landhoders pay taxes, il just
and TT that somsthng should be done to this inc
quality, and more especially by the action Of the State
governments, and the industry of the people OF the
States such tracts of public lands Increased value
This compensation is best made by granting for
school purposes, and other tracts to aid making public
improvements These old and wei -esabshed principles
of policy ought TO be adhered TO by government BY
such grants the public property is not disspated The
increased value thereby given to such lands remain the
property Of the United States is greater than the total
value OF all the grants And moreover, already OBJ
served debt Justly due TO the new States is thereby dis
charged.
Very different from this, however IS the project now
before Congress to distribute ten millions among the diff
eren States Gold and new for the benefit Of the insane
Are the States public paupers, that they thus TO be
made benelciaries oil the federal government Is pro-
vidng for the insane OF the objects forth in the
constitution And If Congress is provide for one class
Of the un fortunate, why not for al-for the widow the
orphan, the blind, the lame and the paraytc well
the unatc ttt.
proposes that 100 shall be given 10 each and every
one who wishes TO settle on them. This 10 be
very benevolent TO the poor but Congress is going
be generous it ought TO be just There thousands of
persons the country quite worthy to become public
benehcases the class for which the from the
West wishes specially to provide II Congress. then.
gives 10 each OF these poor 160 OF public land,
give 100 dollars out OF the treasury to every poor
in the country Nor must Congress stop here, If
it 10 be equitable. II must give addition, 100
dollars in money to every poor who, owing to dis
lance of position. want OF fitness for backwoods life,
connot take advantage OF this kind offer of 100 of
public land.
II il be said that all the public domain will not yield
money enough to give every poor and poor woman
in the country 100 dollars, then sell the public ships the
Congress has just much right to give away the public
ships and the rest of the public property as il has TO give
away the public lands.
But the projects for dissipating the public domain do
not end here A bill has actually passed one House
which, according 10 one calculation, gives away at one
fell swoop, no less than 90 million of the public
land-thal land than found in all New England
and New York conioined; and nearly much is to
be found in New England, New York, and Pennsy Iva
MIA, all put together The bill alluded to is that for the
benefit OF the officers and soldiers who served in the war
q II nd an
wars and know not how many besides. What
will be the result il this bill should become law II
will not increase the demand for land for cultiva
ton, That will remain as IN past years, and few mil
lion per annnm will salisfy It, Bat If nineiy-sx
million acres OF land scrip be thrown into the maike
the price will be relGced to fifty cents, 10 twenty i've
cents, perhaps TO twelve and half cents acre.
All this will be for the benefit OF SPECTATORS for not
one officer or soldier ~ hundred will inch
OF the land nomnally granted to HIM.
Ii II be asked what then, shall be done for the soldiers
OF the OF isi2-14, and other wars, reply, pay
them money whatever is due 10 them II will be bet
ter for Them better tor the public better for the govern
mept BY giving each soldier certificate for 100 acres
of land, you will be giving what is, or what will be- If
properly managed, worth two hundred dollars TO gov
ernmeut while II Will net the poor soldier no more
than hundred dollars, perhaps not more than ten
Reducing the price OF the public lands in this ay
fifty cents. TO twenty-five cents, perhaps to twelve
and half cents an acre, Tor the benefit SPECTATORS
doing injustice TO those settlers who have paid the
full price for their possessions. When they bought they
supposed the government price fixed Had they sup
VI
would have deferred making their purchases But now
alter having paid government It's full price, they will hnd
this act shall be passed, their lands reduced in value
than one hall by the action Of governments for pr
vale lands, oil like quality and similarly situated, cannot
be OF higher value than government lands,
Congress ought 10 pause IN this business In addition
to the solemn obligation under TO manage the public
lands for The benefit of all the people OF the United States
and not Tor The benefit OF part only, il under another
obligation OF very serious import All these public
lands pledged to those public creditors who lent
Mexico. These lands cannot be given away or disposed
OF in the various other proposed without
violation OF the public faith u IS thought by some
that OF the most dIshonorabe dongs OF DR. Webster
was his sale 10 another person of the cabinet OF minerals
he had previously mongaged to DR. Psrkman II Con-
gress, after having pledged the public lands 10 the public
creditors, shall dispose OF them IN the many ways pro-
vided for IN the bills before IT, 1t Will be guilty
large scale oil the precise fault OF which DR. Webster
guilty on small
The appropriation OF portions OF the public land for
school purposes in the Slaes and the
OF other portions OF them 10 aid making roads and
canals IN the same Staies will not be violation OF the
public faith Tor il well understood by the public
creditors that this the established policy OF govern
ment and such appropriations increase the value OF the
pledge. But II one hundred and sixty TO be
given TO every one who is willing to take possession
OF them, five hundred thousand acres TO the Dis
ct OF Columbia Tor the benefit OF her public schools,
million acres to the States told and for the relief OF
the insane and il the demand for speculation is to be
further supplied, by giving (nomipay) ninety-six million
acres to old soldiers the public lands will not yield
dollar to Inc public treasury, and public will
be cut oil which the public creditors bad when they lent
the money good reason to suppose would produce from
two to three millions per annum.