Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-02-01

1850, 339 993 H. the cost to the Governmeni
was follows:
Cost of purchase $6I,t J17.ia
Cost oil surveying. $500, ,83S.07
Cost OF selling, and expense OF land system to a
january i, 1884,. ',4oo'o@HiS
Making total of cost and expense Govt. s79 3s
Deducng this amount from the aggregate received from
the sales above stated, have $780, 2l379 the
proceeds of the public land received into the Treasury Of
the United States since the present system went into opera
ton.
This statement clearly exhibits the Importance in nan-
cia point Of vew of the sale Of the lands and the rece Of
the proceeds into the public treasury We have relied upon
it for its annual aid paying the expenses Of the Govern
ment. ss"
If are abandon the present system under which
the above indicated received annually regular
income into the treasury, il is evident that deficit
precisely the amount in the annual receipts That
deficit be supplied from some other There is
possibility 81 Withdrawing the income from this
and supplying by similar amount from any other.
AS the financial system of the Government arranged
there lies lis foundation the principle Of receiving into the
treasury only the amount which may be necessary carry
the operations of the Government in the simplest FORM
and of drawing more from the people by taIaon direct
or indirect, than u necessary for that purpose
II, then, this is to be relinquished compelled
seek other from which the Treasury be
plenshed What other is there from which the
amount be derived If look through the reports Of
the Secretary of the Treasury from early times the present
year. find standing side by side the proceeds from
and those from the public lands. These twoems alwayspe
sent and nsepaabe exhibit the source, and the only
source, Of income the Treasury Of the United States Other
items may occasionally appear in the statement but they
small in amount and incidental in their character These
wo-the customs and the public iandsare the only foun
ans pouring their perennial streams into the public Golfers
II the latter be cut of we have left but to force
increase of supply from the former To accomplish this
an increase OF the tariff OF duties would be Unavoidable The
proposition would open before Congress and the country
of those great subjects which have heretofore violently ag
Ia ed the community Sir the amount which derived from
the customs is obtained by taxation Of the people themselves
and assessment which in the far West feel
siby those who live the seaboard We consumers
Of the articles imported and subject duties which duties
pay with the price the article. We use the articles
iacured in other portions of country the prices Of
which sustained by mpos,s similar articles manufac
tued abroad However distant their localities and however
vsrsn their pursuits may be- the citizens of the whole
try subject to this effect and to draw money from this
source Is TO draw from the pockets of the people themselves
The amount paid by the purchaser Of the public land
will under the proposed system longer be paid by them
the burden OF its paymn, will be transferred to another class
OF citizens will no longer be received equivalent for
property transferred to the payer it will become simply
TAX on the consumers Of dutiabe articles.
will not be the question who will buy land but the in
quiry will be, who the articles subject duties
While the public lands will be granted without cost to those
who demand it. those who the foreign articles will
be compelled to supply the deficit to the Treasury This
will he the necessary effect of the system proposed to be
adoped. Under the present arrangement the settler who
pays his hundred dollars for eighty lot Of lands
ceivss, by perfect e property which is full equivalent for
his money and which he may dispose Of not only cost
but usually at on enhanced price.
In property Of this kind the purchaser may also add
povements to the capital invested thereby securing rich
ward for his labor in its annual production, at the time
greatly increasing its value. Fur a small consideration in the
original Purchase the settler becomes the occupant
of valuable cultivated farm. II he desires make
change in his condition, the sale Of his property not only
brings him return Of the capital invested in the purchase
but full compensation for his toll in changing from i'll
wilderness state to the producveness and beauty of the well
cultivated homestead. 8.
The man who pays money into the Treasury, collected
through the imposition Of duties receives nothing in
while he who purchases land is richly compensated for hi
investment The is the imposition Of tax demanded
by the exgencles OF the Government and enforced by the
power Of legal enacments the other voluntary pay
ment BY purchaser for property which he dses possess
and to which the Government gives him utle.
Upon which of the two classes thus situated should thu
burden OF supplying to the treasury question
tall should the future grantees o the public domaia be
leased from all payments of purchase money, aud the
be assessed upon others make good Should the ci
of the whole country, receiving benefit return be
called upon 10 pay and half millions Of money annual
y to enable the Government gratuousy to distribute the
public domain But would be view of the sub
ect to regard this The only effect Of the principle engaed
upon this bill which it is now proposed to adopt
II must not be supposed that the public domain, OF
heretofore possessed by the Government of the United States
has cost nothing. II is not possession obtained by gratu
GUS grant, which may be given away without
without expense has been obtained price by the Go
vernment which holds the title by purchase,
not by gift by the naked right of sovereignty and which
cannot drest itself Of under the operation Of this bill with
out sacrifice Of the amount expended upon it.
In order to show how expensive to the United States th
grant OF the public domain without consideration pc
would be, wish refer the Senate statistics upor
| this subject
In the twelve land States there still remaining unsot
1884, 1878 This quantity, at the average pc
acre for purchase and survey Of the land by the Government
cost the treasury The Of S46, So BY reference
to The recent report the Commissioner of the General Lane
Office, this amount has all been paid from the treasury
cepng for the survey of acres the Of tb
survey Of which, being 80, yet be paid be
fore the land could be distributed in grauiious grants
TIERS There must therefore, be expended about mil
lions and half in order bring the land into posi-
ton to be occupied by those who would be entitled the be
nef OF this system Of distributions There also por
tons OF this domain to which the Indian title is yet
guished which none but the General Government pur
chase The Importance Of this item will be when it
stated that in such exngushments heretofore made
thirty five and half millions Of dollars have been paid.
By reference to the report Of the Commissioner
tie General Land Office, will be that the average ex
pense Per to the Government of the public domain 10
GLIDING original purchase extnguhmen Of Indian ite
of survey, and Of selling and managing the same abou
twenty-five cents At this estimate the Of
final disposition of the portion still unsod in the limits Of
organized ates, if carried into grants individuals
TIE General Government would be S62 AGO 80. Int
the advances added would swell the sum to nearl
$50, 600, 900.
But, this bill proposes grant Of all the land to h
States in which they lie and the subsequent disposition
them by State authorities portion Of this would
avoided by the United States. Taking, then, the fir
above mentioned as the cost to the Govern