Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-01-25


he not prepared TO do st the present time He re-
garded this measure presenting the true system for dis
posing Of the public ands and he dessd say distinctly
that ha regarded il great measure intended for
popular reward to the public who advocated it, as
really and sincerely the true system for dposng of the pub
lie domain. The Government ought to be large
andholder enjoyed its wealth by making i citizens rich,
and BY spreading industrious, active, hardy population
over the unsettled unculva,ed lands held by the Govern
ment This would do more, not only make the people
prosperous tut TO make the Government perous than any
other system that could be pursued. What the
OF national wealth Not the lands held for sale during
long series OF years. while hundreds Of thousands wosd be
gad 70 cultivate them, who without homes. II the
ue interest OF the Government to give every home TO
make MIN interested in the cultivation of the land to support
his family, to build up TO disseminate useful
knowledge and to erect churches and when this should be
done tny would DO more to build up national wealth than
any o'ner method lie did not intend argue this ques
on now out ne was prepared TO show some future day
that large body OF the public lands should be given to the
people, simply as q Of revenue indenendent of
other considerations He believed there would be no settled
system Of revenue until the public lands should bs ont f ,h
question q system OF revenue =
Mr. AvERE 1T inquired Of the gentleman from Alabama
whether his object TO dispose Of lands belonging 10 ha
whole people for the benefit Of all or for nor,;on S ,h
people,
Mr. HTLLARD replied that he wished to give them 10 ,ba
people in the largest He wished to have the lands
settled and occupied and he did hesitate say ha, the
object not much benefit the people as 10 bring about
settled order OF things in the Government which would
make prosperous. and give il nobler future than it ever
could have BY holding these and when muudes have no
homes He believed this would be the w;ses svstan ,ha,
could be adopted Wherever wealthy people were found
there was prosperous Government and this system would
create wealth among the people, He preferred to look to the
customs alone for revenue rather than the land system
his bill ne said In every view, pressed itself upon the ate
ton Of Congress-, and ought to become law
Mr. CASEY said that, member of The Committee on
Agriculture he had only say that he knew nothing about
the provisions Of this BILL il subject TO which be had
not turned his attention. and upon consultation with
Of the members Of the committee be found that ,hey were all
placed in the situation He had not assented to the
o nor tne report not having been present at any meeting
Mr. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee. inquired if he understood
ne gentleman from Pennsylvania saying that majority Of
the COMMITTEE had not assented TO the bilil
MI CASEY replied that be intended to say that he had
not been present at any meetings the committee and did
not know what their action had been on this SUBJECT He
believed the House was in the situation as himself and
ne Intended to move the reference Of the bill The
COMMITTEES Of the Whole the state OF the Union and that
It be printed, so that it could be examined It was subject
OF immense magnitude and opened up discussion and con-
deration the whole subject Of Government land titles and
the disposition Of the public lands He concurred in the re-
marks made the other day by the distinguished gentleman
from Virginia, Mr. MEADE, upon the subject Of the dspo
stlon Of the public ands and every member from the old
states occupying seats upon that floor must have felt the force
and weight of the remarks Of thai gentleman. a.
Mr. MEADE said that his intention was to show how far
the West had departed from the principles -dsbutlsn
by giving away the public lands merely for local Objects If
plan which should benefit all the States
Mr. DISNEY said that he had no desire to open u this
subject but notice that he would avail himself Of on
occasion to endeavor to state the account between the
West and the East. l..
Mr.. MEADE asked whether it was the intention Of the
gentlemen from Ohio. in stating the account charge the
od Is States @ with It any public lands whatever
Mr. CASEY resuming, said that although he held differ
ent opinions in politics from the gentleman from Virginia.
this would not deter him from appreciang as epresenta
tive from of the old States the force tendency and point
Of the remarks Of that gentleman. That marked out by the
nf
public lands The Government should dispose Of these
lands by graduation of the prices according location
quality and other circumstances connected with them and
distribution of the proceeds Of the public should be made
among the States Of the Union for the great high and noble
purposes Of education Not being able carry this out be
would be willing to vote for the best plan that could be OBJ
tained under the circumstances. FL se #... ,ts.
Mr. GREEN said that the party to which the gentleman
belonged never supported the principle of graduation but
adopted the federal system
Mr. CASEY said that the question was whether the gen.
teman from Missouri and those acting with him should have
all the public lands whether each State should have
due proportion of them.
Mr. ZEN understood the gentleman to say that gradua-
ton was one OF the Wing principles.
Mr. CASEY said that il was one Of his prncioles and he
had always advocated it. He did who were for il or
who against it. Next to this principle be believed the
true policy was to sell the lands and pay the proceeds
into the Treasury to pay the national debt Instead of
devoing the public lands to local purposes and local
improvements, the lands should be sold, and the mo-
ney accrue to the Treasury. This would now be i'm
PoShSooO,
years to account Of the adoption of the bounty land
ACT and thus they could derive from that quarter
He was appopang the lands for great national objects
such as railroad the continent the Pacific The
money for the payment Of Indian annuis Indian treaties
aud for The protection of the frontier had been paid out OF the
public Treasury After the had been said that
the West would not ask for ands but would take her
will II this system to be adopted, he for appoon-
ing the lands among the States for the purposes Of internal
Improvement to facilitate communication between States and
to establish sound uniform system of public education
throughout the country, which would dase its benefits for all
time to come among the people,
He would deny the benefits the blessings Of this Gov
the houseess and homeless and perhaps after due
examination he might for the objects contained in the
bill.
Mr.. BROWN of Mississippi, proposed to defend the new
States against what he conceived to be instrumentation on
the part Of gentlemen from all parts of the country Il seemed
to prevailing opinion thatahe older States have as great If
greater claims upon the public lands lying in the limits
of the States than the New States themselves In
coming this conclusions struck him that gentlemen over
looked the consideration that the pioneer population who 20
into the wilderness, subdung it, nvertinR it into an ae
cultural country purchase than mere space of earth
they obtain from the Government. Who was il that had
made the States what they are? Who sna,ched the
State OF Ohio from its prairie Wilderness and made one of
the greatest States Of the Union Who converted Msss
Alabama from what they to rank among the most
fertile States Of the Union Was the population Of the old
States who remain where they are population who 70
orh and cut down the forests converting the wilderness
garden He was for giving away the land 10 those who
would work it. and by this they would increase
and nation r;fy Fl