The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-01

inent idea But the sale OF land is the only mode oi
producing revenue from public land which the bill con
templates nor is II with me the favorte, or even he
wise way Of deriving revenue from the psol,e aona,n
ter OF a century. To the policy OF the BRUSH statesman
Edmund Burke, as declared in his speech in the House
OF Commons on the subject OF dsposng OF The crowh
Ia ds He cared little for saeslittle for the amount Of
money which the lands would bring al marketand even
deprecated high prices, and objected 10 screwng up bid
ders 10 large by the force OF competition tie pre-
the treasury and the relief OF the subject Went oxelher
that the money should be saved TO improve the land rather
than laid out its purchase and from that improvement
and cultivation he said, the really beneficial and
desirable revenuethat which through the course
OF circulation, and through the political sscreons OF the
State. This IS what he said:
" Be the price what IL may, great object is always an
swered whenever any property Is transferred rom hn.ds
which III for that property TO those that are The
and what "a rely i'm ppens ia a,eis OF avenue the reie
OF the subject III 20 hardn-hand with the profit OF The
exchegue The be deYed rom the sale Of the
forest fsnds W be considerable many have una
gned aad conceive twould he nnwise TO screw up 10
utmost suffer bidders enhance, according
to their The purchase OF objects wherein The ex-
pense Of that purchase may weaken the capital to be e
propose draw from these uncutvaed WASTES is TO
spring from the improvement ard population Of the king
the crown Than the the best landed which
hold 1t is thus would dispose OF the Improbable
landed estates OF the crownroW Them into the Of
tpaie property; by which they Will come, through the
course Ucircaaon and through the political seceiions OF
Mr. President quoted this passage from Burke TWEEN
tytou years ago III this chamber, deeply convinced OF
It's profound wisdom at that time. have had occasion
to think Ut often snee and never more earnestly IMAM
al present. | have the sales OF our public lands
lingering and langushing, involving great expense IN
their administration, great federal influence in the new
States, great injury in divers ways in these Sales and
after all producing little revenue that requires elabo-
rate tables TO be constructed and some large items OF
their TO be left out to show that they have produced
any and il is indsputabe that they are 10 produce
nrtht vtaa IN
800, 900 year for their adminstraonkeepng up an
army of idle eocersdepving the States both OF their
taxes and the five per centuui in lieu OF hemand keep
ing large portions OF the State out OF the hands oil cul
vators. In the time, have the cultivation of
the lands through the custom houseshrough what Mr.
Burke calls the political secreons OF the Salebrngng
large, increasing, and perennial stream OF re-
venue. All the custom house revenue comes from that
source. The hundred millions OF agricultural pro-
ducts which go abroad bring back upwards OF hun
bred millions Oi foreign goods which pay the dulles
which fll-which have filled, filling, and will fill
The treasury The forty-hve millions now counted upon
by the Secretary OF the Treasury the sole resource OF
the treasury all from that source Cultivation and
Improvement OF the country, then, and not the sale OF
land is the OF revenue and 10 that have manly
looked in the plan have submitted have kept It in
view, in every part of the pann the reduced prices
in the preference to actual seters-In the dona-
tons to settlerS-and in the cession OF the unsod
and unsaleable lands 10 the States in which they
lie | enemy to public debt, and had the
satisfaction 10 see large one extinguished We see
another one created impute no blame about it; but
want to II eXtinguished see no chance at present
As things stand. we cannot even pay the interest
By as% Ss asSs SsSs S Which
ton easily sided into debt and by which Sir Robert
Walpoe laid the founGation OF the present British debt
eschew his example, and his resource and 60 ios facing
and meeting our new public debt at once RAPID sales OF
the public lands will do part-economy and retrenchmenl
must do the rest.
Mr. B. then asked leave to bring in his bill:
bill 10 accelerate the sale Of the public lands and pay
The public debt to extinsuish The federal tIe 10 lands
within the States, secure homes 10 aclut settlers
and cede the unaeabe and refuse lands to the States
in which they lie.
Be il tnaeted &C. That all the public lands which shall
have been offered private sale and shall remain unsod
one dollar per acre un, tie 3Jh day OF June 1853 and
thereafter a. remaining unsod a. that price shall be offered
1855 and thereafter ali remaining then nn.od shah DC Of
tered fifty cents per acre unth the BON day OF June,
shall be offered twenty-five cents per acre until the Both
Ssc q Ind BE- IL further enacted That every head OF a
years. who shall The Goth day OF Juse 1851 be actual
per acre. shalt be entitled donation OF forty
include his or her settlement, and 70 peemptve right
quantity exceeding one hundred and twenty acres,
adjacent contiguous the donation seventy cent,
per TO nclnde any other actual settler and
days shall be allowed such actual settler to enter his
or her donation and purchase his her pre-
And every such person settled on the Both day OF June
acre shall IN like manner be entiicd like donation,
aud to like Prs-empton at hty cents per acre. And
every person settled the 30 day June 1852
shall be entiiIsd like donation, and like pre- emp
ton a twenty hye cents per acre And every such person
settled the Both day OF June 1857, shall be entitled TO
like donation and like presumption at five cents per
And where two more persons shall be settled on
contiguous tracts, then the pre-empye right OF
each may be satisfied Of the nearest vacaat land and
all questions between actual settlers shall be decided mme-
datey aud cquitably by the register and receiver,
SEC Aud be Il further enacted That all persons own
ing lands when public lands offered at graduated
prices the first section OF this bill shall be adjoining, and
which shat be entered by actual settler Within the
respective thirty days limited for his peemptive right
person shall be entitled for thirty days after the expi-
of such settlement pre.empve right 10 purchase The
same the OF hundred and sixty at the
price fixed Ia the said fret section of this act and said
public land should sdoin more owners each OF
which should apply Tor the then the adIact mt land
shall be divided equally between them, aud the quantity
OF hundred and sixty made TO each, II re
CURED Of any contiguous public land, free from set
teinent pre- e.enptive right
Ssc lad BE- IL further enacted That in all cases In
which the public lands any State shall have been, o
may be- reduced less than three millions
acres, shall BE- granted 10 the State IN which h
all public lands which shall have been offered
at tue graduated prices established in the fret section o
this and which shall remain unsold on the Both day
June 1859 shall be ceded TO the State in whchtbey lie.
Leave was granted, and the bill read first and
second time by title, and referred to the Committee on
Public Lands.
WINE invite the attention Of strangers snt