The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-04


Mark NEEDLE in the play, anxious to b
kieked-and actually complains of our havin,
taken no notice of his forcible-feeble EDITORIAL
on the disposition to be made of the Publ
Lands
Our reasons for not replying were two fcl
Ia the first place, after foundering through
several columns of editorial, on several separat
days, in what appeared to be intended as re
spouse to our argument, the Republic of Mon
day closed its last editorial with an admission
that our position was the correct one, aud OK
pressed its entire concurrence thus
Our own judgment is that the Souther,
Press is right, and that Mr.. Johnson and Chan
cellor Nicholson are wrong. There seems to us
much cogency in the suggestions of The
Press, and we are so well persuaded that, from
the preservation and provdent management Of
this fund, great benefit may enure to the South
eri Sta es, through whatever channels they ma,
receive it, whether by the general application OF
the proceeds to federal purposes, or their distr
button among the States for their internal i'm
provements, or the education of their children
Oar other reason for silence was, that the edi
tor who wrote the article in the Press was, and
still is absent, and his colleague did not wish ia
deprive him Of his privilege of reply, should he
consider the game worth the candle.
In order, however, to soothe to the wounded
vanity of the organ, We will briefly allude to one
or two of the topics on which it has touched.
AS to its small sneer of our being only the
organ of South Carolina and Mr.. RHETT," it is
in character with the position and the course of
the lesser organ of the Administration.
print that does not itself pretend to indie
pendence, but piques itself on being the organ
of the Admiuistration--tha gives out oracular
limitations by authority
Sand as the prompter moves the puppet squeaks, y
of course cannot appreciate the entire indie
pendence Of fall dictation from all quarters, which
is our boast and privilege.
The Press is the representative of principles,
not of men-it owns the authority of no master,
whose patronage and bounty feed it from the
public crib. But the enthusiastic and spon-
taneous support of the Southern people, ire
spectve of party, and its unprecedented success,
have given it power and influence over the
public mind, and made it an organ of South
ern sentiment, which those feel most who
secretly fear. while they affect to sneer at it.
More especially do such sneers come with a
bad grace from the half-organ only of dismem-
bered and distracted fragment of what once was
aparty.
The Republic admits that it is somewhat per-
picked nascertainng the correct Southern view"
in regard to the disposition of the public lands.
That perplexity must be obvious to the rea-
ders of the remarkable editorials which we have
referred to-and which display very plainly the
imperfect information of the writer on the topic
of which he treats.
With respec. TO Mr.. CALHous's proposed
policy on that subject, and the certain condi-
tons" on which he thought the lands should be
ceded to the States in which they lie, the Re-
public is entirely in the dark.
1t uses the following language
"We do not see so much difference between
the proposition Of General Cass, or of Mr. Web
ster, and that of Mr.. Calhoun, and the dstn.
guished SONS of the South, referred to by MIR.
Walker, as to justify the paroxysms into which
the Press falls on the occasion, or the solemn
notice which it serves as attorney of the South
on all Presidential asprants, that any such
scheme will be looked upon as worse aggres
sion than the robbery of California"
To relieve this blindness, on the part of the
organ, we will, out Of pity for its ntirmity or in
doence, briefly point out the wide differe be
tween the propositions of Gen. CAss, Mr.. WEE
sTER, and We may add Mr.. SEWARD, wht
coalesces with them-and Of Mr.. CArHoUN, by
short reference to the latter's own exposition
of his policy.
In the Southern Press of May 80, appeared
the following exposition of the policy Of Mr.
WEBSTER and Gen. CAss:
"Mr. Webster, in his recent Buffalo speech
whilst protesting to be Union man, and just
man, relterates his proposition to besto,0 quar-
ter section Of public land on foreign emigrants
General Cass has already adopted the same plan
Here are heads OF the ta great national parties
offering the common property of the Union to
foreigners, chiefly without price, to invite and
concentrate European emigration to that section
give that section an overwhelming and perma-
nent preponderance in the Union. And we OBJ
serve the significant fact that the Union Of this
city has endorsed the speeches of Mr.. Webster
with some exceptions; but not excepting to this
part of it. Thus, there is an evident bidding
by the two grand national parties with the com
mon property of the Union, for Northern, nay
for foreign support
"Now, although the South is excluded by ac
OF Congress from the occupancy of the grea
portion of the public lands, it has not yet bee'
denied that she was joint owner-and that a
such she is entitled to insist that they should b
Sold and when sold, the proceeds should go int
the common treasury to reduce the taxes. Blu
this plan of the Northern Wings and Democra,
coolly proposes to confscnte the Southern shar
of the public lands altogether, and to app
pirate it for the purpose Of concentrating FL
ropean emigration in the North--of inriting IA
additional hordes from that quarter-and en-
seducing portion Of the Southern population
the North :"
And this is the programme Of Senator SEwAE
a. laid down in his speech at the last session