Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1851-02-13
VUTTIF TTN0WIWN7 VI W " y TIIuIIs
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
Fair Division between Old and
New States-Statistics of Land
Grants-EXpenses, &C.
WAsulNGroN, Wednesday, Jan. %.

WAsHNGToN, Wednesday, Jan. %.
The acts Of the last session and the spir-
it manifested, SO far, ihis session, exhibit a
disposition to squander and get rid IN some
way Of the public Lands, to an extent which
has created no small degree of alarm and
this disposition seems TO be manifested to
the greatest extent by those States which
have been enabled to seize upon and secure
the greatest share of the public domain, be-
fore this spniation system commenced.--
The actual result of the great Bounty Land
act of last session Is, that the benehciarIes
IA large proportion Of whom are undoubi-
eddy tolerably well off, aud some are rich
get few dollars for the warrant after being
put To considerable trouble and expense
The warrant goes into the hands of heavy
spectators IN this commodity, who realize
large profits on the poor emigrant, who is
the actual settler, at the same time while
he is driving the Government from the mar
kei. This result makes the operation of
the law anything but beneficent. If the
Government was anxious TO press Bounty
Lands upon somebody, why not give the l6O
acres to the actual conqueror of the forest
who is more valuable soldier than he who
shoulders a musket, though both are neces-
sary. The country would thus have been
benefited at the same time, and two OBJ
ects would have been gained, aud none
could have stepped in between the giver
aud his bounty. Another immense appro-
preparation of Pablo Lands by Congress,
was for the gigantic scheme of a Railway,
| linking the Western and Southern States
/ from the head of Lake Michigan to the
Gulf of Mexico Other smaller but by no
means insignificant schemes for dividing
the best portions of the Public Lands be-
tween a few States have been hurried
through Congress within a year past; the
I aggregate making an amount so enormous
as TO be almost beyond belief One bad
feature of this scheming Is, it produces
combinations between different portions of
the Coniederacy, TO the great derlment of
the general whole, creating cliques and mar
row and selfish views of national policy, and
must eventuate, If suffered to go uncheck-
ed in the prosralion of great national in-
terests, and in general commercial ruin, If
not in the disruption of the Union ITSELF
The amount of Injustice inflicted upon por-
tons of the Contederacy by this system Is
not fully understood.
To remedy the evils to some extent (which,
by the way, have been soreiy complained OF
by the Representatives, OF several OF the old
States, among whom none have set them
forth with greater force or more convincing
eloquence than MIR, Meade of Va. whose
Stale contributed largely to the public do
MAN, Mr. Bennett Of New York, is en-
deavoring to introduce bill lin lieu OF one
he asked leave to introduce the other day
having reference to New York Alone after
consultation with Members from other
States, which, it must be conceded, con-
tains provisions most just and liberal to all
parties concerned. IL will be observed thai
Il does not propose to locate grants to any
State within the territory Of any other State,
j condition which the new States strenu-