Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-06-19
CONGRESSIONAL.
THE LAND BILLS AND TIE tariff

HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES,, JUNE IL, 1852.
The House being in Committee Of the Whole, and hav
ing under consideration the bill making appropriations TO
the Indian Department
Mr. STEVENS, of Pennsylvania. said: Mr.. Chairman
have nothing to offer which much interest the Hous
after the spicy debates of the last few weeks for hav
nothing to say the Presidential question Indeed will
there is occasion for it. for among all true Wing
there is perfect harmony, entire unanmity And, al
though sorey distressed at the unhappy dssension
which have destroyed the Democratic party and slaugh
tered her abest and honored Chiefs yet II would bt
impairment for interfere Nor need aught be SAID
of that very select and highly respectable body OF gentle
men who denemnated themselves the Union party; for
although il started with lofty pretensons and
ecat yet il met early fate. Engendered by whir-
wind Of their creation il vanished with the element
that gave it birth for, although have lately seen It's
ghost fitting this hall in the agreeable form OF the
gentleman from Tennessee Mr WILLIAMS with certain
uneasy attendant spirits yet its corpus is in the tomos
and admonished by the charitable injunction dc moras
ns 6onum, necessarily held IN the profoundest 81
lence with regard to II
propose 10 discuss the several land bills already
ported to this House. with the egons thar are yet in the
womb Of the committee, and incidentally protective
tariff Those bs involve the question ootn OF tne rgns
and the policy of the General Government to dispose OF
he public lands Ehe right TO dispose OF them IS ex-
pressy given by the constitution and ought therefore,
70 be unquesoned The objects TO which hey ought 70
be applied must depend the nature OF the title The
title is Of two kinds When the thirteen colonies became
independent they laid claim large tracts Of unoccupied
land. Those claims were often conflicting Congress,
under the Confedsraon invited the States to cede them
to the General Gogernment and pledged the Government
by solemn resolution hold them for the equal benefit
of all Virginia Who ceded the Northwest Territory, in
serted the express provisions Of the grant that should
be common fund fer the benefit OF oil the States Inc
following is an extract from the deed:
ITO fund for the and benefit of such States
as should become members of the Federal alliance according
to their respective proportions in the usual general charges
and expenditures"
That proportion haseen defnitivey fixed by the Con-
stitution of the United States be in proportion to the
Federal population the several States The General
Government therefore, holds this land not IN absolute,
unconditional fee-simpR but in trust TO be applied &C
cording to the conditions Of the grant.
find authority any where IN Congress to violate
those conditions and besow the land in different d.
rection. would thank gentlemen from the new States
who entertain such delicate scrupes about the right OF
the General Government TO distribute the lands their
proceeds among al the States, tell where they find
authority for this partial distribution.
There another class Of public lands held by differ
title The Government after its formation, acquired
large countries by purchase or by conquest Such
louisiana purchased from France; Florida, from Spain
and New Mexico and Utah. robbed from Mexico To this
land Government has unconditional title and may dis
pose of it she t still such disposition should be
governed by principles of justice equity and equality
At the time Of their acquisition the old States were the
sole owners Of all the land Their means acquired the
whole They sold ceen portions of it TO actual settlers
ut small prices Did their grantees acquire any rights
beyond the of their surveys Did their purchase
of section give them shy title claim In Law equity
to the adjoining or anyiother section?
The Government, in process of time laid of certain
boundaries of the public domain and admitted the nha
bitants the Union State Did that act divest the
old States of their title 10 the unsod lands vest any
interest right in he inhabitants of such new State
except what they acquired in common with all the other
States !?
This Government hasbeen compared in this debate, to
, partnership Be sd Here is strong firm carrying
~ I'm s,ness rich in r estate The partner asks
~ firms Hell nc L.
nless The oiJ partners are magnanimous They admit
him. They agree to fad al the capital They put their
Whoe fund into the s6unon stock Does TINS give the
partner any right to rcbeL to claim the sAoe pro-
perty to put his hand the Golfers and take out al the
money and refuse the senior partners any part OF !!
aodesty well justice would to dictate that ne
should allow the elder partners at least an equal share OF
their own
But gentlemen Of the Northwest entertain conscientious
scrupes as the power of Congress to divide the public
lands or the proceeds among the States
Why does the objection lie to dividing It among
part Of the States Can any authority be found Tor the
latter that does not apply 10 the former
The truth is their serupes lie much nearer the heart
than any cold distractions. The objection IS that the
diysor was large when consisted Of al the States
and the dividend to small II grows more constitutional
as you reduce the devisor and increase the dividend
Their conscience is large FIJI it with the whole
public domain, and, Ike surfeited boa constructor
il is quiet and placid. Put into it but part Of |
the land, and, like the stomach Of hungry man, it
very hostile 70 large corporations Yet they would
give the whole Of the public lands TO increase the wealth
Of private railroad companies The Bills TO be sure pro-
pose to give it to the States But thew grant il the
corporations. Last Congress granted land thirty miles
wide 70 make railroad from Chiexgo TO Mobile. The
State Of Illinois has granted it te s Central Railroad
Company, consisting the gentleman from Massachusetts,
lMr. RASToUL) and his associates
The gentleman from Massachusetesf4r RASToUL) says
thai the United States grants this for the benefit Of
all the States that those roads but links Of vast
chain Of public improvements, cring to the Atlantic
shores True but why not grant t. III the other com
panes just proportion 10 make their links Of this same
chains n the Western links are useful to the East
the Middle and Eastern links at least equally useful
the West Are the old StaeE 70 make the whole chain
and not be allowed to take part of lands 70 do
il with, Pennsylvania has expeDaed$ so 600 600, which
she stll owes TO make her nkto nuke railroad over
the invincibe portion Of the whole route and yet
Of her lands to pay WITH snd relieve the burden Of
her people. -7-~~A
But the gentleman from Massachusetts and others tel
us that the Government gives away nothing by such
grants because the bills provide that the remaining alter
nate sections flor thirty miles wide shah not be sold at
less than " 80 per acre-double the present price Of
public lands. This look upon a. orc cf the worst fea
sres Of these unnmabered bills s<snds to retard the
settlement OF the country by raising be price to actual
settlers The alternate sections granted 10 railroad com
panies are held still higher maximum price is fixed
70 them; they are held up, and 10 be the avowed
intention of the Chicago and Mobile road until they shall
bring $40, SIS, and $50 per acre. =.
If the Government does not make the railroad who
does Why the purchasers Of the remaining sections
You give every alternate section for fifteen miles, ON each
side Of the road TO the corporation and charge the price
the actual settlers the adjoining land You make the
tual settlers build the whole road without giving them
dollar Of the stock Their money goes 70 the benefit
IL. A.