Weekly national intelligencer., 1852-05-22

raj Union South Carolina made an Offering Of her claim
in the public domain, acquired by the blood and
treasure Of all the States. s#
60 $780, February 25 North Carolina ceded her vacant
land after the adoption the Constitution and even after
she had opened her land Office and made considerable dis
positions her domain to the United States upon the ex
press condition. That all the lands Intended to be cded By
Of this act 10 the United States america, and not APP
spropriaed aforementioned shall Be considered common
fund orthe use and benefit ofe United States Of Anssrcd,
sNorM Carolina aclusic aspvdng their respecipe and
usual proportion The general charge and expenditure, and
shall be FAITHFULLY disposed Of for that purpose, and for no
other use whateper.'
81. 1902 april "a. Georgia ceded her public lands to
the United States and the third condition in the deed is
in these words That all the lands ceds9 By this agreement
the United States shall after satng the aforementioned
payment of $50 900 10 TIE State Georgia. and the grants
recognized By The precedng conditions be considered COM
mon fund for The and benefit ofthe United States Georgia
included and shall be faly disposed cfJor hatpmpo'e,
aud for no other or purpose Uhatsoeper.'
sThese are the Deeds and these the conditions upon
which the United States hold in trust for the benefit Of all
its citizens so much of its public domain The United
States have not in these ands unconditional fee 1t
is title in u; and the purposes and objects Of the
clearly and Enthusiastically set forth in the deeds
The proceeds Of the lands to be applied according to
each States respectiUe and usual proportion the general
charge and epsrue What 10 the general charge? The
reyenues-he ffy-odd millions of dollars which
annually collected to discharge the general charge and
penditures upon the Treasury.
Now sir this bill proposes to divert these lands from
the general charge and expenditure, and to bestow them, not
upon all the people, but upon select favored @ Is this
honestly executing the trust?
The seven States, from whom the United States de-
rived its title and all it's claim represented upon
x.;a
rusal Of these deeds of cessons it will be noticed that
four Of them contain the language that the cesons
made-frst New York, for The only use and benefit Of
such ofe United States &C., second Massachusetts, TO
disposed Of for the benefit third Connecticut, for
The common and benefit of said States fourth, South
Carolina, for the common benefit Of The Union while the
deeds Of the three States Of Virginia. North Carolina and
Georgia contain not only the same language, but go
further and prescribe how the benefit is to be
realized, and in what proportion each State shall share in
this common fund, viz; according to the respective and
usual proportion the general charge and expenditure What
is this general charge? Has it ceased to exist? Your
common treasury has continual drain and charge upon
-ncreasing most fearfuy within the past few years.
And yet you propose divert from it portion Of its
customed supply 1t will be noticed that the two deeds
of cesson of North Carolina and Georgia were executed
after the adoption of the present Constitution And mark
the change in the phraseoogy from the words use and
benefit Of the States such Of the States to the words
for the benefit Of the United Stoes'
These conveyances are in terms perpetual; change
in the destination of the funds arising from their disposal
is contemplated 1t is for the payment of particular
debt which they stand pledged but for the common
benefit use of the United States long as
charge remains upon the Treasury These donors or
antors for the purpose Of preventing themselves at any
future day from being deprived Of their share pro-
portion and clinch the nai far confidence could
be reposed in the integrity Of man. added the words, 10
1eJdhy and bona de applied for that purpose and for
other purpose whatsoeper Such, sir, is the Lam
guage of the deeds under which you hold your title
in trust, which trust appears on their face"
Nor can the case Of the States organized within
the territory subsequently acquired for the United
States by the successive treaties with France Spain,
Texas, and Mexico, be separated from that of the
States formed out of the territories ceded by the
older States to the general use and for the common
benefit of the People of the Union.
Let us recur for moment to the fundamental
laws to which those States owe their existence as
members of the Union Take, for example, the case
of LOUISIANA, the first State admitted into the
Union out of territory acquired by the Government
of the United States under the Constitution.
By one Of the stipuations Of the Act of Congress
authorizing the People of the Territory Of Orleans
(now louisiana to form Constitution and State
Government, the Convention to be chosen by them
for that purpose was required :" to provide by an
ordinance, ireuocable without the consent Of the
United States, that the People inhabting the said
territory do agree and declare that they orever dis
" claim all right or title TO The Daste or unappro-
priated lands lying pitin The said territory; and
" that the same shall be and remain at the sole and
" entire disposition Of the United States" And this
stipulation was literally complied with.
The act Of Congress of 1877 authorizing the people
of the western part of the Territory Of MISSISSIPPI
to form Constitution and State Government, with
view to its admission into the Union contains pre-
cisely similar stipulation: and the final act admitting
this State into the Union, after the formation of its
Constitution recites that the said Constitution is
Republican, and an conformity to The principles Of
The articles Of compact betoeen The original States
and he People and States IN the Territory North
cea Of the Ohio, passed on the 18th Of July, 17S3."
Similar provisions respecting the Public Lands
are contained in the Constitutions of all the New
States, placing them, with the exception Of certain
express reservations, on the footing of joint
ownership as the Old States.
IT, therefore, it be demonsrably true that Congress
boa tbo