The daily union., 1852-02-13


any quantity should be given TO the old States The
circumstances should be the same, and the objects to be
accomplished identical, before one could be justified by
the other
The States TO which il is proposed by the amend.
men TO give these lands the old States OF the
Union. They have passed through their infancy and
are no longer in need o that kind OF aid which the early
settlements require These grants TO be given ior
purposes OF internal improvement within the States
but these seventeen States TO greater or less ex
tent provided with these very improvements which he
western States struggling to obtain, II is not
even suggested that there is want oil such improve.
menls which the government ought 70 supply. Great as
some regard the grants the States Tor this puT-
pose, they sufficient to give tilhe oil the van
lages TO them that the States named III the amendment
now ENJOY II II proposed TO distribute money in or
der To make necessary public improvements in the sew
era States it would be admitted that the cond
uon oil each State reference 10 the object OF the grant
must determine the amount required within IFS limits
and the absurdty OF giving 10 the small States well sup
Piled with all the OF intercommu and sup
porting dense population the same, in The case be-
tore us, larger amount than to larger less popnlous,
yet more productive States, would be apparent 10 all
This, however is not the criterion which il is proposed
TO apply IN distributing the land here porioned out TO
these various States. The distribution is made accord
ing 10 the poputati0n Now, sir the grants OF land
The new States were made upon precisely the opposite
rule from that which is adopted in the amendment Ii
has not been done on the basis OF population but rather
that oi the toat OF population They were given only
where there were few inhabitants IN the country
without advantages OF roads, canals, churches, or
schools.
When the sixteenth section in each township OF land
was reserved Tor school purposes, in nny town
ships out OF hundred the foot Of white had never
pressed the soil They were scattered through the un
broken wilderness, many Of them hundreds of miles from
any settlement They were i'll region where danger
from the savage foe put peril the life OF every inning
The patriotic men OF those days Judged wisely that the
sprt OF the age and the unconquerable love of peo
pie Tor education, demanded that provision should be
made Tor that great cause IN the region Settlers
were invited by i who otherwise would never have re-
| 1l4 nd mi a,IJ
TO brave the dangers OF the 1t proved powerful
incentive. and has helped advance the interests OF the
country and TO turn the waste into populous States
Where IS the parallel between the grants for this pu
pose to the States, and the proposed grants at the
present time to the old Where within their limits is
there public domain to be settled where Indian foe to
be resisted Where is immigration demanded by prin
c'pe oi great public policy And above ALL where is the
spot that there not both the OF education and
Tue advantages OF lis institutlons9
No one can iall 10 the pabe difference between
grant oil traction oil township in the midst OF far off
Wilderness inducement TO settlement and for the
and OF education where other recourse for the purpose
can be had and the free gift OF property, belonging the
United States, to State enjoying all these advan
ages at their door, and peril incurred sacrifices rem
dered, no services performed for which it be eonsid
cred a consideration
The principles laying at the foundation of the grants
now proposed to the States is, that the road inter-
sects public lands in market seeking purchaser; and
The bill grants nothing except where such land is in
tersected. Where IN Massachusetts,, or Kentucky or
South Carolina, will you inersect public lands 2 Where
can you expedite sales by making road canal
Where can you obtain remuneration to the treasury by
increasing the price OF adjoining seCtioHs'
Heartily approving the wise policy of these ea'ly grants
IN The West, whenever case similar in lis circum.
erai policy il has hitherto returned hundred.fod
TO the donor But cannot assent 10 the idea that any
reason IS found IN the action OF government that
subject for making distribution OF lands among the
States named in the amendment
But we are told that equallyis sought by the proposed
gantsDo that they sufficient to make the old States
| nj IN tha h,t. digfan tuaattnp
Population is the rule by which this distribution is to be
graduated. Let us compare the grants proposed TO be
made 10 the States mentioned IN this amendment with
the land received Tor education IN some OF the land
States.
Vermont and Wisconsin are not far from equal in pop.
uation In the former Stale the grant would equal 40i
acres 10 every township OF six miles square, while tht
grants 10 the former equal only 6Sf 10 the township
| Connecticut aud Michigan are not very unequal IN
their population The former State would receive 295C
acres 10 every township, while Michigan has only 72l
| acres.
| New Hampshire would receive under il, for every
township OF Elk miles square, 4oi acres Kentucky
S64 Virginia and Tennessee, 100 Delaware, l,jl2
New Jersey, 1856 F; New York, 24l2 Rhode Island
4,428 acres.
Turning to the States, we find grants Of onI,
$40 acres for schools IN each township OF miles square
while Rhode Island has, under this BILL for the
tent oil territory, i,i2S acres; New York. 2fl2 New
Jersey 1856. have omitted the grant OF seventy tive
sections TO each OF the States for university purposes be
cause II is small 10 make but nconsdeable rac
uonal addition TO the quantity have named
IL be contended that population, and net territorial
extent, should be the measure OF distribution, reply
that the latter is the by which the grants are
made TO the new States and the rule should apply
| to both
| But this distribution would be unequal in another
respect The sixteenth section granted for schools is 10
Gated at the centre OF each OF the townships and neve
hnds sale until the township begins 10 settle.
No man goes one, three or five hundred miles into
wilderness TO select the sixteenth section when he make
a purchase Tor settlement No, cir. II is well knowr
that in OF the States nne-ienths OF the whole public
domain unsod In others OF them three ourihs are We
held by the government We can, therefore, see how
large proportion OF these sixteenth sections must remain
without purchaser for years 10 come, and in the near
time the land yields no income But sir the grant con
tempsied by this amendment is upon different principle
II does not conhne the beneficiary to single section In
place, and scatter them throughout the wilderness
distance OF six miles apart not selected but desg gnaied
without examination, in the States but il enable,
him TO select the choice land in all the land States or tb
Territories where land Offices are established II will
carried into effect withdraw from the United States as
means Of revenue, the property now sought for settle
ment, accumulate large quantities OF lands in the posses
sion o the States and enable the latter 10 rival the gov
eminent in lis sale, and oppress the settler with exorb
tant prices The most valuable and saeabe lands in th
country would be secured under this grant, and could b.
at once converted al high prices into money IL woulC
not be too high estimate TO say that the land secures
under this privilege would be equal IN value TO twice o.
three times the quantity located like the school lands II
/ the new States.
II is perfectly manifest that any distribution made upor
the ratio Of the present population would be an entirely
unequal distribution The new States capable of sup
posting as large population the odd States and il b
generally considered they will sustain larger population
and they increasing population with a mucl
greater rapidty than the old States OF the Union
Now, sir, IL tho distribution proposed by the amend
men should be made, let what equality would re
al 1M M.1l Il. L.. H.. 49,. -.