The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-12-22
From the Ms :oarl Deno .ra,.
BEANEFS LAND BILL.

oS&A-NLx A<A III III Lie
Geeai Ptaads, ef ~ Pu5tie Laads-7uen
spo sfsitioas II Laaa Scrip 10 30 Taroca !,
the ENTHUSIASTICALLY Of all the good la
Wall Street the Oioaer--.4 aesc Yazoo Fra
-Importaas corrsspondeacss
The public attention is earnestly invoked
the correspondence this day published betwe
Sen Stnr Augustus Dodge, of lawaS and
Representative elect from this Compression
District. The sabjectis one which concer
the rights and interests, the prosperityend ",
fare Of all the new S,ates--the honor Of Co
gress--she integrity OF Inc old Siatcs-and i
salvation Of the new ones Never before W
such gigantic scheme of corruption display,
in our country. NSar sixty millions Of acres
go as plumber to the lobby members the egi
lative brokers and jobbers-who infest and pc
lutte the capitals OF the old States and of Cor
gress and contemplate bride to be given
the new States to make them submit to
plundered by jobbers in the old ones.
The Correspondence.
Letter from Hon. .nr. Dodge to Col. Bento1
BuKLiSsros, Iowa, Nov. 18th, 1852.
Cor. Benton
\ DEAR SIR The deep interest you have e,
er manifested IN favor of liberal and Just dis
position Of the public domain, ard your we
known familiarity with the history, progress
and present condition OF our land system will,
trust, be sufficient apology for ottruding Til
letter upon you, and for asking your opinion o
the merits Of particular Land Bill now attrac
= ting attention all over the country. meai
House Bill No. $50, which accompanies Thu
letter, and which is familiary known every
where as .Bennett's Bll.' 1t passed tht
House of Representatives al the last session, bu
did not receive final action in the Sena'e. Il
was forced through the House under the ope-
ration of the previous question, and Mitllou
giving those opposed TO it an opportunity to say
a word IN relation to IT.. 1t was warmly press
ed upon the Senate, at the last moments of the
session-lts friends showing evident desire
to pass it through that body. as they had through
the House without discussion
may be wrong III my estimate of the inju-
rious consequences which will result to the
whole country, but more especially to The new
States, from the passage ofthis measure; and If
in error, know of none by whom am so like
ly to be set right as by yourself.
beg to call your attention to al original let
ter from the Commissioners of the General
Land Office touching this bill, and bearing date
Of the Gath of August last, which | herewith
transmit. From this letter it will be seen that
the Bcnuet Bill! proposes toissue scrip to the
amount of fifty.eight millions three hundred
issued and tobe issued for military services,
there will be thrown on the market, if this men.
sure pass the enormous amount of one hundred
and eight millions (07 sis, $40 of acres of land
scrip.
Among other evil results which anticipate
from this measure is, that it will enable specula-
tors to buy up all the desirable lands in the
new States as they were doing with bank paper
in 1856, when General Jackson issued his
celebrated specie circular and saved the public
domain from the grasp Of the monopolists, who
were entering it by whole townships &coun.ies,
to sell 10 The bonafde settl rs at three five and
ten dollars an acre.
In Wisc,n in Lord Murray, an English lord
entered at the time mentioned, as did many 9TH
er spectators and capitalists, large bodies OF
land, the effect Of which has been greatly to re-
tard the settlement OF the western portion of
that young State. Few things, in my poor
judgment, are so much to be deprecated as a
monopoly Of the soil of country in the hands
Of those who do not possess it for purposes of
cultivation, but that they may wiring the last
dollar from who 60 wish to till it for the
support Of themselves and families.
ooking to the consequences which enured |
to the States from the deposit of forty millions
Of surplus revenue, made with them in 1886 by |
tho Federal Government, cannot thing 9TH
erwise that the proposed distribution among The
States of paper money, land scrip, or whatever
it may be called, will serve further to stimulate
the already excited feeling for local works of
internal improvement, and result in lasting in
jury to the country.
Like the old distribution bill, this one seeks
to bride its way through Congress, BY douceurs
to the new States. II makes the grant in
lump, saying nothing Of the road or roads upon
which it is to be appiied-thu, laying the foun
dation of home scramble and fight which will
probably end in squandering aud frittering away
the land between contending localities in our
States, Without effecting any useful or great OBJ
iect
acknowledge tina. may be prejudiced a
ganst The bill upon which have asked your
views; because it is the work of our old enemies
men entertaining the same hostility against
the Western States and people, those did
against whom you commended for pre- emption
rights, graduation bills, Sc, in the early settle
Inent of the Western country Its authors are
the deadly enemies of the alternate section rail-
road grants, which passed the Senate for the
benefit Of those States in which the public lands
ore situated; and still more hostile to the /
Homestead Bill granting l60 acres Of land to
every head ola family who may go into the
wilderness, reside upon and cultivate his quar-
ter section for FIVE. consecutive years-a meas
ure which humbly think far transceDds and
SURPRISES all others in the benefit whchit would
confer, not only on the public land States, but
on the entire Union.
The pillagers of tue Treasury and public
lands, whose operations at Washington you so
appropriately described in recent speech at
Jackson, have already sent their emssaries into
lows, in the persons Of unprincp.ed New York
bankrupt contractors, who are seeking 10 inan-
ence the people and Legislature in favor of he
so -called Bennett Bill. ONe of this pilager
band, an individual who imposed himself on
our board Of lnternai Improvements as man of
capital and business standing, but who has fail
ed to meet his every engagement, thus greatly
retarding noble work OF internal improvement
in aurgState--was heard often to say, during the
last session of Congress, that he would be able
to meet his contract for the Improvement of the
Des Moines, provided always that the sixty
million bill (Bennett's passed. That man, An
son Bangs, now in Iowa for the purpose eff wor-
king or rather lobbying through the Legislature
his schemes of plumber, openly boa sts that he
drew the before mentioned Bennett Bill. men,
ton this net to prejudice you against the meas
ure but as an item in the history of Congressi-
onal legislation. With high considerations Of
respect and esteem,
Your friend,
A.C. DODGE.
The following is the letter of the. Commissi-
oner the General Land Office, referred TO b y
Mr. Dodge:
GENERAL LAND nFFfcE-
August. "a, 1852.
Sir: In answer to your inquiries, have the
honor to state, r~~A
That the Scrip proposed to 6e4ssued :, 50
by House Bill No. $50, will emo Asres
brace about. 5o,200,03u
The outstanding Warrants for mill
tary services include, il is estima-
ted, 44,9l0,540
Those yet to be issued, it is estIma-
ted, will absorb about 100000
Making total OF 07,7I0, $40
The average amount of land disposed of for
the last ten years, is about 4,I4l 900 acres per
asnum; consequently, at that rate 1t would take
nbout twcnty-six years to absorb the whole
amount of scrip above mentioned.
1t is difficult to form an opinion as TO the ex-
tent Of the depreciation Of those warrants, if the
minimum IS not fixed by law, having reference
kofhe experience of the past on this subject
for the reason that the act authorizing the issue
for services 10 the Mexican war, gave the opti-
A. n a.: