The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-02-24

the dullest domain of prose vocal with b
poetry. But the Senator must permit me
say to him, that if he had not used his figure
: OF speech far better than he then used those
, arithmetic, he would never have enjoyed tn
high reputation which he 80 deseryedly posse.
SEES, for. Az elegant and finished style. ! hav
!, looked into his calculations, and must be pei
! United to say, that have never seen just such
specimen of cyphering before. Whether to Ca
il poetieal arithmetic, or arithmetica poetry,
hardly know; but think il may be fairly sal
that his calculations are highly metapaorica
; He say we are deeply indebted to the lam
States for taxes for twenty five years, at tn
rate OF one cent an acre, or, probably, at tn
rate of two or three cents per acre. lie ha
calculated the amount. He has given the debit
and credits; and he makes it out that we owet
the land States, in lS49, even at the rate of on,
cent per acre, at least 800 100000 for taxes
which they had an equitable right to have i'm
posed upon the puboslands. At two cents ar
acre, we should have owed, upon the basis 81
his calculations, somewhere about IS 80, 900 00C
and at three cents little over S200,000,000.
Mr. President, it so happens that the subject
Of public lands was before us here in i840 and
it was referred to connnttee composed chiefly
of gentlemen from the land States, and they
made calculation as to the value Of the public
lands at that time. They estimated the probable
annual amount to be derived from The public
lands in the States until they were exhausted,
and found the value Of that annuity for the term
of years 80 ascertained. From this principal
sum they deducted such an amount as would
pay the expense of administering these lands
the entire value Of these lands-about one hun
dred and sixty millions of acres--was fonnd by
them TO be at thai time worth 364OO 600
But sir they were not aware Of the fact that thew
were undertaking their own case No senator
from Massachusetts, had then appeared to In
form them as to the large amount Of the IN
debtedness of the general government to them
After deducting for the nine years the $1,000,
6I9, which he says we owed for taxation an
nually. it appeared that we are indebted to them
$34,7l3429, or $S,3l3429 more than their es-
innate of the value of the lands within their
limits. And il we suppose them to have been
taxed at the rate OF two tnts, we owed some.
thing like $80,0000c0; and if the rate of taxa
ton was fixed at three cents per acre, we owed
them between 100000, 900 aud s 4 80 100000.
But, sir wish to make calculation for him
upon ita which will help out his assumptions
still more, and to a still greater extent than
that which is afforded by the estimate made by
the gentlemen from the new States themselves.
find upon inquiry at the department, that the
quantity of land unsod in the land States is
fraction under two hundred millions Of acres.
find that for the last ten years the average sale
has been about one million eight hundred
thousand acres per annum. | find still further,
by reference to the past history on this subject,
that the sales of the public lands within the
land States have not increased in the number of
acres, from year 10 year, but have generally
f,Iian off Spnh N laaat ia tho histnru of tho
sale of public lands in Ohio, as given us from
the Land Office. But by the way of making the
calculation as much in his favor as possible,
with an approximation to the truth, will sup
pose the average amount of sales TO be in
creased, and that they sell something like three
millions of acres per annum in the land States,
and that the lands are worth the full government
price, or 81 25 per acre, with deduction sup
posed to be necessary for the administration and
survey of the lands, which is something like
twenty-one cents per acre. This believe is the
estimate of the expense for purchase, survey,
and administration, "a made by the Senator
from Michigan, Mr.. FELcH,I in report made
in July, 1850. ] put, therefore, the highest in
come from the sale Of the lands at S3,000,000
per annum, an income which is probably much
beyond what may fairly be expected if we esti.
mate upon the basis Of the present land sales.
desgnedly overstate the amount, to satisfy the
Senator from Massachusetts, we'll knowing that
we can make no calculations which do more
than approximate the truth.
Three millions of acres per annum would ex
haust the 200,000,000 of acres in something less
than sixty. seven years. A permanent annuity
Of three millions Of dollars for sixty seven
years, would be worth, according TO the tables
fraction over S50,O00,O00; and we owe them
according to the estimates Of the Senator from
Massachusetts,, something more than $60,000,.
900, estimating the taxation at one cent per acre
and Ss0,O0OO00 or Sl32,490,475 at two cents
per acre, and more than 100000 900 at three
cents per acre-a debt which all the public lands
and all the customs likely to be received, would
not enable us to pay for long time. The only
thing which saves us from utter bankruptcy is
that we did not own ten times rs much land ms
we happened 10 possess. For Il is very evident
from the gentleman's calculations, that the more
land we own, the larger will be our debt and the
poorer we shall become. Calculations like
these, Mr. President, must be founded on error
somewhere; the data upon which they rest must
be false in some respects. If the conclusions are
well drawn, for the results are such as must
startle even the mos common observer.
How does he oppose to lay the taxes Al
WIG iabo W Ohc NtHsf pfppoOiy VI WV W huitt
cents" per acre. and on land that would not
after the expense Of administration, average in
value more than dollar per acre This would
be one per cent on every acre at two cents on
an acre, IL would be two per cent and at three
cents per acre, three per cent. Was such taxa.
ton ever heard OF in any State in this Union
In the Senator's own State, Massachusetts
which has a small superficial extent, and has
m INV large towns and much capital, I under.
stand that the tax does not exceed seven mills
on the dollar, or sevcn-tenths Of one per cent
and yet he thinks il just 10 charge one, two, OF
three per cent on lands, many Of which are wild
and still in possession Of the Indians, and thinks
! IL very unjust towards the land States if we no.
fuse to allow Il. But ] pray TO know IL the
history Of the past does not show that we have
compensated the land States for the right Of
taxation. Ia the first place, We sustained them
while they were territories, at the public ex
pense and, as the honorable Senator from
Tennessee Mr. BELL very well remarked, w,
defended them from ali dangers from withou