The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-30


eopten ptbe bride to b. given to the new States TO
make them submit to be plundered by obSers in the
old ones
THE CORRESPONDENCE
THE HON Mr. DODGE TO COL. BENTON.
BURLINGTON, Iowa, Nov ii, 1852
Col. BKKToN:
DKAR R:-The deep interes. you have ever
manifested in favor Of liberal and just disposition
Of the public domain and your well kno wn fsmili
arity with the history progress and present condi
tion Of our land system. viii trust be sufficient
apology fer obtrucng this letter upon you and for
asking your opinion Of toe mer.sr of Particular
Land Bill now attracting attention alt over the
country. i mean Hoas. Bill No $50 which accom-
every where BennetFs Bill )" Ii passed the
House Of Representatives % the last SESSION, but
old not receive final action in the Senate 1t was
forced through the House under the operation Of
the previous question. ana without giving thoe op
posed to it an opportunity say a word in relation
to it. 1t was warmly pressed upon the Senate, at
the last moments of the sesson-its frends sho wing
an evident desire to pass II through that body,
they bad through the House, without discussion.
Imsy be wrong in my estimate Of she injurious
consequences which will result 20 the wholeScountry,
but more especially to the new Sss ses from the
passage of this measure; and if in error, ksow Of
mono by whom am SO likely to be set right rs by
yourself
beg to call your attention to an original letter
from the Commits Toner Ut the General Land OH 20
tosehing thi, bill, and bearing dsse the 2ih Of
*
letter il will be thar the Bennett bill proposes
to issue scrip to the amount OF fifty eight mil
hsas three hundred thousand res, and that,
including the warrants Issued and to be issued for
military services, there will be thrown on ths
market, ii this measure pass, the enormous
amount Of eIe hundred and eight millions QO7.-
l0,540) Of acres Of laDdssrip Among other evil
results which / anticipate from this measure is,
that it will enable sp-culasen to buy up all
the d srable lands in the new States, 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 town
ships and counties to Sell 6oaa fde settlers,
at $3, IS, and $40 acre. In Wisconsin, Lord
Murray Gan English lsrd) entered at the time men
TONED, as die many other spectators and capital
lists, large bodies of land the effect Of which mas
been greatly to retard the settlement Of the western
portion Of tDat young State. Few things, in my
poor judgment, are % much to be deprecated a
monopoly Of the coil OF y country in the hands of
these who do not possess it for purposes of cutiva
tioa but that they may wiring the last dollar from
mea who do wish to till il for the support of them.
selves and families
Looking to the consequences which enured to the
States from the deposit Of forty millions of surplus
revenue, made with them IN 1886 by the Federal
government, cannot think other wise than that the
proposed distribstion among the States of paper
mt ney, land scrip, Or whatever it may be called, will
serve further to stimua the already excited ceiling
for LEGAL works OF internal Improvement and result
in lasting injury to the country.
Like Inc old distrib uiion oil, this one seeks to
bride its way through Congress, by douceurs to the
new States 1t makes the grant in . lump, saying
nothing of the road roads upon which il is to be
aPpaied-thus laying tho foundation Of = homo
scramble and fight, which will probably eni in
squandering and frittering away the land between
coGtending localities in States, without effect
Ing any useful or great ohect | acknowledge
that may be prejudlcei against the ol upon which
our old enemies-nen entertaining the same hos
tility against the Western states ana people, as
those old against whom you contendeo for pre-emp-
tlon rights graduation bnls, &c in the early SGT
Element OF The western country. It's authors are
the deadly enemies Of The alternate section railroad
grants, which passed the Senate for the benefit Of
those States in which the puoiic lands ara stu ate;
md still more hostile TO the homestead oil, grant
ing Ito acrts of land to every head OF family who
may 90 into the wilderness reside upon ami cllti-
vete his quarter section for Ave :utive years
q measure which / humbly thuk far trausoends
and surpasses all Others In the benefits which il
would confer, no. only on she puolic land .aies,
but on the entire Union
Tbs plagers Of the Treasury and public lands,
whose operations at Washington you appropriate
ly described in recent speech At Jackson, have
ALREADY sent their enissnres into Iowa, in the per-
Sous Of unplinciplsd New York bankrupt contra,-
tors, who are seeking TO influenced ne people aed
Legislature in favor Of the so-called Bennett blu
One OF this piilsger baud, an individual who i'm
potea bmselt our Beard OF Iaternal Improve
ment, ~ q nan Of apia and business Standing but
who has failed to meet his every engagement, thus
greatly retaiding noble work OF internal improve
meDs IN our State-was heard often to say, during
the last seseion of Congress that he would be able
to meet his contract tor the Improvement Of the
Des N oines. providing always that the Sixty Mill
lion bill (Bennett's) passed. That man, Arson
Bangs, now IN Iowa for The purpose Of working, or
rather lobbying through tns Legislature his sche mes
Of plumber, openly boasts that be dew the before
mentioned Bennett bill / mention this not 10 pre-
JUDGE you against the measure, bat ~ an item in
the history OF Cor gressionA legislation. With hi2n
pssn a~0fr ms nj res eCt last fra
A DODGE
The following is the letter Of the Commissioner
OF the General Land Office, referred 10 by Mr.
GrSxRAL LA-p oFrIcE, August q 1853
ss-In answer to your inquiries have toe honor TO
state. .7elet
That the scrip proposed to be Issued By House
Bill No $50 will embrace about ,....... 5s,3eo,ooo
The outsts noipg warrants FOX military services
include. 1t IL estimated ............... IA ST. SO
Those yet 10 be Issued. 1t is estimated viii alb
sorD about. ..............,,.,........, 44.oooo
Making total lo7 SO SO
The average amount of land disposed Of for the
last ten yesrs, about 4,i4i 600 acres per apnun
conseque ntly, At that IL would take about
twenty-six yeGrs to absorb the whole amount Of
scrip above mentioned
IL 10 difficult 10 form opinion ss TO the extent Of
the oepreciaton of these warrants, il the minimum
lie not dxed by law having reference TO the expert
Of the psst ttis subject; for the that
the act authorizing the issue Of those for services in
the Mexican war; gave the option TO the claimants
TO receive treasury scrip bearing Fix per cent inter
ct, at the rate Of 6za cents per acre, and they
could not Of fall below that rate; and when
the mass Of those authorized by the act Of 1912
were issued, there was but little demand for them,
as they could not be assigned TIL the patents
lfued.
The supply, 1t is manifest, would far outssrip the
demand IL the scrip be PIT into circulation at ooes
or within a brief period and Tao lsud oula
become taxable as soon as il was located With the
scrip. the value Of that scrip would be proportions.
ably reduced.
Moreover, if retained as an investment. the scrip
therefore would be fairly chargeable with reda,.
ton on its cssb price including taxation of about
Np per cent. per sDLan
This in ten years would, of COARSE, absorb the
nit Al ana hence th4s Lii caar-, I ,ynrfy