Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-03-24
s riGNTQN SPECTATOR,
TIIG PUBLIC LANDS.

lhe bill granting hediy wv i"'''
ctes of the public lands to arailroad IN Iowa
fas at last passed the United States Senate
Other bills of a similar character have been
ordered to an engrossment, and 1t is Under
stood that the yarieus propositions o: the
kind pending call for some thirty millions
of acres in all. According TO report, the
Representatives. from the "Land States"
have held a caucus and determined to vote
Tor no appropriations of money to be en-
pended in The East, unless these bills shalt
pass.
While the Iowa bill was before the SEN
ate, Mr.. UNDERWOOD, of Kentucky, pro-
posed an amendment granting to the old
States proportionable share of the public
Lands, 10 be used for purposes of education
md Internal Improvement, by which Vir-
ginia would receive upwards of l, 200, 900
acres. This proposition so just and proper
IN Itself, was rejected mainly by Democratic
votes, and the policy seems TO be settled in
the Senate Of giving the lands, exclusively
70 the new States. These States have no
more right TO the lands than any other
States, yet they are to derive all the bene-
fit from them, while the great improve
jnen.s under way in Virginia must languiSh
Tor want of funds to complete them, or the
people be burdened with oppressive taxes
to raise the money. Iowa Missouri, Arkan-
sas, are granted all they ask-Senators CASS
and DOUGLASS, and other leading Demo-
Gratis, have no scruples Of any kind to pre-
vent their voting in accordance with their
largest requests. But these same gentle
men are so rigid in their States Rights prin-
ciples, or whatever else it may be, that they
cannot consent to an equal and fair divis-
ion Of the property.
II the dominant party in Virginia chose to
exercise their influence, they might do a
great deal to secure TO The State her just
share of the public lands. They, however,
s.outly refuse even to take the $40, goo of
the land fund now waiting their reception
in the vaults of one Of the Banks-notwith-
standing they continue to keep some nine
hundred thousand dollars which were qui-
city pocketed when first ofered-and con-
sistency in adhering to an abstraction is
more regarded by them than the public IN
b terest. They will receive no aid from the
General Government to carry out our i'm
aportant works of internal Improvement,
which are almost national in their charac-
ter, but leave them to "drag their slow
length along and at last be completed, if
at all, by money wrung by the tax-gatherer
from the hard earnings of the people. This
i. the wisdom of Democracy-this their
boosted love for the people. ns
MELANCHOLY AccIDENr.-Al letter from
Maj ]. NJ. McCvE, informs us of most
distressing accident which occurred al the
Coal diggings, in North River, Gap, near
Mt Scion, on Wednesday evening last. 1t
seems that two gentlemen from Pennsylva-
MIA, Mr.. CLARKE, from Mercer County, and
Mr.. ELLIS from Philadelphia, went up from
Mr.. McCUE's house on Monday morning,
10 get some hands to make examinations
for coal on the lands claimed by them as
the heirs of JOSEPH Pryor of Philadelphia;
and employed ISAAC SHAVER and VIII
LIAM ARMSTRONG to work in apt that Mr..
McCuE had excavated last fall. They GEL
LIS and CLARKE) had gone out Wednesday
evening to trace the lines round their land,
and returning to the place where they left
the men at work, found that large bank
of slate stone and earth had fallen upon them
and crushed both. SHAVER leaves wife
and one child, the other was single man.
ELECTION OF County OFFIcERs.-A
ball providing for the election Of County
Oficers, with the exception of Justices and
Constables, has passed the Senate, and an
other Of the same character was before the
House of Delegates at our last dates from
Richmond. The latter, we learn, will prob
ably be substituted for the former. Both
bills fix the fourth Thursday Of April as the
day of election ION which day the Judg-
es also are to be elected) and the COM
mencement of the official term, on the first
day of July. The Senate bill provides that
tho number of Com njssiopers of the ReYe-
nue. for each County, shall be that now pre-
scribed BY law, and that they shall be e.
lccted by districts. The House bill, how
ever, provides for their election by the peo-
pie at large, The Governor is to appoint
three Commissioners of election for each
Court House, who are to appoint the Com
missioaers for the other places of voting in
the County. We will publish the bill at
length as soon as it is finally passed by both
Houses.
The EpINBURG REvIEw.-We have re-
ceived from the American publishers, Mes
srs. LEONARD ScoTT s. Co., OF New York,
the January number of this periodical
The contents are, Genius and writings OF
Descartes Bishop Philpott's Recent Pro-
gress of Legislation; Church Music Inter
national Copyright f; Palsrave's Normandy
and England; and the Expected Reform
Bill.
-I,r-r,,,s J,v,nc Acr-The contents Of