The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-03-31
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA, MARCH 81. 1875:

eral Government. This single instance cxhib
its in strong light the general fact which
I'M endeavoring to prescnt,-the fict that the
Federal Government, through the s.pusalions
giving to its charge the ownership Of the public
domain, has committed to it an unexamped
control over the best ntercss Of the land
States.
There is another portion of the s'ipulations
relative to the subject, which is ofrqual ilnpor-
tance. II is the provision so ably remarked
upon, few days since, by the honorable Sena.
tor from Massachusetts,, Mr. SuMsERl re-
fer to the power committed to the General Gov
ernment by the clause relative 10 taxation -
This is positive prohibition to the States
within whose limits it is located, ever to impose
tax on the public lands.
The right of taxation, as was well remarked,
is sovereign right, and one which caanot be
yielded up except by the express assent of the
government of the State in which the lands are
located The practical effect of this exemption
is most oppressive to those States. The set
tier in the forest, surrounded in part by the
public domain, is obliged TO pay an assessment
on his premises for roads, for schools, and Tor
his proportion of the expenses Of the Govern
ment, while the land of the General Govern
ment in the same vicintirs is exempted from tax :
alton. The non resident individual owner pays
his Just proportion of the public burdens, where
the great land owner is exempted. True, every
dollar paid for public Purposes by the settler
inures in no inc"nsiderable share, to the bene-
fit Of that proprietor who has the original dis
posal of the land, ye that proprietor alone is
exempt from all payments. And no authority
exists in the Stale governments to compel a
just contribution, according to estate, to any OF
those general or local objects for which otheI
LAM cbaar llxyS In IA tion l
any person will scrutinize the restriction to
which have called attention, and their conse-
quences, he will moi fail to appreciate the OPP
pressive burSen which they impose on the land
States. So far as my own State is concerned
would consent to-day to relinquish every acre
OF land and restore every cent Of money rec iv
ed of the General Government, on condition
that the public domain should be subject to
taxation, and the amount accounted for which
would have been heretofore assessed upon it
if it had been private property. ii. ia al
By the terms OF admission Of many Of the
uew States,a still more arbitrary power, in
Withholding taxation, was restored. 1t was pro.
vded that the purchasers from the General
Government should be exempt from Ia xaton
during the period Of FIVE years after the pur.
chase. Aye, sir, and that very exemption re.
mains until this day in the State of Missouri
and there is bill now on your ia BILE, repor tee
from committee, to abrogate the invidious
distinction. In the other States where this ex
emption existed it has remained in full force
until within few years, when it was abolished
THIS provision gave to the United States no
only exemption from taxes while owner of thu
soil, but enabled them to transfer that exemp
ton to an individual grantee, who could enjoy
the benefit of the contributions made by hi
neighbors, without cost to himself.