The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-03-08

ne Sen0te NJ The United States, Hdrch |, 1909
Mr.. DAWSON Mr. President, will detain
the Senate With a very short speech on this
subject. The arguments have been pretty nearly
exhausted, and there is but little left for me to
say upon the question, and propose to say ii
now
I Before enter upon the main subject of the
bill, beg leave to reply to few arguments
made by the Senator from Missouri Mr..
GEYER, in reply TO some suggestions made
to the Senate some weeks since. He replied to
three arguments which presented, and It seemed
to him that he had satisfactorily disposed OF
them in such manner rs to show that they de-
served but very little weight
The first was, that had charged that the pro-
tective interests in this body had combined with
the new States in order to dispose OF the public
lands IN such manner as to diminish the
amount of revenue which was to come into the
treasury. That was not my allegation, sir.
said this, and said it truly and properly: That
it was to the interest of those politicians who
favored protection for projections sake to dis
pose OF all the revenue arising from the pub
lie lands, in order TO diminish the quantity OF
money that might come into the treasury, and
thereby justify nm increase in the tariff; and
that all men, of all classes, whether politicians
or otherwise, are disposed to be controlled by
those rules and considerations which promote
their interest. Aud | alleged that the new
States, through their senators on this floor, de-
sired an appropriation of the public lands for
internal improvements in their respective States
for the purpose of advancing the prosperity OF
those States; and although they were in princi
pie opposed to the tariff yet they would CON-
bine with the protective interests in disposiug
Of the public lands upon this princpe-that
under bills appropratng public lands for inter-
nal improvements in their States, they received
a greater reward than they would have by pro
hibting the tariff or preventing its increase.
was right in the principle. There was no charge
inconsistent with the honor or dignity of the
Senate; but it was statement founded in truth,
and known to be so.
The next was, that / said that if any gentle,
man would transfer himself to the valley of
the Mississippi, he would discover that all the
railroads that were there being built were found
to be encouraged, and intended to be executed,
by the appropriations of the public lands from
the general government; and my reference was
to the speech made by the Senator from Vir-
ginia, Mr. HUNTER, when he announced that
there were eight or ten applications now before
this body for appropriations of the public lands
to build railroads, all converging to or uniting
with the great Mississippi river. Now, defy
the honorable Senator to point me to single
bill upon that table asking for appropriations of
| the public lands which il not the foundation upon
which they expect to build or superstruct
these roads, There is no act of incorporation
but in one single State, which will presently
show; and hence it was that said, throw your
self into the valley of the Mississippi, and there
you will find from eight to ten applications for
railroads founded upon the public lands. There
is no improperly in that 1t is just and
true assertion, and cannot be denied
The next was this: that observed that it
was donation of four and a half millions of
dollars to Iowa; and the Senator replied: 'Mr
| President, it is not a donation to the State of
Iowa. If you, being a cotton planter, have
hundred bales of cotton in Mobile, which is
worth eight cents pound and go to you
and | will give you sixteen cents pound for
nehalf Of it if you will let me have the other,
would you lose anything?" Certainly you
would lose nothing But mark! Suppose you
have the same capacity, the same power to ap.
propriate that money in the same way that the
individual has who applies to you to purchase
it: when he expects to make eight cents more
upon the pound could not you appropriate the
benefits he expects to derive from the purchase
to yourself! Suppose the United States, for
the purpose of improving the public land, should
authorize the construction of this railroad, and
appropriate money out of the treasury, out of
| the value of these lands, and cause it to be
built: would not that public property be apprc-
ciated in value equally by the railroad when it
belonged to the United States and would not
the accumulated value Of the other lands come
to the United States. Certainly. And, mark
you, we substitute an individual with the pow
ers that we possess to do the same act and we
give to him all the relative advantages derived
| from it. These advantages inure to the benefit
of Illinois or Iowa; and when she gets them
how is it Where does she get them from
From the general government solely and exclu-
sively. And hence it is that say if the United
States have the power to appropriate these lands
to the State of Iowa to construct these roads, it
/ is better that we should appropriate that money
to cause the roads to be constructed, and i'm
prove the value of the whole of the adjacent
| lands, and not the alternate sections. Then
dispose of it and reimburse the government
Let the money arising from the enhanced value
| OF the land go into the treasury; and when we
shall have repaid the amount of appropriations
| which the construction of this railroad causes,
let the balance be paid into the national treasu
ny for national purposes; and let the citizens of
the United States, to whom these public lands
belong, have the right to pass over that railroad
without taxation. Sir was not the Cumber-
land road built upon this plan? Did we not
appropriate money to build it in order to i'm
prove the value of our lands in the Western
States? And when the Improvement took
place, what became of the land E! Why, sir,
the Senator we'll knew that the declaration ]
made, carried out in principle carried out in
argument, was true--that it is nothing but
donation at last to the respective States who re-
ceive the land.
But passing from that, Mr.. President, rs
desire to be brief on this occasion, we come to
the public lands. There are but few princi-
pies connected with them How did we obtain
these public lands? and for what purpose Pri-
or to the adoption of our Constitution, Virginia,
by compact sold the Western reserve to the
United States. | refer to it merely to show the
| relations existing between the States and the
general government arising out of that compact
Now, what was the compact 1t was, that Vir-
| ginia ceded these lands upon certain terms, lin.
| itations, restrictions and conditions and when
they were all complied with, what was then to
be done The United States were to hold all
| tho LINDA for tho If h., I.bt ,f Ib,