The daily union., 1852-03-17


gone into, and lies in fact. in nut she'll shall say
few words upon the subject The attempt has been made
to contound this with the doctrine OF internal improve
menls-with general system upon that subject which
would enable Congress TO penetrate into every portion oil
this UnloD and make roads and canals and improve haT
bors and rivers wherever they please Whence does thai
power come! Sir II come al all, II must come from
The constitution That is the general question of inter-
nal improvements Ii has had many laudinarian con-
struc,ons; and frequently il is difficult TO assign TO
1t any specihc limit. In its practical application, il
opens very wide field OF controversy But what is this
question II is The power OF Congress 10 make improve
menis on rs own land. Whence does i originate
From the provision OF the constitution which gives 10
Congress the power to dispose OF the public PROPERTY
You Will observe sir that in the clause the word SELF
is carefully omitted To Congress is given The general
power TO dispose of the public ands and under that gem
erai power anything coming fairly within the scope OF
The grant Under the general power OF disposition OF the
public lands Congress may exercise any power coming
leritimately within Tho conp n The grant From the time
OF General Washngtons day ID own, this power
been exercised Early in his administration, appro-
paton made OF three tracts OF land, my honoTa
BILE friend from Kentucky well knows: where
GAINESVILLE now is; one where Lancaster is; and
one opposite Chcohe, TO open road through the then
Northwest Territory from Wheeling 10 Limestone
So early, then, the nencement OF his ad Dins,ra
tion, the system began. The power of improving the
land. In order to make better disposition Of H. then
fay conceded and understood and has heen pracsed
IN almost every Territory of the Union We all under
stand that Congress has the power do this because
has right to increase the value OF lis propey,he right
that any other great landowner would have Every
land owner has often an interest 10 giving way portion
OF his Propertyin giving away town lots for instance.
and IN doing many other acts 10 increase the value OF his
lands. And II Is precisely that right which
called upon TO exercise Very few coniend-l believe
the honorable senator from Georgia Mr. DAwsoS1 did in
roDe measure coniend-tha these roads do increase
the value OF the land All experience sho that they
increase II; and therefore, in making this dlspos ion,
that important obj-cl is effected I, is only right,
but j is also duly l. is moral duty. incumbent upon
the Congress OF the United S,aes make this DISPOSE
tiono the public land And whys You immense
landowner; you hold an extensive public domain il =
valueless state OF nature You say is worth 81 rs
an acre but it is worth nothing like ii, is realty
worth but little al rsl but the land becomes valuable by
The labor of the community Now, ought you 10 that
value given to by the labor and enterprise of Others By
the progress of settlements. by the prvaions and expo.
sures 10 which The settlers incident. and staid still,
with your arms oIded, doing nothing yourseli' Is il
holder in the world who would pursue such course.
repeat, it is the progress OF settlement is the establish
Of law The opening OF roads, the building OF court
houses, the erection OF private dwellings, 1t is all The ma
chnery OF civil society that gives value 10 your land, b
inviting settlements upon your property by enabling you
10 sell that which could not Otherwise sell To this
is your moral duty 10 make reasonable contribution,
In consequence OF the value that you derive from
That ia. short my view OF the right OF Congress- and
of the duty OF Congress- TO make these dispositions oil the
public domain.
A good deal has been said here about what Congress
has done for The Territories 1t said that you have
,'ons for ber reVepmsns wby whs, have YOU done
For series OF years you paid governor, three judges
and secretary IN The respective Territories and you ap
tyou to do this Was il boon, No., sir; ii was M
boon al ALL Yoa controlled the legislation OF the Tern
tories; you appointed their principal officers, and ndi
ecty through the goversor almost every other officer
You allowed Them no vote in Congress-no poi,ica
weight in your country. You allowed them 10 send al
asos TSs. .
powers you and these The ends for which yos
gave them. You kept the principal control in your
hands, for which you gave them 81 900 year and TIM
is one of your boasted boons Ia this day magnifet
into an extensive graht by Congress in favor OF the Ter
riiones Subsequently, indeed in some Territories. du
ring part OF the period OF the existence OF Their ieiio
rial gos osenments you paid their territorial legislatures
But, after ALL il depended upon the same principle, be-
cause The control OF their government was held by you
It's operations in fact executed by Surely you would
no, thus control their government and then require them
to paw the whole expense OF IT, IL would certainly be an
injustice OF which no fair legislature would be guilty.
Gentlemen will recollect another fact. In the old
States portion OF the labor that has been done Tor
the community has been done by preceding generations
There houses have been built; there roads have been
made churches have been constructed bridges have been
constructed and vast forest has been felled There
large portion of the labor required 10 pat The country IN
the condition in which II now Is has been done by pas
generation All this has be done in the West by the
present generaton-by the settler who enters that IN
mense forest, and SETS himself down with his family 10
occupy little nook IN world OF vegetation and to pre-
pare il By his labor for the support OF his family have
had some experience, and will say that the man who
goes into bae does not display half the courage that
settler does who, with family around him, goes into the
forest and almost with bis alone commences abo
which scarcely ends but with his le No man who does
moi know that country realize the prvatons and the
exposures which every settler Is liable NO triumph
80 great has been achieved in this conflict m ou
country between man and Nature II commenced al ths
beach OF jamestown and the rock o Plymouth, where ~
labors interrupted only BY the surEes oil The AT
laptic, and i, will 90 TILL the last echo o.
the woodman's dies away amid the surges o
the Pacific. One OF the mos, marvellous things al.
tending this whole process OF settlement u the time
within which IL has been effected IL resembles raihe
The hctions OF Eastern imagnaton-raher The deed.
wrous by the lamp OF Aladdin than the sober realities
OF aciual life Why, il is bali century since myself
crossed the Ohio Tivsr WHAT mere then Ous
Territory and few ihonsan4 people. Now. there are
there five States and i've millions Of people In ih'
whole progress OF upon this globe. Was there eve
vet going on II has been achieved ~ abor-by per
ssvtrne, Triumphant labor. II s lesson, not only TO-
Ourselves but for the wofj, 10 prove he value OF iabo
10 a community Well now, as Mr. Calhoun SAID wiit
equai force and ruh in the remarks quu,ed The oihe
CAY hy the honorable senator from Iowa, Mr. ppDeE
IS this government to speculate upon all ths "grk
toll and trial lis this government 10 at sl AID IrsI
all the advantage and do no,hIns Mr. Calhoun ihen
| said:
'Upcn this point he would say that he had not t'e
slightest doub that the government not oY bea M uEn
propre-or the .ubc dngnatn y Rfsnt PoItoss y
Of the govcrnme4t % d. - Ihe soys fu.nen - = y y
oynl1n ought 70 ASHAMED cf SHOWING theif la.o y
sunRnced v.ie BY he ereru0as a. - me o'sA
STALE ooulribs,ing, ~ some dsgre" 70 p'O''e
tais resuL'
have already ssid thai you have fixed your nominal
priee al Al q PER That your siatuloTy pree
out Il I. 10 pucs at all II u mere arIncsi, overrsed
estimate tna you put upon the lands yourselves, sh
our the slightest reference 10 its power OF sale hor
does il reach that price, By the exertiOns OF the seer
by the proxress OF settlement; ami By ali those dcsrabl,
ecomp.nents which mark the progress Of CIVILIZATION
and lead others 10 ioin in ihe great OF