Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1852-03-26
The PUBLIC LnMda Again.


lie Lands, is in the last paragraph of Washington's
Third Annual Message, as follows:
provision for the sale of the lands of the Unit
important considerations that they pledged fund for
mbursng the public debt that if timely and judicousy
applied thoy may necessity burening citi
with taxes for the exngushmen of the principal
and that being free to discharge the principal but linn
tied proportion opportunity ought to be lost for avang
the public OF its right
The reasons here urged by Washington in support
of provision for the sale of the vacant lands of
the United States. are the very opposite of those
urged by Mr.. Cays party in favor of distribution
of the proceeds of these sales. Gen. Washington
wished to save the necessity for burdening our cit-
zens with new taxes-while the other hand the
distribution of the proceeds always formed part of
a series of measures, of which protective tariff
was the chief, and it has been strongly urged that
the cutting off of the income from public lands would
require the imposition of heavier duties to supply
the wants of the United States treasury.
We find that Jefferson, in his Sixth Annual Mes
sage, speaks of donation of public lands for the
founding of National Educational Establishment;
and in 1872 law was passed by Congress for the
surveying of six millions of of public lands to
be apart and reserved for the purpose of satisfy
ing the bounties of hundred and sixty each
tue of previous acts In the winter of 1861 grants
of public Lands made to the States of Illinois
and Indiana, to aid those States in making canals
also to the State of Ohio for the purpose of aiding
the construction of road from Columbus to Sandus-
KY and such grants of alternate sections have been
made ever since.
Bills pending before Congress- appropriate
forty millions of for purposes of internal
improvements. and scheme is foot to appropriate
still another hundred millions of acres for school pur
poses. AS the agent of the States, managing this
property, the Congress of the United States
has perfect right to make these grants, if such
grants made and asked for in good faith and Civ
en- with real belief and intention that the reserved
lands would be benefited in manner to make ur
for the loss of those given away In fact as pro-
prieor the General Government has nearly about the
same rights and duties that any other proprietor
would have. 1t is unfortunately apparent, however
that these grants of lands have ceased to be invest
ments for the benefit of the national property ant
have become simply donations to the new States
Under this state of affairs, serious question has
risen, what should be pursued by the citizen
of the older States The States will SHORTY
become clamorous for the cession to them of tn
public lands lying within their borders, and, indeed
complain of the existence of proper
within their territorial jurisdiction yet not subjec
to their taxation. The lands every day becon1
ing more and more bone of contention ; and it ma
fairly be asked, whether not prudence does nc
point to some mode of cession as the most eligibl
plan for solving the difficulty. sale of the publ
lands to the State in which they lie would enhanc
tile value of these lands and the States would thu
be enabled to pay for them, at the same time tina
the proceeds would relieve the national treasur
from debt, ard thus carry the ideas of Washing
ton, who wished, from such sales, to discharge tn
principal of the public debt in his time and say
the necessity of taxes 1t would also defea
sectional tariff project, 10 the accomplishment c
which the scheme for the distribution of the proceed
was simply a means.
The amount of public lands in the territories ia
exceeds that in the States. and the cesson to tn
States would by means leave Uncle Sam landles
But it wcud Tighten taxation on the necessaries
Iile-woud enable to import the iron for our raj
roads cheaper and get requisite and proper Improve
ments to our ports of entry at the South.
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