Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-04-15

lands Tor all sorts al purposes, the miilions o.
acres that have been granted to the States IN
which they for tho establishment ofschools'
colleges and the encouragement OF public
works; the unblushing claim that is now siren
uously urged for the total surrender OF these
Iands TO the new States; and above all the
startling fact. thai this immense fund. sufficient
10 enrich all the States of the Union, has come
to be regarded as topic TO be welded hr Q.
lectone ring purposes by all a@piralts to tho
| Presidency and their friends; and after such Il
survey Of the actual state ofthlngs. will dream
Of any earthly chance oil realizing this notion
Of dedicatIng the receipts from this source To
the Federal Treasury, as IN this seDse to en-
ure to the common benefit of all the Staies;-
such a ono is indeed, visionary only to he
found in the regions of the most idle and profit
less distractions. II is no longer question be.
tween the individual States on the one slde,and
the Federal Treasury on the other The lat
ter has long been oustcd Of its ust share; and
now. the only practical question for the people
is, whether this fund is TO be equally and fairly
shared by all, or tn be clutched by u favored
few whose Votes in the electoral colleges may
turn the scales against all the demands OF com
mon justice and equity. Why should mol
Virginia claim her rightfu sharei II canLot be
because she does not need it.-Her public
debt incurred for the development OF her vast
resources. is annually augmehting the taxes
upon her citizens; and now is thet her recla-
nation Of her righlfu dues from this quarter.
would fifty come in aid of her systems OF edu.
cation and public works and in relief Of her
taxpayers. II can never be forgotten that she
herself conferred an immense domain upon the
General Government, "for The common use and
ben.M ofaH tic States. according 10 tier usu-
al respective proportions IN the general charge
and expenditure" Is she not especially inter
ested in seeing to the fair, bona 6de execution
of this trustl Ougb, she quietly 10 submit to
its plain abuse and violationl Nevertheless,
year after year, these lands are alicnated by
Congress against the terms oftheir cesson, and
her offended sovereignty raises no voice of in
dgnant protest. Her right 10 participate in
the lands acquired by the common treasure and
blood Of all the States is equally clear and IN
dsputabe. But her democratic representatives.
for the mere sake If party consistency and to
her manifest injury and impovershment, per
sist in declining to assert aud demand her just
cams in this trust fund. In win, were they
co jurcd to consider and discuss the propriety
of this distributions the resolutions introduced
for that purpose, and which proposed to take
the decision of the question out Of tho hands OF
interested politicians, and submit II it 10 di
rect vote of the people, that tribunal which
the democratic party profess to reverence. but
fear to trust on this important subject. were
left to slumber upon the table. and scarcely n
voice was permitted to escape from the cham
bers of the Assembly to arouse and enlghten
the public mind upon this vital question. The
tyranny of the majority suppressed discussion;
and there is no hope for the State to obtain her
rights in this respect, save by the mandates of
the people at the polls. The Assembly increas
IS taxes; the Treasury must have augmented
means; and yet strange to sayl the Democratic
watch-word is "aaody aoith the land money!
Will the people longer have such men to rule
over them2
The usual intoxication of party triumphs has
overtaken and subdued the dominant party OF
the Assembly. They have dsregarded the
claims ofthe public service, condemned the u.s.
tce aud magnanimty which once illustrated
the lie sisative Halls of Virginia; and immol.
ated long tried efficient and faithful public SER
wants, merely because they We're Wings, to
their Unsuitable "loee tie spo'ls"
But this theatre proves too small for the ex.
crcise OF their proscriptive zeal and tyranny
They hive projected aso..c Gao IN array on par
tizan principles the rewards and employments
ofbusness and labor and titus to sow between
brother and brother the seeds of nterminabe
party feuds and animosities. After proclaim
ing through their Press the principle that the
members of the Board Of Public W orks are to
be chosen by party tests, they have gone de.
llberatey to work to give all the power of the
banks and internal Improvement companies of
the State to this Board and the Executive,
through an increase OF tho vote Of the State
proxies, Their object stands almost confessed
Ito reduce toParty vassalago all these compa.
MES aud to enlist N their party service the i'm
mense patronage connected with the conduct
and management of their affairs This too has
been done in violation of the chartered faith. on
which this capita was inves,ed;and in this view,
this m "asure may be taken as fearful demon
stratlon of the conc, usIon TO which the demo-
cratic party of this State has come, to seize
upon these Incorporated companies to covert
them into political machines to wrest and
subsidize to party ends public and private cap
tal; and. in fine to establish here that widely