Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-01-18
The Public Lands.

This subject is again attracting pubic attention
~ a considerable extent. We stated last week.
Mat Mr.. Bennett, of New York, was pressing MS
distribution bill in the House of Representatives
We MIGHT have added that Mr.. Jones. OF lennes-
sec. had given notice of his intention to introduce
a similar bill in the Senate. A movement 10 helP
an the cause has also been made IN the Legisia'
ture of Virginia, as will appear from our synopsis
Of the proceedings on the 9th instant.
In the meantime, the Western members OF Con-
gross are urging on their various schemes OF land
grabbing, without pause in their labors. Mt
Bright, of fadlana, has just offered bill IN the
Senate appropriating two millions OF acres OF pub
lie lasd to a series Of railroads extending from
Lake Erie to New Orleans and Mobile, giving
the companies the privilege to select the lands
These railroads. trayersing several States, are 10
4 great extent national works, but not more so
than the Virginia Central Railroad, which will
connect at its Western terminus with other lines
running through Kentucky and Ohio. Why
then should the latter not receive as much AID
from the General Government as the former F.
There is no reason whatever why 1t should not !;
but our strict constructionist representatives IN
Congress refuse to demand any, while their fellow
Democrats from the West, although occupying
the same Baltimore Platform, are not troubled by
such constitutional scruples. Our people, more
over, seem generally cOutented to allow the West
ern States to monopolize all the benefits to be de-
rived from the common fund, a large portion Of
which Virginia ceded to the Union.
The National bateIligeacer, in an article on
Benefits bill, says, it seems to be more IN con-
formity to the objects of the cesson OF the public
lands made both by New York and Virginia than
any measure heretofore proposed. One OF the con-
ditons of the cession by Virginia is, that all the
lands within the territory coded to the United
states, and not reserved, ''shal be considered as
n common fund.- for the use and benefit OF all the
States, "Virgna inclusive according to their usu-
al respective proportions in the general charge and
expenditure, and shall be faithfully and bona ttde
disposed of for that purpose. and for no other use
or purpose whatsoever" Yet millions of acres Of
these lands are granted away by Congress to the
new States for objects of local character, Virgin
Ia standing by, like some old Spanish grandee, too
proud to ask for her dues.
The htelligencer remarks that there is dis
position on the part of many politicians to recur
frequently to what are called the jackson doc
trines'' upon this and other subjects. In his OBJ
iec,ions to the Land Bill Of 1882, President Jack
son took the ground that the distribution was un-
equal, because large per cent. of the proceeds
was to be first given to the new States, before a
nything was given to Virginia and other States
which had coded the lands, and therefore that the
bill proposed violation of the compacts. The
bill now pending in Congress, however, is not La
Die to that objection, but proposes an equal disrl-
button of portion of the lands among the States,
Instead of an unequal division Of all the proceeds
As we have heretofore said, it is high time this
evoked question" was finally disposed of. The
pablic lands have long enough been subject OF
speculation and corruption. By partial leglsla-
ton. Congress has disposed Of countless acres so
"a to confer princely fortunes upon private lndlVld-
aals, at the expense Of the people of Virginia and
other old States, and will continue to do 50 unless
al the parties interested insist upon some equlta-
BILE arrangement In vain will our immaculate
rolit;cians decline to soil their hands by receiving
n fair proportion. il we do not take our just
share, other States, congratuating themselves up
on our folly will inevitably appropriate the whole