Washington sentinel., 1854-06-01

distribution bills which have at different Pc
riods been offered here by the friends of that
policy. The bill offered by Mr.. Clay, in 1882,
disseminated in favor of the new States, by
giving to several of them half million OF
acres of the lands and fifteen per centum Of
the proceeds of the sales before any distrbu-
ton was made, and then an equal share in
the balance, according to federal population.
Similar determinations in favor of those States
characterized the act of l84l.
| And how was it. sir, with the land bill offered
| by the gentleman from New York in the last
Congress, which was supported by our whig
| friends generally in North Carolina, was voted
| for by the gentleman who is now their candi-
date for governor in that State, and which was
zealousy advocated by my friend Mr.. ROGERS
while canvassing for the seat which he now oc-
cupies upon this floor? Did that bill do equal
| and exact Justice to North Carolina and the
other old States? Did that bill make divi-
sion among all the States according to their
| representation upon this floor? which my col
league says is the only principle upon which he
is willing to divide, and the only principle upon
which a division can be made without gross
riolation Of trust" Sir, that bill proposed to
give to North Carolina, which has eight repre-
sentatices upon this floor, one million tire hun
dred thousand acres of the public lands, and to
Arkansas which has only t,co representatives,
three millions OF acres to Virginia, which has
thirteen representatives upon this floor, t,co mil
lions t,co hundred and twenty-five thousand
acres; and to Iowa, which has only tioo repre-
seatatires, three millions ofacres And yet my
colleague, who is in favor of division Of thepub
lie lands among all the States according to their
representation upon this floor, and who declares
that any other mode Of division would be "a
gross uiolatioa Of ftrust" was an advocate of that
bill
There are still other and weighty objections to
division of the public lands among the States
which might be urged with great force; such
as the serious and interminable difficulties that
would be occasioned by one State owning lands
within another; the sacrifice that would be
made of the lands by the immense quantity
which would at once be put in market by the
thirty-one States all owning lands, and all anx-
ious to realize something from them, by which
the lands would be brought down so low that
the monied capitalists of the country would be
enabled to buy up large bodies Of them equal
in extent to the possessions of the lordly bar
ons of Europe in the feudal ages, and who,
having ample means to do so, would hold on
to them until they could extort from the hard
working settler, perhaps twice or three times
the amount now fixed as the government price.
To prove that this policy would violate the
deeds Of cession of North Carolina and the
other States, need do no more than recite the
terms Of the deeds: shall content myself by
quoting from the deeds of Virginia and North
| Carolina which are precisely similar in their
terms and accord with those of the other five
States.
The deed made by North Carolina reads thus
"The lands shall be considered as a common fund
| l.. nff L.
ica, North Carolina inciilsipe according to their
spective aud usual proportion he general charge
and expenditure, and shall be faithfully disposed OF
for that purpose, and for no other ase 9Aatsoever'
March l, 1884, Virginia made her deed Of
cession in the following words:
"That all the lands within the territory as ceded
10 the United States, and not reserved for ap-
proprated 10, any Of the aforementioned purposes
or disposed of in bounties 10 the officers and sol
diers of the American army, shall be considered as
a common fund for the nse and 6ensft Of snch ofthe
United States hare become, shall become mem
5ers Of This confederation federal alliance Of said
States Virginia i,iclnsiUe according to their respec
and expenditure, and shall be tauh5uRy and bona
fde disposed of for that purpose, and for other
lse or purpose Whatsoerer."
Now, need hardly say that my friend will
never be able to show that his system of distri-
button is consistent with the conditions so dis
tinctly and explicitly set forth in the deeds
which declare that the lands shall be consid-
cred a common fund for the use and benefit of
all the States, according to their usual proper
tions in the general charge and expenditure, and
shall be faithfully ani bona fde disposed of for
that purpose and for no other purpose what
soever." No reasoning is necessary to sustain
me in this position; simply to state the case is
| the strongest argument that can be made.
/ IL. III IL Al IL
and his political friends in North Carolina, in
cluding their present candidate for governor,
have been in favor Of the passage of q bill by
which, according to my colleagues own show
ing the rankest injustice would have been done
to that State, and the terms upon which she
ceded her lands to the general government
would have been grossly violated.
If, on the other hand, the public lands be re-
tained by the general government, brought into
market gradually as they should be, and the
proceeds arising from their sales placed in the
treasury and used for the ordinary expenses of
government, and in payment of the national
debt, for which they were pledged by the act of
January, l847, and the taxes upon imports re-
duced pro tdnto, the States will not only be
richly reimbursed for the the original outlay.
| las, in fact, they already have been, as I shall
presently show,) but the fund will be distrib.
uted as my trlend very correctly contends it
should be, among all the States according to
their usual proportions in the general charge
and expenditure" And here let me say that
neither the ingenuity Of my colleague, the wis.
dom of this House, nor the combined sagacity
of the country, will ever be able to devise any
other mode by which the true principle laid
down by my colleague, and earnestly insisted
upon by him, of distributing this fund SO that
each State will receive according to her usual
proportion in the general charge and expendi-
ture," can eveEbe carried into practice.
If time we're allowed me, might strengthen
my position by citing the highest authority to
show that our land system is the very best that
has been or can be devised but / will now give
the opinion of Mr.. Clay only, whose authority as
to the wisdom of that system, will have great
weight with my friend. Mr.. Clay said
And if there be in the operations Of this gov
ernment, one which more than any other displays
consummate wisdom and craftsmanship il is that
by which the public lands have been so success
fully administered. We should pause, solemnly
pause, before we subvert il. We should touch il
hesitatingly and with the gentlest hand. The pru-
dent management OF the public lands, in the hands
4