The Hillsborough recorder., 1854-05-24


any grants FOR internal improsements
or for educational purposes, or for an,
other purpose BY which the people .
those States have been or may be re
iieved from taxation, while million,
have been given TO some Of the States
Thus far have spoken with refer,
ence to the cost Of the public lands
and have endezyored 70 show the pro.
portion which the States. and particu
larry the proportion which North Ca.
rolina has borne in their purchase and
management.
Now, let us see how they have been
disposed Of. and which Of the States
have been benefited.
From statement which have. from
the commissioner of Public Lands, II
appears that the amount granted up
TO the s0th Of September. 1853, ia one
hundred and twenty.nine million one
hundred and ninety>fye thousand nine
hundred and eighty-three acres; and
this does not include the grant Of ma
ny millions of acres Of swamp lands 10
California, Of which there has yet been
no return. These grants are for the
benefit Of only parts Of the States ;
the old States have been wholly ex>
cluded. Had this land. granted 10 the
land States and Territories. been sold
at the Government price, il would have
amounted to sl6l ,s94.e78. The share
OF North Carolina, according to the re-
presentation. would be IS, ,52l,i92.
lhave another statement which shows
. that the amount Of public lands sold
up to the same date, is one hundred
and three millions one hundred and
ffty-six acres, less by over nineteen
millions than the amount covered by
grants to land States and Territories.
II will be seen by the statement
which have referred to, that millions
Of acres have been granted to the land
States for schools. colleges. deaf and
dumb asylums. for individuals and
corporations, for public buildings, and
such like purposes, from which the old
States can by no possibility be benefit
ed. And, sir, when a proposition was
made at this session Of Congress, to
get in bill granting ten millions of
acres to all the States, in something like
fair aud just proportions. tor the benefit
Of the INDECENT insane throughout the
country, an adverse report was made
from the Committee on Public Lands,
concluding with these word:
"Thst Congress. without promise Of pecu.
MARY compensation, has no power to grant nor.
tions Of the public domain and ifit had, no po-
icy could be more unwise than the grant Of Il
for the support Of local institutions whithn the
States"
Mr.. Speaker, how strange ii is that
grants to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and
other land States, without any promise
Of" pecuniary compensation" for pur-
poses Of a like character, should be con.
sidcred constitutional, and when pro-
position is made to include North Ca.
rolina and other old States, suddenly
they become unconstitutional. Why
is it unwise policy to grant lands to
support local institutions in North Ca
rolina, when it is wise policy to grant
them for the like purposes in Ohio,
Indiana, aud Illinois Why is it un>
constitutional and unwise to make
grants to aid in improvements in North
Carolina, when it is constitutional and
wise to aid similar improvements in
Ohio and Illinois?
| know that it is said that these
grants can and ought 20 be made to
the land States, because. by giving al.
ternate sections for internal improve.
ments, the value of the reserved sec.
tions will be enhanced, and it will en-
able the Government to sell land which
could not otherwise be sold and dis.
posed of, and have settled up our vast
unoccupied territory. The friends Of
such system must, in their ingenuity,
find some argument to sustain them in
these positions, which has not been
tested by experience. Before this
system went into operation the argu-
ment had is effect; but experience
shows that there is no force in it. N
| see no objection to granting alter
nate sections to States for improves.
ments, when there can be security Civ
en- that the reserved sections will all be
sold for double the Government price,
and that the proceeds arising from the
sales thereof, or the lands themselves,
will be distributed among all the States
upon principles of equity and justice.
The experience which we have had
since the operation Of this system,
shows that the arguments used in its
favor, are not founded in truth. To
established this, l will quote from the
report made BY the honorable
member from New York, Mr.. Ben
nett, upon the INDECENT insane bill,
which passed this House few days
ago. As to railroad grants, he says:
"It is urged that these are constitu-