The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-05-23

Of the United States expressly conferred by the eonst,u
tion, says Gov Brown; and there is limitation AZ
ecrdng 10 his view upon this authority express or Inn
piled he deduces the conclusion that Congress can do %
fieases leth Ms lands and il follows of course with "a,
other property Of the United States These proposition
TO TO coneede TO Congress powers regard to the
public lands and other property Of the United States as I'm
limited and therefore dangerous any advances
by the widest latitudnarian. Coming, they now IA
from "a strict construconst' and insisted with per-
sisent earnesness against the official action of demo
cratic President we feel bound characterize them Az
startling innovations upon the democratic creed The
proposition that in giving to Congress the authority %
dispose Of the public lands and other property the express
power conferred 10 gre them away is not extraor
binary than the assumption that the constitution imposes
limitation upon the power of Congress lands or
other property Federalism in its boldes strides toward
Capitalization, has maintained positions more com
petey subversiye of the rights Of the States Let the
readee pause and reflect upon the immense value
Of the entire property of the United States and then realize
the enoriny of the proposition which eonsigns H.
whole vast fund to the unlimited power Of Congress
Under this construction Of the constitution, the public
lands may be all distributed amongst the Statecondon
may be annexed to the distribution requiring the States to
to become the capital of banking corporations to sus
tain charitable benevolent institutions TO promote
education or internal improvements, or to advance the
Of emancipation and to require the several States
report stated times the general government If the
public lands should fail all the demands for fund,
however exravagant under Governor Browns constitu
onal construction Congress may dispose Off the other
public propertythe ships-owar the public buildings the
Capitol itsefin the way, and then proceed under
the taxing power to raise other funds to be vested in other
ships public buildings and other property In this view
of thepowers Of Congress in regard to the public andsa
other property the limitations upon the taxing power be-
utterly valuelessthc rights Of the States becomes
deuson and consolidation is triumphant If these are
consequences egmaely deducblc from the positions
Governor Brown, their very enormy concusiyely
dennis his construction of the constitution As desire
to do injustice to Gov. Brown, invite the reader Of
remarks test their accuracy by careful perusa Of
his speech Our space will not allow to extend our
comments other positions advanced by Governo
Brown, which strike us as equally unfortunate and
untenable We cannot conclude however, without call
ing attention to the fact that the positions on which
the President rests his veto recognise all the imita
tons the powers of Congress, which stand many
bulwarks against the cenalizng tendency Of federal egis
ation and vndicate the fathers of the republic against
reproach of having been unwse confer Congress
unlimited authority ato dispose Of" the public lands and
other property His construction preserves the rights
the States and opposes barrier to the encroachments
federal power far reliable than the discreono
Congress He not only himself strict construction,
s but he proves himself to be by adherng rgidy
the principles which constitute the political creed Of the
Staterghts democrat Gov. Brown has made ingenious
and elaborate onslaught upon the positions Of the pr
dent but he has failed make the slightest impression
upon that compact and mpregnable Of sound demo-
cratic reasoning by which President Pierce has fortified
his conclusions The response of the democratic press
throughout the Union furnishes the strongest proof thai
the Judgment Of the dsme~s~cy is cordially sustaining him
If Gov Brown has succeeded in vindicating his
the satisfaction of his constituents fur he is concerned
do not regret it; but for the sake Of the democratic
party could nothing to be gratfed at in the up
prova of his positions by the democracy of Mississippi