The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-07-29

millions: it was within a fraction of that in
1850. In forty years her population had
multiplied more than forty fold, and her
growth in every other respect was correspond
ing to her growth in population. She h; s
increased in wealth. she has improved i'll
knowledge; she has increased in everything
that goes to make up the power and l,ospcr-
ity of 4 great PEOPLE, OF to advance individual
comfort and Improvement; and she stands at
this day Il proud result of a liberal, wise and
prudent system of administering tie public
domain such as no other nati,n on the face Of
the earth ever exhibited. In fact. nothing is
to be compared tot. But this increase, goat
and magnificent as it has been, is no greater
had nocxistcnce at the period to which have
referred. Take the State Of Indiana. In 1910
that State had a population Of twenty four
thousand. In 1850 she had nine hundred and
nincty-eight thousand. The increase of Hi
nois is equally marked. Her population Of
twelve thousand i'll 1910 had swollen, in 1880
to eight hundred ard iifiy-cnc thousand
Wisconsin, only o,ganized as Terri DRY in
1886 or 1886, and with a population of thirty
thousand in 1910, is reporte at the census of
1850 as having increased to three hund G |
and five thousand.
Sir, the forest and the wilderness have been
subducd with a rapidity unknown before.
All those bcncliccnt institutions of which we
boast, and all the internal improvements
which characterize our country's progress,
have grown up there equally, freely. and
vastly more rapidly than they have in Other
parts of the country. WHAT, th, n, is the
ground of complaint? We have done moth
ing to rctard the settlements of these new
States. We have been bountiful to them in
the way of gifts of lands. They have had
ample donations for schools ard universities
The sixteenth s. ion in every township has
been given for the use Of schools. They have
had five per cent Oh tie gross sales for the
benefit Of roads. They have had cnormo, 8
grants for internal improvements Of every de-
scliption. They have had some eight mil
lions within the last few years for making
railroads; and to some Of the owners Of those
railroads, | understand, immense fortunes
have been the result cf this bounty on the
part of Congress. We Lave given away tie
swamp lands to the new States in which they
lay, to the amount of about thry-livc mill
lions ofacrcs. | believe within the last forty
or fifty years our grants Of public lands to
the new States have amounted to over one
hundred millions Of a res. The result Of I'LL
this is the unparalleled progress of which
have spoken.
Now, sir, when this is the case, what is
the motive for sqnandcrins this public do.
main of ours? What public necessity de
mands it! What necessity Of any particular
new State demands it! What benefit to in
divduals makes it ncc,ssary7 And, above
all, what principles of public policy has been
pointed out to justify it Arc we going to
forget so soon the determination which we
came to f,w days ago that W. would not
sanction cleemosynary 81 is of land by t! is
Government. Tie Senate determined that
they could not. do not know whether all
the majority which sustained the Presidents
veto of the bill giving lands for Tie benefit of
asyllms for the insane hold the doctrine that
such grants are unconstitutional but at all
events, they determined that this Government
cannot properly give away the lands for cleo
mosynary purposes, even when the grants
are so apportioncd as to be for the common
benefit of all the States in this respect Are
| we, then, to give away the public lands to ac-
| tual settlers, ON the ground Of their inability
| to pay for them =? Besides, sir, there is not
an industrious and honest man in the United
States, where labor is more highly rewarded
than in any country in the world, who cam
not, with his unassist,d labor, in the ccurs
of one or two years, earn enough to pay for n
subdivision Of the public lands, on which he
and his family may live with comfort and i'll
creasing prosperity. Why, then, should VIC
adopt this System? have not perceived, as
yet, the shadow of reason givcn for it.
Besides, sir, do not believe that it is dc.
sired by the people CT this country. know
it is not only not desired by, but That the bill
is cdious to tie people ofmy own State. They
| look upon it as a gross inequality and injus-
tice. They have seen without complaint the
large grants ofpublic land made to the new
| States for education and for int rnal improve
ments, although there have been complaints
in regard to the railroad grants and well
founded ones think; but they have never
been dissatisfied with the liberaity which
has built up the new States so raj idly.
There is, however, an abiding conviction
with them that this is a Selling upon and
squandering of that, in which tley have an
equal interest with the other States of the
| Union; and that conviction will not be the
less if you put u;.on the public lands tie
sham price of twenty -five cents per acre which
everybody knows is far beneath their value.
| Why, sir, during the war of the Revolution,
it is known to Senators, presume. that my
State refused to acccde to the Confederation
because this matter of the public land was
not properly adjusted, and they only entered
| pto If in Frhruary 1891 oftcr Conrrncc bo Il