Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-05-26

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not only upon local Improvements
and upon educational objects, but
upon objects of benevolence and
charity-upon eleemosynary OBJ
jects, if you please so to call them
has been without the sanction of
the Constitution. must be allowed
to think still that James Madison
had some knowledge of the Consti-
tuition, what powers it conferred on
Congress, its restrictions and limita-
lions, and that he knew tolerably
well what he was about when he
signed the fifty thousand dollar APP
preparation bill for Venezuela. |
am inclined TO think still that James
Monroe and John Quincy Adams
had at least looked Into the Consti-
tuition and learned something of the
powers and duties it imposed upon
Congress when they signed the bills
granting townships of public lands
for the benefit of asylums for the
deaf and dumb to Connecticut and
Kentucky. shall venture still to
presume that the early Presidents,
the cold fogies,n who had some
hand in getting up the Constitution,
understood its import, and were as
reliable interpreters of that instru-
ment as our present honored Chief
Magistrate. Now, | ask again,
what objection is stated in that mes
sage to this bill which does not ap-
ply with equal force, and even with
greater force, to the bills of like
character which they approved ! |
have not been able to see one. 1t
is a trte observation, that it is east
er to raise objections than IT is to
answer them. And it was not al
together an insignificant remark |
once heard, that it was very for
tunate for some people that we had
la Constitution, as otherwise they
would not know what objections to
make " If the remark is suscepti-
bic Of personal application, | leave
it to the discernment of others TO
make it.
Mr.. President, if there is any
ground of complaint on account of
our past policy in reference to the
public lands, it is that it has been
partial to some of the States that
grants of lands have been almost
exclusively confined to the new
States; that the old States have
been alomst entirely overlooked
| have no complaint to make that
the new States have received too
much, but may be permitted to in
sist that the old States be allowed to
come i'll aud share a very small por-
ton with them. | cannot refrain
from remarking here that it seems
unfortunate, If not singular aud
strange indeed, that the denial OF
constitutional authority should be
sprung upon bill which does a
small measure of justice TO those
States which have not hitherto
shared directly in the benefits of the
lands which are conceded TO be the
common property of all the States
and of all the people. This bill is
a bad selection for the veto.
Sir, if the President would arrest
or reform what many regard as a
wild and extravagant system of leg
islatlon in reference to the public
lands, he must strike at some differ
ent measure from this. III he would
be sustained by the public sentiment
of the country, let him strike with
a bold hand and with fearless in
dependence at the measures of glutt-
ed and ordly spectators, who, like
the harpies of ancient fable, gather
in clouds about yonr Capitol and be-
set your pathway at every step with
their concerted schemes of public
plumber; let him strike at these, at
the pampered and purse-proud land
jobbers and land monopoists, who
would gamble upon your public do
main and latten upon the drlpp-
ings of unclean legislation )" let
him strike at these, rather than at
the poor, the helpless, the wretched
insane of the country, whom it is
the object of this little bill to hel p
and to save.
Mr. President, we have been ac-
customed to hear great deal about
the limited powers Of this Federal
Government, and of the reserved
powers of the State Governments
of the danger of enlarglng the
one, and OF encroachiug upon the
other--of the beauty and harmony
OF the system, provided each depart
ment be kept within its own proper
: sphere of action; aud great dea
: about the injustice Of casting new
, burdens upon one portion of the
2 people for the benefit of the other
!, and all that sort of learned twaddle,
as though it had some bearing upon
this question, or as though some
S body had denied the truth of these
, common and threadworn axloms.-
5 am not aware that any body pro-
poses, Just now, to enlarge the dele
gated powers of the Federal Gov
|, eminent, or to encroach upon the
reserved powers of the State Gov
ernmenis And, surely, this bill,
so far from imposing any burthens
upon one portion Of the people for
the benefit of another, is the only
land bill passed by Congress which
effectually extends its benefits alike
/ 10 oil aud raiiavao tho hnrthans Of