Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1854-06-21


this floor tsco millions taco hundred and taeent0.
| tAcWsdtI acres; and to Iowa, which has only tsee
representa- tsres three millions ef acres And YET
my colleague, who is in favor of division OF the
1 public 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 Gao
! lation Of trust j" was advocate of that bill
| There still other and weghty objections to a
division of the public lands among the States Wncn
might be urged with great force; such as the serl-
Gus and interminable difficulties that would be oc-
casioned by 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 thirtyone States all owning land, all
anxious to realise something from thcm by which
the lands would be brought down so low that the
monicd capitalists of the country would be enabled
to buy up large bodies of them, equal in extent to
the possessions of the ordy barons Europe in the
feudal age, and who having ample means to do so,
would hold to them until they could extort from
the hard working settler, perhaps twice OF three
times the amount now fixed as the government price
To prove that this policy would violate the deeds
of ccssion of North Carolina and the other States
need do 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 tun6
for the use and benefit Of the United States Of amer
ica North Carolina inclusire, according to their req
pectire and usual proportion IN the general charge
and shau be- faithfully disposed Of for tut purpose
and for no other ass achatsoerer
March l. 1874, Virginia made her deed OF cession
in the following words:
That all the lands within the territory, as coded
to the United States and not reserved for nor ap-
propriated to- any ofthe before mentioned purposes,
disposed of in bouncs to the officers and soldiers
of the American army, shall be considered as cone
mon fund for the and 6enet Cf such Of the Unt-
ted States as hare Iecome shall become members
of this confederation or federal alliance cf SdaG
States, Virginia inctustre, accor@ng 10 tnG" 'eSec
tire and usual proportions the general charge and
expenditure and shall be taithtuHy and h0n0rGo|y
disposed Of for that purpose and J0r no other use or
purpose aoh0tsoerer
Now need hardly say that my friend will never
be able to show that this system OF distribution is
consistent with the conditions distinctly and eX-
plicy set forth in the deeds which declare that
: the lands shall be considered a common fund for
the and benefit of all the States dccoF@aag 10
their usual proport in the general charge and er-
and shall be faithfully and bona D0e dis
posed of for that purpose and for no other purpose
No reasoning is necessary to sustain
ia this position simply to state the case IS the
strongest argument that can be made
Now think haye shown that my colleague and |
his political friends in North Carolina, including their
present candidate for Governor have been IN favor
of the passage of bill by which, according TO my
own showing the rankesti injustice would
nave been done to that State, and the terms upon
which she coded her lands to the general government
would have been gross y violated.
81,
w the government brought into market gradually
IS they should be, and the proceeds arising from
heir sales placed in the treasury and used for the
ordinary expenses of government, and IN payment
If the national debt for which they were pledged
~ the act of January 1S47, and the taxes upon
imports reduced pro tdntO, the States will not only
richly reimbursed for the original outlay, las, IN
act, they already have been, as L shall presently
how) but the fund will be distributed as my friend
cry correctly contends it should be, among all the
tatcs according to their usual proportions IN the
encral charge and expenditure And here let me
ay that neither the ingenuity OF my colleague, the
risdom of this House, the combined sagacIty OF
he country will ever be able to devise any other
node by which the true principle laid down by my
olleague and earnestly insisted upon by HIM, OF
this fund that each State Will receive
according to her usual proportion In the general
barge and expenditure, ever be carried into
ractice.
If time were allowed me, might strengthen my
ostion by citing the highest authority to show that
IT land system is the very best that has been or
IN be devised but will now give the opinion OF
r. Clay only, whose authority as to the wisdom OF
lat system, will have grSat weight with my friend
r. Clay said
And if there be in the operations of this govern
ent which more than any other displays con-
inmate wisdom and smanship it is that bywhich
&c public lands have been SO successfully admins
red. We should pause, solemnly pause before we
byert it. We should touch it hestatingly and
it'll the gentlest hand. The prudent management
the public lands in the hands of the general gov
nmcnt will be more manifest by contrasting it with
at of many of the States, which had the disposal
large bodies of waste lands" June 20, 1882. l
We mi ht here pause, and wonder that there /
ould be disposition to waste or throw away this
eat resource, to abolish system which has 1
en fraught with so many manifest advantages" '
Inc 90, 1882.
But my friend will doubt say that this would =
be we'll enough, but that the lands have been
wandered among the States, and in all proba- y
ity will continue to be. l shall spea!, presently
what has been done; as to the future, bid him -
&c courage. We have democratic admins l.
ton, which has already signazed itself by giving :;
signal check to bill tending to upset and destroy :;
1T system which Mr.. Clay characterized of -
greatest wisdom and craftsmanship. So far no .,
has passed divertng any portion of the public -
ids from the legitimate and proper objects since
S administration came into power. have an abid- O.
hope that the sound and orthodox views ably S
forth in the veto message of President Pierce e
Il continue to be the guiding light of his admins y
ton in regard to this. subject. ~ ~
It may be suggested that we have large surplus -
the treasury, and therefore the land fund might ~
well distributed will merely say, in reply to ct
$, that if We have surplus have also e.
nal debt of about fifty millions of dollars for which o.
public domain has been solemnly pledged and, al
ther that the Committee of Ways and Means -
engaged in revising the tariff, and design r.
ing the duties to the wants of the government; -.
curse if the land fund is distributed it will prevent ~
h a reduction of the taxes might otherwise be 81
de, much to the injury of the southern States w.
lal presently show by the data furnished in the III
ech of my colleague himself W.
Although it is not matter pertinent to the dis IN