Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-07-24
wAsH1HaroH NEWS AND eossIr,

execution of which job she has undoubtedl,
perpetratsd great ipjustiee-in some case,
arranging the scaling SO. ss to favor those o.
her creditors who were on the spot, lobbyirs
in person or through. agents, and giving th,
go-by to the absent and inattentive. The lat
ter, on ascsrtaining how they had been treated
refused to take what Texas thus offered thsm
and, as consequence, to execute the release
through which the United States Treasury
Department may become discharged of the
trust ahe custody of the $5,oe0, 600, devol ved
upon it by Congress. From the day Of III.
enactment of the Texas SO 900, 600 ind mn; +,
bill TO this time, the General Government ba,
been liable to pay interest on the S., ooO, o0(
thus reserved in trust, which could be calico
for at any moment whom Texas and her cold.
shouldered creditors may come 10 terms Thu
blu that recently passed the Senate, is under.
stood here to be Ms bill oftAe dissatisfied
creditors Of Texas. It proposes to pay he,
creditors the reserved $4,000, 900, interest on
that sum up to its ensetment, and, further
iiatersst for ten years ahead! This last clause
is evidently to make up the sum necessary to
place the low-scaled creditors of Texas Oh q
par with her preferred creditors, 1T the *.
pense Of tho Trsasury of the United States.
Now, as they have no claim on the United
States, it is = gratuity from the National
Treasury, nominally to Texas, but really to
her bond holders, The General Government
right or wrong, is legally bound for the I've
millions and interest to date 1t lib neither
legally nor morally bound for dollar more.
As for the idea that the act of annexation De.
prived Texas of the capacity to pay her debit
that is all nonsense. 1t has quadrupied the
value Of every acre of land within her limits,
las We know, having resided in Texas some
six years before the act Of annexation and
instantly made "good times" for all her ci.:.
zens willing to strive for themselves, in place of
the extremely "hsrd times they encountered
in business point Of view, for FIVE years be-.
fore she came under this Government. For
that period Of time before her annexation, her
revenues from customs were insufficient for the
support of her independent nationality; much
# the debt the United States are now asked
70 provide for in full, being incurred, at a
heavy discount, on that account Washington
IS just low full of parties interested in coaxin z
Congress to pay the ten years interest, not
honestly or legally due from the United States
Treasury; and every conceivable effort will
be made to induce the House to do so. let
We are not among those who believe that the
scheme can triumph, however much We mi Sht
tejuice at the passage Of bill to settle Ibis
sexed question by the payment of as much as
Congress has entered into obligation to pay
# but to get rid Of the vexatious subject.
y Senator Hunters Homestead and Gradta-
ten Bill.-This. measure, we think, will he
gladly accepted by the House, inasmueh as it
iuvo.ves complete settlement Of the public
lands question, which for twenty years has
occupied nearly third Of the time Of Con-
sress. It is sagacious measurs-eminently
so. In the twenty years, three questiopsI in
connection with the future disposition of The
public domain, until they have fairly gained
such strength as to render it certain that they
must finally be incorporated in some shape c,
other INTO the public lands system OF the Gen
.ral Government These sre--the Graduation
Homestead and Lands for railroad purposes
principles. The last mentioned proposes to
increase the value Of adjacent public lands
80 as to make them worth more to the treasury
of the United States than the whole would be-
without thus setting apart q portion to make
the rest valuable. In some cases, Speculation
have succeeded in imposing on Congress sd As
to get donation of lands for railroad purposes,
whereby the value Of no public lands of the
Government have been increased materially
As a general thing, however, it is reduced to a
certainty that the working of the principle has
been advantageous to the National Treasu ry.
It's Anal triumph, as q fixed rule of legislati ion,
is only question of time, tho rapid growth Of
our western population being about to solve it
say on the apportionmsnt Of Congress under
the census Of 1859. Tho efforts Of specula tors
from States in which the lands asked to be do
mated do not lie, have greatly RETARDED ID as
in the case of the Fort Wayne railroad ddna.
ting scheme at this time. The Hobbies of Con.
gress are now daily besieged by any mum be,
Of persons urging donation of the public
lands for that speculation, until re- hear mem.
bers, judging all such applications by theirs
protesting their determination to vote agains,
all Of them. -...'..,l .-...
But to return to tho wise bill Of Senator
Hunter. 1t embraces, in effect, the Home
stead bill Of Mr.. Dawson of Pennsylvania, on
which it seems to be founded. That's; it oon
tsins all the leading principles Of that measure
which has already triumphed in the House by
slarge majority? 30, also, it contains the
principles involved in tho graduation bill o
Mr.. Cobb, which has also been sanctioned BY
the House. Having explained that at length
not long since, we refrain from doing SO asair
at this time. As before remarked, it provide
for the dedication Of a comparatively small
public domain to greatly increase the value o
he rest, by the construction Of railroads
While, finally, it secures to tho Treasury of tn
United States . fair return for all the lands t.
be disposed Of under it's provision. Thus, i
strikes Us as most happily combining all tn
leading principles for the future disposition Q
the public domain, for which parties, sections
and otherwise, have eontsnded in Congress fo
some twenty years past. Under these circum
stances, We think that it can hardly fail