The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-06-20

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ceded st by any clear that State surrender
in perpetuy her power taxi II she can, must not the
Consideration be least ampel In this the consider
alton is of comparatively little value But above ALL
the contract made under circumstances which viii justify
its enforcement Congress possessed the power TO refuse
10 the new States admission into the Union and in this
position Congress declined act until the States
would agree to the dictated As between ndlyldu-
ais would not agreement Of the sort fail 70 be enforced
by the courts because Of the OF equality OF option pc
the parties? Would il not be held to be eoerc'geF
The studied language OF some of the acts seems 10 INDICATE
that Congress has apprehended such construction of
their "ree acceptance rejection are the words IN some
cases Bat have time dwell upon the point though
in view Of the facts II may be well Tor me government
that the question raised and brought 10 decision
1t may be well for the older States OF the Union at they
have never pressed the point TO a. hearing
Now do not propose 90 into investigation and
comparison Of the benefits which have been conferred by
the general the respective portions OF this
Union; but confess that am amazed when hear ntie-
from the older States OF the Union get up here and
talk about all the public lands going TO The new States
while the older States get share OF them Let us look
at the distribution Of the ayors OF this gov
eminent ! except from the remarks which am about
TO submit the question of ofiee-holdng leave all that
out 49,
the first place. from the necessity of things nearly all
the annual of government Is expended In the
older States OF the Union Out OF about one thousand
millions Of dollars collected and paid into the treasury
since this has existed than nine hundred
millions have been expended within the limits oil The old
States Of this coniederacy and that has been 50 om ne
cessity But still there stands the fact; and If the
States disposed be captious about the matter and
20 into an examination of the distribution of the yors of
the government they might well point you to this and
ask You to consider it while making the calculation
There all the expenditures for the government IN The
District of Columbia There the appropriations Tor the
building and support of the navy which always have
BEEN and always will be- expended within the limits OF the
older States Of the Union There the appropriations
for the equipment and clothing OF your army There are
appropriations for the coast survey for your house
establishments for your minis, which must be nearly all
expended within the limits OF the older States Ana SO
might 60 and enumerate; but they all stand upon the
records and whoever examines them understand them
in detail
There stands upon that record the fact that nine dollars
out of every ten collected Of the people of the United
States have been expended by the government within the
limits of the old States of the Union Under this state OF
facts why will gentlemen talk about the undue lberality
which has been manifested towards the States Of the
Union But few years since law was passed to reeve
your railroads from the duty imposed upon railroad iron
These duties amounted in the aggregate to S6O0OOO0 or
$o0o0oo every dollar of which Injured to the benefit of
the old States of the Union and which be viewed in
other light than direct bonus for the benefit of rail-
roads in the old States of the Union What would gentle
Of the old States say here to-day or tomorrow il
proposition introduced to make direct gift to the
railroads of the West without returning any pecunary
consideration for ii into the treasury of the United States
And yet when the West come here and ask you to make
grants of land for the construction of railroads upon terms
which compensate you for the grants, and the value OF
which you get Immediately and directly back in the
hanceent the value of the lands to these roads
operates upon very the sight of does
upon OF hydrophobia 1t produces spasss at once
and they fly into the most violent opposition
When you made remission of duty upon railroad iron,
clear gift without any pretext ola pecunary re-
the government; but when propositions have been
the construction Of railroads gentlemen Of the old States
ut make most violent opposition, withoutan exam
nation of the CASE for here venture the assertion that
there not of these gentlemen who if he were the in
dvidual proprietor of the lands, would not do the
very identical thing which Congress is asked do in these
If he would not do Il he would manifest very little
practical wisdom and very little business capacity to
age such affairs
But this matter of which will speak hereafter At
present remains for me to show the character OF the
manning seventeen millions nine hundred thousand acres
OF land which, the Language of the gentleman from
New York have been granted by the general government
for every conceivable purpose About million of acres
of them have granted the States of the Union
under the admitting them members OF the coned
eracy, for which these States have given equivalent
hundred fold They yielded up the right of taxation for
many years There in the history Of the admin
sraon Of public lands in the history of administers
ton by any Individual proprietor Of large tracts oiand,
close aud niggardly and rigorous, and exactng econo
myf economy il may be called or If II deserves so
spectacle that which The general government has
practsed towards the States in relation to the public
domain So far from its making grants as has been charged
in this report for every conceivable purpose and 50 far
from giving away large portions of the public domain to
the new States Of the Union it has given them nothing II
has had eye to the reimbursement to itself Of every
grant that has made and have shown you how rig
orous its Of compact with the States when
stpulating for their admission into the Union.
BY the way, l may well here dispose of another
item as 1 pass along The grants Of public lands to the
Territories amount 10 but Fifty thousand in all That
Is the total quantity has been granted the Terrific
res of the Union Tor the purpose Of erecting public build
ngs the particular sites granted Now, sir these terri
institutions Honorable gentlemen all familiar with
that fact from the discussion Of the territorial bills that
have recently disposed o. The anomaly Of territorial gov
ernnens was sufficiently eyinced and exhibited in that dis
custom They held be and have been held to be
not loc governments, but your governments They
held to be mere oshoos of the federal government
tanned BY yoG made 6y you, paid for by you you pay
their officers sou appoint their ofcers-l mean your fed
era government does you pay their legislature you
take the money ont Of the public treasury support their
government And hence every parity of reasoning usfes
the application Of the public lands for the selection of sites
which erect public buildings which arc owned by
the government after they erected They IL is true
donated the States when the Territories emerge from
their sails condition, and become independent members
of the oouiedcracy In the whole have sad all these
grants only amount to fifty thousand have made
objections to grants Of public lands other than this
that they cannot be made for purposes which forbidden
20 be effected by the money OF the government Wherever
you apply the money OF the government IL is admit
ted that you apply the public lands Of the government
each being part OF the public treasury of the government
Where you apply money out Of The treasury support
territorial governments Il follows that you may legi-
mately apply the public lands &c their support
There IA nothing thon Mr. Chairman In the grants OF
public lands 70 the Territories which all viaics any
the positions that have taken The aggregate Of these
grants as have stated only amounts fifty thousand
AS TO the balance of these lands there Is coll
which the gentleman from New York Mr. BENNETT
has seized upon and laid down IN his report as grants to
ind vidual and companies which woud lead one TO sup
pose that the general government had donated and granted
hundred und seventynne thousand acres TO various
companies and individuals through sheer beneyolence and
gratnons. Why, sir IL not II the gentleman had
taken te slightest pains have looked into the docn-
ments he would have permitted himself TO have got
into such errors have made statement that the gov
crumeut bad donated hundred and seventy-nne thou