Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1854-07-12
THE PUBLIC LAND QUESTION.

Speech of Mr. Disney, Of Ohio in the House Of Rep
resentatiues, the subject Of the Public Lands.
The Hon. D. T. Disney, of Ohio, delivered speech
in the House the 9th of April and 7th June
1854, on the subject of the public domain, which is
most important and valuable for the facts and argu
ments it contains. We regret that we cannot fine
space for this document entire but shall proceed
in this and our next ISSUE to condense portions Of
it and make extracts, that our readers may have
the benefit of it in substance for the pending cam
paign. Mr.. Disney is the Chairman of the House
Committee on public Landslide has had the best
opportunities for studying and understanding the
whole question; and his facts and opinions are,
therefore, entitled to peculiar weight
In his 9th of April speech Mr.. Disney opens by
referring the value of the public domain to the
present generation and to posterity-deprecates all
measures tending to squander or divide them among
the States-says that amid all the strifes and con-
tests of parties for the last sixty years. the public
domain has hitherto been preserved intact and in all
its integrity-that the people of the United States
are reading and thinking people, and will sooner
or later thoroughly understand the qucstion-that
they will then that it is their property which
is proposed to be bestowed upon them by these
schemes of plunder-that the proposition to take
the result will be sacrifice of the substantial inter-
ests of the country. Though representative from
Western State, he opposes the graduation BILL
and the bill introduced by Mr.. Bennett of New York.
for the distribution of large portion of the public
lands among the old States, is next taken up. And
here his facts and the views he takes of the ques
ton generally, are especially conclusive He literally
gi66ets the figures and .tacts of Mr. Bennett whose
cno ha horne in ind was he feYt for
that of the Hon. s. H. Rogers of this State on the
same question Let Mr. Disney be read and heard
wherever the speeches of Mr.. Bennett, and Mr.. Bad
ger, and Mr.. Rogers quoted authority this
question; and our word for it, the triumph of the
advocates of the old doctrine of holding the lands
will be signal and complete. There is question,
in the entire range of American politics, upon which
the people have been so deceived and imposed upon
this. 1t has been the standing theme for years
of Wing appeal, deception, misrepresentation, and
downright falsehood; and rejoice that such
men Shaw and Disney have come forward to
set the facts they are, and the public records
show them to be, in clear light before the
people
Of the bill of Mr.. Benr EFT to divide portion of
the public lands among the States, Mr. Disney says
" This bill is introduced by the gentleman from
New York, Mr.. Bennett 1t has been advocated by
him in speech made upon this floor, the principles
of which all set by him in the report which
he heretofore submitted, and of which l now pro-
pose to speak. With the matters in that report and
speech it is now my purpose to deal. But l desire
first to say, that, in legislative experience some
what extended, it has been my fortune to legis-
atye reports more or less remarkable in their char
acter, but never before remarkable docu-
nent as this. OF all the public documents that have
ever fallen under my eye during my legislative
perience, never yet have seen one which will COM
n1l,, 81; Ill
cument remarkable for bunder, but then it was
only single blunder. But this is remarkable for
it's plumbers in regard to every fact it undertakes to
state Here is grave report deliberately presented
10 this House, and through it to the country, pre-
Scnting long and imposing array of figures and
statements of facts, not of which, so
ar as have examined them, is true-not one. This
S strong language; but mean it just as use it.
said to the gentleman from New York, MIR. Ben
1ettl yesterday, that it was my purpose to gibbet
lis report. commence that operation now, and
hink when am done with it, not even the gentle
nan from New York will have any disposition to put
lis hand upon the carcass, feel at all disposed to-
Yards effort to take it down. Why, sir an oc-
asonal error or blunder in figures may be attrbu-
ed to hasty preparation, inadvertence. But when
whole document teens with errors and blunders
rom beginning to end, and when the facts and princi
lies are all COMPOUNDED in universal mass what
re we to say in regard to the gentleman who pre-
ented it to the House?
should weary your attention were to enter into |
ulScuSSloQ OF all the details OF this remarka0ie DO
ument will not attempt it, but will take up
nough of it to Enthusiastically expose its character.
he general burden of the speech ond of the report
for the report is the Speech and the speech is the
eport-is first, that, by the Constitution, Congress
icing empowered to dispose of the public lands,
here being words of limitation expressed with /
egard to the exercise of the power, therefore Con-
ress can dispose of them in any manner and for any
urpose it may see fit and proper.
The gentleman then .parades long columns of fig
res to show the grants to the respective States and
makes the general allegation that these lands have
cen granted and given away in the most extrava-
ant profuson. To use his own words and i do it I
or the purpose of doing the gentleman exact JUS
ice, he says that !. the lands are being squandered
Tanted, and given away with the most reckless and
xtrayagant profusion.n He then gives statement L
figures and pretends to make out that, in the ag
regate, no lessxhan one hundred and twenty eight
nilliops Of the public lands have been
ed, and given auay with the most reckless and ex-
raEsgant profnsish He then gives statement in