Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-04-08

law The ability Of the General Government naturally
applications to il for assistance; and without IN
qurng into its right TO comply with their demands the
needy press upon the Government for support To sup
port local institutions does not come within the scope for
which the General Government was formed and, II 1t
possessed the power your committee can imagine no
policy more unwise The public domain is source Of
revenue In time Of war it is one Of the most effective
means upon which the country can rely Ii Will secure
enlistments when money fails and IN our opinion we
should indeed be careful before we destroy this important
aid The public lands watched with longing eye.
Your committee have before them, exclusive of the
cases where there is promise OF compensation, appica
tions grant Of land to establish and support normal
schools in each State to educate young teach
ers TO grant land to support deaf, dumb aud lunac
asylus the State Of Wisconsin to grant lands for the
support OF common schools in the different States to
grant the proceeds of the public lands for the pur
pose TO grant land each incorporated college and
university in the United States grant land to esab
sh juvenile reform schools in the principal cities of the
Union grant, fer the purposes Of education, the I'M
sold lands in the respective States which have been in
market for number TO grant to the old States
large portions of the public domain to grant land to
support Protestant university; to grant land to sup
port private military school, to grant the site OF Fort
Atkinson for purposes Of educaton and party asks
for grant of land to enable him to carry iron
foundry To these may be added the applications to in
the list of soldiers to whom bounty land shall be
given, amounting in the whole to aggregate of some
thing like three hundred millions of acres, equal to the
whole of public lands which have been surveyed
since the domain has been acquired To this extent are
Our land system has been well and happily de-
ved; under it injustice has been done to none, butal
have prospered. 1t has furnished moderate revenue,
without preventing the settlement and improvement of
the domain. New States have sprung up on it whose
prosperity is the admiration of the world Industry has
the price OF the public lands within its reach, and the
policy which made has caused the wilderness not only
to bud and blossom, but TO bring forth fruit The new
States have been encouraged the old States have had
their interests secured; the spirit Of Government
has been obeyed and its duties kept within the limits Of
the law. Il.
Shall all this be dsregarded and the system be
thrown For what? t.
If the prayers of the petitioners granted the pro-
dgious quantities Of land which would be thrown upon
the market by competent venders would deprive it Of
marketable value The very qualification of their wishes
would destroy the objects they have in view. To make
the grants would be to render them of no avail.
Your committee conclude that Congress- without o
promise of pecuniary compensation, has power to
grant portions of the public domain and if had, no
policy could be unwise than to grant it for the sup
port of local institutions within the States. They there
fore ask leave to report adversely to the indicated bill
All Of which is respectfully submitted.