Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-01-07
THE PUBLIC LANDS.

THE PUBLIC LANDS.
Mr. Benefits Distribution bill, now before the
Land Committee of the House of Representa-
tves seems to be more in conformity to the objects
of the csson of the public lands made both by New
York and Virginia than any measure heretofore
proposed.
The deed of cession from the State of New York
was made on the 1st of March, 1871, and was ac-
eepted by Congress the Goth Of October, 1892 One
Of the conditions was that the lands ceded to the
United States "shaH be and enare for the use and
benefit of such Of the United States as shall become
members of the federal alliance Of tie said States,
AND FOR NO OTHER USE OR BENEFIT WHATEVER"
The Virginia deed of cession was executed and
accepted on the 1st day Of March, 1854. One of
the conditions of this cesson is as follows:
ssThat all the lands within the territory SO ceded
TO the United States and not reserved for appro
priaed to any of the aforementioned purposes,
disposed of in bountes to the officers and soldiers of
the American army, SHALL BE CONSIDERED AS A
COMMON FUND, for the use and benefit of such of
the United States as have become or shall become
members of the United States, Erginta inclusise,
according to their usual respective proportions in
the general charge and expenditure, and shall be
Faithfully and bona fde disposed of for that gur-
pose, AND FOR NO OTHER USE on PURPOSE wHATso-
EVER"
Massachusetts,, Connecticut, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Georgia afterwards ceded their public
lands on terms almost precisely similar
There is disposition on the part Of many politi-
clans to recur frequently to what are called the
Jackson doctrines upon this and other subjects. In
his celebrated Land Bill Veto Message, President
JACKSON quotes these and other authorities to show
that the public lands can only be disposed of for
tie common benefit of all the States. How this dis
tinguished would act on the subject at this day.
if living and in authority, it is not for to say
but the positions above quoted would certainly put
him in opposition to any partial distribution of
either the lands or their proceeds
In his objections to the Land Bill Of 1882, Pre-
sident JACKSON took the ground that the distribu-
tion was unequal because twelve and half per cen
tum Of tho proceeds to be first given to the
States, before any thing was given to Virginia and
other States which mad ceded the lands, and there
fore that the bill proposed violation of the
pacts, which he declared to be "invaluable monu-
ments of an age of virtue, patriotism, and disinte
RESIDENCES"
lne QlHerence between the Lana Dill OF 1867 and
shat pending is, that the first proposed to dis
pose Of all the proceeds in the unequal manner OBJ
jected to by the then President, whilst the latter
proposes more equal distribution of portion of
the lands.
President jackson seemed to have high opinion
Of the Western people in reference to this matter of
distribution He said
"With the just men who inhabit the new States
it is sufficient reason to reject this system that
is in violation of the fundamental laws of the Re-
public and its Constitution"
If this position be impregnable, what can be said
of system, which is daily gaining strength Of max
ing donations of land for objects of local charac
ter within the States" The Western people do
not conceive it to be at all in conflict with their
ideas Of justice. On the contrary, they are daily
asking for grants for local purposes" and if they
wanted any precedent as to the best method of max
ing any work national, they would resort to the
Jacksonian era for notable examples.