Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-09-13


once, think, 10 appropriate lands for the estab
lishment of lunatic asylums in all the States OF the
Union. Suppose that money had been asked for
such purpose What AN cutlery would have
been raised throughout the country We see
as the honorable senator from Tennessee has said
bills brought here, which appropriate many mil
lions OF land, as bounlies 10 persons for services,
which have been fully paid long since-services
that have been already fully compensated accord
ing TO contract. Could this have been done, ifthe
money so distributed had to be raised BY taxation
How would such system, as have proposed,
operate upon the new States (? In my opinion il
would be emnently beneficial. In the first place
il would help their finances, giving them liberal
and generous remuneration, and one which they
ought 10 receive for their trouble in administering
the lands and, in the next place, il would enable
them to regulate the policy of settling their lands
according TO their own views and interests and
all parties in the Union would be benefited by the
fact that these land States would become more
Conservative upon questions of this character.
They would become break-waters against hasly
and mischievous innovations, and the opponents
OF any scheme, which had for its object the giving
away of the public lands in the new States and
Territories, to anybody and everybody who would
come and settle for while upon them and, sir,
they would be eminently benefited by acquiring
means and facilities for purposes of sustaining
their own government, and they would avoid The
temptation which would otherwise be held on, 10
them TO force these lands into market more rapidly
than they are wanted for actual settlement n
New States would not be brought in so RAPIDLY as
heretofore but, when they came, they would enter
with more matured thought, and perhaps, a
wiser purpose; at any rate, with purpose more
consistent with those of the residue OF the con-
federacy. Our population would probably moi be
as much dispersed as il has been by laws which
, nas ], TOO rapidly and TOO far into the wilder.
IL the policy which have indicated should have
the effect Of concentrating somewhat more our
population inthe new States and of consolidating.
as said before, the advancing column Of emigra,
ton, it would be beneficial, as it seems TO me, TO
all the States new and old for while, on The
one hand, population would thus be distributed
more equally, on the other these new societies
would have some time 10 complete their organiza.
ton, and TO assimilate themselves 10 the residue
of the system, TO which they were 10 be attached.
Sir, in whatever point of view look at the ques-
ton,I see eminent moral and political advantages
TO be derived from entrusting the administration
of this property to the States themselves But
acknowledge that in all this have been chiefly
actuated by wish to diminish, so far as il can be
done, the patronage of the general government,
where il is not necessary, and to transfer 10 the
States. have been anxious TO remove from this
body all temptation TO system of legislation
which may lead 10 strife between sections and
classes. i have been DESTROYS to save this coun-
try from the mortifying spectacle Of behoding the
vast public property thrown into the arena as a
prize for contending sections, or worse the stake
for which classes were 10 play in a still more en-
Filtered rivalry"