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

The House being in Committee OF the Whole on the state
| of the Union
Mr. DISNEY resumed and proceeded as follows;
In making this remark of course except the FIVE per
cent or The proceeds Of the sales But that under the
compacts with the States and even was so applied
to drectly-not remotely but drecyenhance the value
OF the public lands IL being applied by stipulation by the
United States for the construction of roads which, Of ne
eessity, enhanced the value of its domain
shall undertake TO show that never in the history OF
governments nor in the history Of private individual
ershp OF vast tracts of land has there been rigid
economy pracsed in their disposition has been prac-
tised by the government of the United States in relation
TO its domain and instead OF Its being LIBERAL pro-
fuse and generous has been rigorous exactng and OPP
| pressive to the new States
or all the absurd ideas that entered the heads of
legislators this idea that the States of the Union have
been favored by grants Of the public lands preeineny
and par excellence the most absurd of all Instead of be-
ginning by way OF compensating the old States OF the
Union in consequence OF liberal grants Of land made
new States the point Of beginning If justice the aim is
exactly upon the other side Lberality should be com
menced with the States of the Union and not the old
This can demonstrate by statements made from the
ord and BY facts which cannot be gansayed AT present
return to the deleeabe document submitted by the gem
tleman from New York, Mr.. BENNErT] and which con-
ains statements that have been repeated by all the wings
IN and out Of Congress who have spoken upon this subject
proceed to vndicate what declared upon former oc-
cason, that this document the most remarkable of all
the documents that have been submitted upon this
snhjoctnot in containing single error but in not
tanning single truth II is not only wrong in its
important statements and allegations but it is wrong
all Its immaeria facts wrong in its most minute state
men's, not even getting right by accident trust when
have done with that document that will hear of
1t again, either in out Of Congress.
The report the profse and extravagant grants
that have been made from time to time and which
sanctioned he says by all the different Presidents ap
Piled to every conceivable purpose He goes and
merate the various purposes Among them the follow
ing For schools for seats Of government for roads for
colleges for public buildings for semnaries Of learning
for river improvements for individuals for companies for
corporations for private claims for military services for
internal improvements for canals for railroads for deaf
| 70 And by the Mr. airnap
with respect to this matter of deaf and dumb asyun he
says that grants for this purpose were made to Connec
cut to Alabama to Arkansas and to Florida 1t seems
impossible for him to get right
Now there any grant made for deaf and dumb
asynms except in two solitary instances and in neither
OF these the grant made to new State The
only two grants Of the kind that made by Con-
grs to the States Of Connecticut and Kentucky The
State of Kentucky located in Florida the lands ceded to
her Tor that purpose and the gentleman finding that there
were lands for deaf and dumb asylum located in Florida
at charges the State of Florida with having received
tue grant Now, all that Florida had to do with il is the
fact that the lands happen TO be found within her limits
but they owned by the State OF Kentucky So il
also in the Of Alabama and Arkansas The State of
Connecticut located the lands granted her for deaf and
dumb asylum in those States But the gentleman, finding
lands located in Arkansas and Alabama for the purpose OF
supporting deaf and dumb asylums assumed that
grants OF lands had been made TO these States for that
pose.
repeat it, Mr.. Chairman there never was any grant
made to Alabama to Arkansas to Florida for deaf
and dumb asylum; and of the States which the gentleman
here enumeates having received grants for that pur
pose he right in but solitary instance and neither of
the other States enumerated by him has received grant of
the sort
Now Mr. Chairman is IL marvellous, that in public
official paper Of this sora paper which has been much
quoted and relied upcnhat there is not solitary
ment in ii found 10 be correct?
But ! go back TO the grants of swamp lands In my
previous remarks on this question: showed, as assume
concusvey that the cesson OF swamp lands to the States
in which they were located saving TO the general
government showed that the grants Of swamp lands
not grants within the meaning Of that term it is
used in this report have shown that the swamp lands
were yalueess In the language of the grants 10 the States
they lands unfit for cultivation. And have also
shown in addition that this government the proprie
tor Of these lands found itself be the and main
tainer Of public nuisances which, by every principle OF
eqsity, and by common law they bound to remove
The government to get rid Of the obligation imposed it
the proprietor of these swamp lands ceded them all val
ueess as they were and to the several States in which
they lie
have shown Mr. Chairman that there have been char
ged grants made TO the State Of Ohio lands which the
States OF Connecticut and Virginia showed, too, that
the gentleman was in error in charging Florida aud Lous
ana and other States Of the Union with lands which
owned by private individuals before the government ever
got possession of those countries They lands which
protected by express spulaons in the treaties with
the powers and governments from which obtained the
Territories
Now the report parades a column of figures in which
the gentleman makes ont that hundred and twenty
three millions of Of the public lands had been granted
to the several States But the remarks that have made
to lands which the government never owned but which
belonged private individuals should have been in
cuded Adding up the lands comprised in these items
find the aggregate TO be hundred and two million four
hundred and nnctyour thousand nine hundred and th
sx This is to come at sweep out Of the total
summed up by the gentleman in bis report These
hundred and two million four hundred and ninety -four
thousand nine hundred and thrysx public lands
deducted from the one hundred and twentythrec millions
Of which the gentleman has charged IN his report
having been granted away the government reduces the
quantity TO twenty million five hundred and five thousand
and sixy-our That is al-all that is left TO be
charged account Of grants Absiractng only these
three four items and have this terrible reduction In
the figures which the gentleman parades and shall pro
coed to show the character OF the balance of these grants
But the gentleman made in his addition relation
10 the State OF Missouri similar in relation TO Misssp
pi another in relation TO Alabama and still another in rea
ton TO Minnesoa-amounting in all, TO two million six
hundred and sxtysix thousand FIVE hundred and fyve
Of land, which taken from the amount Of which
have spoken leaves only seventeen million nine hundred
thousand nine hundred and sixty being tho whole
amount these excessive prodg grants OF every sort and
which be alleges TO have been made for every conceivable
object and sanctioned by every administration That
all But millions Of left according "a
/ his own figures.
But 1t remains TO TO show for what these seventeen
million granted. / spoke awhile ago OF The
genemsns enumeration OF the objects and you will per
nit to call the attention of the committee to it thai
they may how amusingly he has multiplied these OBJ
ects by assuming for them different names There
has been grant for colleges academies universities by
this government except that which contained in thu
terms the compact between the government and the
States the time Of their admission with the exception
the sixteenth sections called the school sections All ohe
grants which have been made for schools colleges anC
universities, have been made in pursuance of stpulaon
with those States at the time Of their admission States
into the Union and acts connected herewith and forming
rtafth ~,atrn