Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-12-15
NEW SERIES, VOL. 9. NO. 24.

Of the department. for tho year ending Juno
80 1851 over tho preceding gear, was sHTo.
3o9. No proportipnato increase, how
ever can he anticipated for the current year.
in consequence Of the act Of Congress Of
June 20, loji, providing for increased com.
pcnsition to all postmasters. From these
statements it is apparent that the Post Office
Department. instead VI defraying its e&pen-
scs according to the design at the time Of its
creation, IL now, aud under existing laws
must continue 20 be, TO no small extent. a
charge upon the general treasury. The cost
Of mail transportation, during the year end
in, june 30. 1854, exceeds the cost Of the
preceding wear by S44j,7i. ] again call
YOUR attention to the subject Of mail trans
portation by ocean steamers, and commend
tue suggestions of the Postmaster General to
your early attention
PUBLIC LAND.
During the last fiscal year II ,O1O,93l acres
of public lands have been Surveyed, and =.
I9O,Ol1 acres brought INTO market. Tho
number Of acres sold is 1919, and the
amoupt received therefor S9,2oj ,j33.--
The aggregate amount Of lands sold, located
under military scrip and land warrants, selec.
ted as swamp lands by states and by locating
under grants for roads, is upwards of % 600
600 of acres The Increase Of lands sold,
over the previous year. is about six millions
of acres and the .tlc- during the two first
quarters OF tn" current year present the ex-
traordinary result Of five and half milliona
sold. exceeding hy nearly four millions Of
acres the sales Of the CORE spending quarters
Of the Last year. thus increasing to an extent
-, ,r,',,, ,,r r.-rnna uroriJ,I
E.,'. ,i,,, ,. G'r ~. 4. .l,r,i Troofur,
a., ,',,.,,,,o,,, il ,,l;,r nC ,Le o,.,r.rp,,.nt
i, ,I,,;,',, =, o,,,i,,i mill, Ilo,nnin for
.a,,,,rr j., tine
,,r o,,r i ;lIn.tr,t,1 Lv ,h. fact. ilat since
ON 49, ,s, ,i'. ,li,,. ,rill;ons nr aero.
t,,, i,.,. .,,;,I T., ,l;a ..l;..,
GRANTS AND LANDS '"H RA'Lho"n',
lho suggestions which submitted IN my
annual message Of last year, in reference 10
grants Ht land in aid oi the construction oi
railways. were less full and explicit than the
maGnltud" Of the subject and subsequent de.
I veop"ment- wonld seen to render proper an"
I desirable. Oi the soundnesS OF the princIpie
then asserted with regard to the limitation
ni the power "t congress, entertain nc
doubt but in its application it iS not cnousi'
that til" value of lands in particular locaIi'
~ may be enhanced that, in fact. larger
amount of money may probably be rcceived'
in a given time, for alternate sections, than
could have been realized for all the sections.
without the impulse and influence OF the pro-
posed improvements. y prudent proprietor
looks beyond limited sections OF his domain,
beyond present results. to the ultimate effect
which particular line ot polcy is hkcly 10
produce upon all ms possessions ana inter
ests lhe government whlch is trusted IN
this matter, Tor the people oi the States, /.
bound to take the same vi and comprehen-
sive view Prior to and during the last ses'-
/ ion OF Congress. upwards ot thirty million>
OF acres of land we're withdrawn from pubiic
sale with We" to Applications LOT grants o.
this character pending before congress \
careful review Ot the whole subject led me to
direct that all such orders ee abrogated' ana
the Lands restored to market ana ihstrho
tlUns were immediately gwen to that effect
The applications at the last session contcm
plated the construction Of more than hvc
thousand miles OF road and grants to the
amount of nearly twenty millions OF acres ot
the public domain Even admitting the right
on the part of Congress to bc unquestiona-
bic, is it quite clear that the proposed grant.
would be productive of good, and not evil -
The different projects confined. for the
present, to eleven States OF this Cnion.
and one Territory The reasons assigned TOR
the grants, show that tits proposed 10 put
the works speedily in process Of construction
When we reflect, that since tho commence
mcut Of the construction Of railways in the
United States. stimulated a. they have been
by the large dividends realized from the
earlier works oycr the great thorouShsaree,
and between tue most important points o.
commerce and populatiun encouraged ~
Stata lscisla t;on and nresseI f,rvard hy the
e ~ 8 ,-!no,o or,..n,,-, IL
"'n'N.nS enoi :! VI l'io"Ie hol l.,.e, ,,,
seventeen lil"usahu H'icS "aNc oech oohiP Pre'e4
IN all the states III a quarter OF century -
when we see the crippled condition Of many
! works cOInmenced and prosecuted upon whA'
( ,vorn dacmad tn ha sound nr,n,inles AMI safe
,ISn.;' 49,, ntan,,la.o 81.
enormous "hsorPHon "l 'allE'i Nithul"Mn
from the ordinary channels oil onslness' Tue
extraVagant rates OF interest at tins momcut
I maid to continue nrcratiOps the bankrupt
/ cicS not maraly in money but IN character
J a. nj. .nao, I,,ror iponcns ,an.
1''' NV '"''I'"'' ,P' e'' S'''V
fdlty can " v" uoupt'u tHat Tue tciuehct
IL TO run 10 excess IN inns lnatter ls II
wise to augment tins excess bv encouraging
h0nrs of sudden wealth .xpectel to how from
upavni,;cent schemes Jprrndsnt uron the sc.
,iS -, ,'nrrass ~ no s,i-;, Which
- II. - =. D.. ,,;,,.,
>ha1Loli Il !, 10, ,hs h,,,a, rnis
- l.av- iii tl,ss. works 10 r,ri,,tn entcrprise
,,I al , ,ni,Iiar, .;ao3 -
'rH"'"''u' N".'' N'I, '
IN" cooperation oi 7,"''H II No"'p uc''"
~ private capital, tile sflmhlJn' and the
check % - srthrr and furnish -alutary
restraint AGAINST spccnhtiyr schemes and eh-
tr,,,.t,,,. nr, II - manifest that with
H 3 ,har. !. Ia,,.., ,f
'nc u'"'' eh'''N' S"''"'' '"''' - "''S w
S"tlS 10" i"-' ana To-" ''''
W" may we'll pause before ! Pi"l"s'.ivh 'oh'em'
dating ''nnli'nr"u, m"N"neh.' 'or Tue coh-ttnc'
'"" q" ..'''o'u.' "H'"' :" III
NlNr o." The graz fh'lit '"h' I"' M ~ p's"0nesi
nearly onc-hrd oi The entire iensth "f 'uch ~orhr'
now Completed, m the Ih'tr" St'to,' ah' Nhlch
cannot '''', Win tpIlGmrh,' les thsn one nun
dt"d and mtE m'II""' "' ""l.'t'' I"e uansei'
hlr!N =" result Ii"ln combinations 9" lh'et'tt, IN
ms character 'ln h'i''y he over r'tna,tu' bui'
Independently "l th''- ''n''heta''on-' N'Ie l. ''e
attnAte An"M4'hgt' 'He ,'n''t'"e,'"e ".e"iS'n
which shall Discriminate between 'ue rtat'e 0iS'n'
Of these twenty-eisht proposed roads IN eleven
states aud one territory Where VIII you hesih'
aud where end II To enable tle'e con'pan'es 10