Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1854-08-09

take as preemptOr twelve sections of land for each
mile of railroad within twelve miles either side
at prices graduated upon q somewhat newer scale
than that established for the general purposes of
graduation. The State may take the quantity of |
land for such purposes as pre-emptor wherever the
railroad may run, whether the lands be subject to
private entry not the price is to be dollar per
for lands not yet offered for public sale offer
ed for period of less than five years if offered for
fve and less than ten years, then at seventy-fve |
cents per acre fer every five years. until the lands
fall to twenty-five cents per acre.
"The State may have ten years during which it can,
at its pleasure, pay either the whole sum in cash,
allow individuals to enter at such price it may
fix the purchaser paying first the United States its
part whose title is reserved until the price paid
These lands are thus allowed to be taken by |
the States upon condition that they applied
to the roads and canals for which they are taken-
According to this SYSTEM the United States
to itself the original price, moderate it is true
and allow the States to take all the enhanced value
which their enterprise may give. In this way, the
system Of internal improvements not by Congress
and the accidental success Of railroad companies Pc
titionng for lands, but by States themselves, and
upon considerations german to the subject. Nor
will the States be tempted to make railroads merely
to get the lands because they may obtain them un-
der the general graduating provisions of the bill on
terms so cheap that there would be no inducement
to grant charter merely to obtain the lands We
shall thus relieve Congress of troublesome subject
of legislation.
LASTLY, we have the provisions which extend the
pre-emption principle to the actual settler who after
a residence of five years. acquire title to the
land upon the payment of twenty-five cents per acre.
unless it has been in market twenty years more,
when he may take it at twelve and-ahalf cents per
acre, which, in fact is the price reached in the last
stage of this graduation.
"Our land policy has always concsded advantages
OF the first and actual settlers under what called
pre-emption laws. He is allowed to take his lands
at the minimum price, although others might be will
ling to much N men market The adyan-
ages which he coners by actual settlement taken
aspart ofthe consideration and the residue required
in money. This is required by the bill and the price
is fixed so low afford fair compromise between
those who would give him the lands for nothing and
! those who require the payment of some pecuniary
consideration. compromise which is essential, be-
cause the public mind seems to be fixed upon making
some discrimination in favor Of actual settlers what
discrimination and what price matters of eX-
pediency but the constitutional question is certainly
! saved.
ITO sum up this whole matter in few words this
! bill does not regard the money value the primary
consideration in disposing of the lands. 1t charges
money enough to secure substantial pecuniary con-
sideraton, but still it looks more to the great moral
and political advantages which it will secure. If we
relieve Congress Of subject of legislation which is
! disturbing, troublesome, and dangerous, if We
transfer from it to the States such matters of policy
as more Immediately concern themselves, and thus
render the new States more independent of the
ton and patronage Of the general government; and
| if we can bring the old and the States closely
! together by removing sore cause Of difference and
division, we Shall secure moral and political advan-
! tages which will be worth far more to than all
the money which could be wruns from the lands.
As State rights measure, We regard this bill as
| OF transcendant Importance"
The Petersburg South-Side Democrat says:
The substitute for the Homestead bill which pass
cd the Senate last week. may be regarded aiming
to accomplish the following ends:
A r,.1 prahu ,finpn nf fhp Of fhn
public lands.
q Presumption rights giving the first right to the
States respectively in which the public lands may
lie, to the whole of them, at the reduced and gradu-
ated prices.
8. Presumption grants of land to States for rail-
roads and canals at the reduced and graduated
prices.
4. Presumption rights to hold good for five years to
actual settlers, heads Of families for one hundred
sixty acres each, at the oweS reduction Of twenty
five cents per acre, twelve and half cents for
such lands as may have been in the market over
twenty years.
The following is the Scse by which this measure
received the sanction Of the Senate:
YEAs-Messrs. Adams Atchison, Bright Benja-
min Brorihead, Brown, Butler, Cass Clay, Dodge of
Wisconsin, Dodge of Iowa, Douglas, Evans, Fitzpa.
trick, Gcyer, Gwin, Houston Hunter, James, John
son, Jones, Mallory, Mason Petit, Rusk, Sebastian,
Shields, Sidel, Stuart Thompson of Kentucky,
Thompson of New Jersey, Toombs, Toucey and
Walker-34.
NAYs-Messrs. Allen, Badger, Bell Chase, Daw-
son, Fessenden, Fish, Foot Gillette Jones Of Ten
| nesSee, Pratt, Sumner and Wade-13.
| Now, while we recognize among the Senator's, who
voted for this proposition some of the staunchest
Statcs-rights men in the country, yet must be
permitted TO observe, and we do it with dffidence,
that we doubt the policy of the move. 1t is true
that the measure in question, original propas.
ton, would never have received their appreciation
and it is alike true that it "avowedy an cxped
ent," by which measure of great and unmixed
evil vas superseded and defeated. Yet we much
doubt whether would not have been better to have
let those who were bent papable violation o.
the Constitution and the equality of the States have
gone their way and accomplished their errand thar
for States rights Senators to have abandoned lh,
past policy ofthe republican party, and have sub
jected their strict-construction consistency to the
test of casuistry which is at least apocryphal.
Recent experience has relaxed none of our exclu
sive and rigid adherence to theory, has it taught
to accept q compromise of principle, though nee
essary to escape absolute and overwhelming defeat
1t has served rather to imbed more firmly within III
that veneratie for the theoretical construction of th
Constitution on strict adherence to which, in ou
judgment, rests the only hope for the perpetuity
the Union. Principles are vital, active essenta
attributes which cannot be bartered compromised
without repudiation of that virtue to which they
owe their existence. The compromise of princi
pie is its surrender and this is the most that b
made out of it. -..
The public lands were ceded to the general gov
ernment for specified purposes, viz: to pay its debts
and to provide it with to meet its expenses
Because there is debt discharge because tn,
revenue derived from duties on imports is adequate