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

retained by the State OF Connecticut the jurisdiction
only having been cded by that State 20 the general
men and afterwards transferred 10 the State OF Ohio All
the lands in that disposed of by Connecticut
were transferred to the United States trust the salts
faction of warrants issued to be issued by the State OF
I'D and ith. The Ohio Con.panys purchase and John
gleyes symmss's purchase were made from the United
in fact simply sales of the bodies of lands the areas OF which
are given above"
That is to say that of these eight millions and odd acres
which the gentleman charges grant made by the un
ted States the State of Ohio three millions six hundred
thousand owned and sold By the State OF Con-
neccu to individuals three millions hundred thou
sand and odd retained by the State OF Virginia
TO pay her troops and million four hundred thousand
sold by the United States for dollars and cents
the individuals there designated, and the money for
which paid into the treasury OF the United States
These items make eight millions eight hundred and hye
thousand out of the eight millions eight hundred and eis
tyhree thousand which this gentleman has charged to the
State of Ohio The balance Of these lands which he has
charged grants lands reserved under treaty spu
laons for the benefit Of certain parties who set legal
right which the government acknowledged These amount
ed to twentysx thousand four hundred and hfty-nne
acres.
Again: there were the saline lands amounting TO
twenty-five thousand acres, which granted by the
United States to the State of Ohio by virtue of the
of the compact admitting the State of Ohio member of
this confedeacy in consideration OF which the State st
uated orbear taxation upon land belonging to the gem
era government not only during its ownership but for
five years after their alienation by the government and the
remaining twenty-five thousand passed to her under
the swamp-land grant Now sir there is illustration
of the statements in this report Eight millions eight hum
red and eight thousand OF land charged granted
by the general government to the State OF Ohio seven mil
lions and half of which owned by the govern
ment and the balance of which sold by the
for money while not of the remainder of the
eight millions eight hundred and eighty thousand
six hundred and seventeen ever given as grant
the in which the gentleman the word to the
State of Oho--not an acre.
But the bunders made in this report in regard to Ohio
not the only The have cited is only illus
,,,i,,
to end Take the Of the State of Florida He has
charged Florida five millions eight hundred thousand
acres under this head Without wading through ali
papers before be precisely accurate to acre
will state the House in general that about four millions
of these grants for private claims whose proec
ton stipulated for in the treaty with Spain Yes, sir
far from being lands granted by the general government
the State of Florida they lands owned by ndivd-
uas in the Territory of Florida before this country acquired
and the treaty spuations with Spain provided for the
protection Of the rights of these parties But yet in this
report these grants of lands grayey charged grants
gifts by the general government to the State Of Florida
And So too in the of Louisiana and in every other
cited the gentleman charges as grants gifts by the
general government to the respective States every private
claim that has been protected by treaty spulatons be-
tween this country and France and Spain with the In
dian tribes They amount in all to S,9239032l acres
They private property and SO acknowledged by the
United States but charged in the report gifts TO the diff
ferent States.
What an exhibition is here disclosed of the pretended
facts submitted to the House of Representatives and through
them the people of this country Are these things the
result accident They illustrate confusion
confounded but they the result of careessness
fit be careessnes what should be said of gentlemen who
thrust before tho House and country such erroneous state
Inens The practice of the government is rely upon
your legislative documents and to that they
true and taken from the records but what do these facts
dsclose7
| was highly amused, Mr. Speaker with a note which
received from the Commissioner of the General Land Office
in.reply TO a letter which | sent him. requesting him TO
point the in column Of figures in the
ment submitted by the gentleman from New York. The
npta hp Ia in
to attempt TO corec, it, for ii is all errors Very respect
fully, yours
Prominent among the items which the gentleman charges
the States those concerning the sixteenth
ton for school purposes Now IL necessary Mr. Speaker
in this day and generaton-when men read, when men
think, when have practically much experience in
the everyday transactions Of fs II necessary, and
compelled go into arguments 10 illustrate the folly
the nonsense the absurdity of such charges2 Why sir
the sixteenth sectonas known TO the members of this
House. and TO the country geneally-is appropriated for
the support Of schools for the benefit Of the respective
townships in the States One section is appropriated
in every township In cases there have been two
but take the of the sixteenth section 10 illustrate
the arguments the principle involved in both is the
same Well, there Is no lawyer in this House that
doubs-nay the gentleman from New York himself Mr.
Bennett does not doubt and will not attempt to con-
troyertthe truth Of what nm about TO say II an indi
ydual should lay out tract Of ground into thirty
six parcesfor such is the division OF townshps-and If
he should dedicate section number sixteen and advertise TO
the world that he intended that such sixteenth parcel
should be devoted the support of schools for the benefit
Of the purchasers Of the other thrtyve sections there
not Judge nor o court in Christendom who would not
sustain that appropriation for that purpose not naked
gift but a grant for consideration much so, that
say that In court Of law with all the rigor which the
rules Of law require eectment could be sustained BY
the purchasers OF the other hirtyhve parecsand put
the in the strongest possible ghtagans the credit
Of an nsolven donee Now, every lawyer knows that
insovent has right against his creditors to make
gift IL he does, the gift Is not good; and hence y Is
that have put the case in the in which have
for the purpose Of testing this question repeat IL that
in action OF eecment the purchasers OF the other
thrty-ye parcels could sustain and recover in action
against the creditors of nsolyent donee Of section
sixteen.
Now Mr. Speaker If this can be done this then, Is
grant for a valuable consideration There must he
sdeaon to sustain proceedings OF this sort under such
circumstances No win doubt It. The general gov
ernmentas matter Of policy, and nducement 70
purchasers buy and settle the public landsso surveyed
and laid out this domain. II says TO them you win buy
up these thirtyfve sections will In each case give you
the sixteenth section for your benefit And here al
low 10 cn the attention Of the House to the fact that
these donations Of lands not to the States for the
and benefit Of tho States but for the and benefit of
the respective townships These then are not donations
not gifts and away with these miserable suggestions that
these grants of school sections naked gifts Of land to
the States and Territories of the West They are sales
positive bona fde sales and sales for consideration full
ample, and complete.
But sir TO keep up the symmetry the report the gem
cman charges that these grants Of sixteenth sections have
been extended the newy-acqured Territories where
the surveyors staff has not yet been planted and where
surveys have been made Assuming that he debcr
atey down and calculates the of the sixteenth
sections OF that vast region and charges il grants given
TO the new States and Territories New Mexico with her
vast unproductive regions is charged with millions
being granted to her with Utah with Oregon so
with Washington and so with California.
The gentleman must have known--though, perhaps,