Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-04-21
The Cnmvass-DlstributIon, etc.

which he has already fulfilled, while others remain
for the future At two places, at least he has been
met and replied to, in a manner which, 1T appears,
was not pleasing to him. since he became quite warm
At Gatesville he was replied to by Mr.. Bragg and
nj Elizabeth CITY by Mr. Martin. Strangely enough,
General Dockery planned of this, remarking that
he was attacked by local politicians, who could
electioneer upol local issues, while he was confined
to such issues as would 60 to the State at large 1t
never seemed to strike the General that be, of all
men, had no right to make this complaint. He chose
to start in advance of his regular competitor, who
would have been confined to the same class of is
sizes with himself. He endeavored 10 steal a march,
at least he devated from the usual and established
courtesy of the canvass apparently with the view
of demagogueing without reply or exposure. Know
ing that if met at all, he must be met by some Dem
oCrat of the localities where he might speak, we
cannot see any objection he could reasonably make,
unless his object were to evade discussion. He must
have known that he could be replied to by no regu
lar Democratic candidate until such were placed in
the field by the Democratic Convention.
The canvass will take the whole range of State
and National politics; but of course, the modern re-
vival of Mr.. Clay's distribution schemes-the ques-
ton of Free Suffrage of a Convention, Uhe latter
inevitably resulting in change of the basis, were it
possible 10 call one )-the distribution of the School
Fund, etc, will be among the leading topics the
Democrats opposing any plan for taking money out
of the peoples pockets, by taxation, to return 1T 10
their hands in the shape of grants or charities. IT
the General Government parts with lands and the
revenues arising from their sale, it must get back
money from some other source TO supply the deh-
cheney The only other source is taxation; the only
people upon whom that taxation be levied,
the very ones 10 whom the lands have been donated
In cases, perhaps, reasonable amounts OF lands
may be advantageousy given for the construction OF
improvements which cause an increased value IN
the adjacent lands, and see little to object to
grants of lands for such purposes, except the
tendency of the system to run into abuse: That 1t
has done in many cases. we freely admit, but we
think it can be proved from official documents and
statistics that much abused the system OF granting
alternate sections for the construction of railroads
has been STILL the actual proceeds from the reserved
sections enhanced in value by the works constructed
have been larger than they would have been from the
whole of the lands had no such improvements been
made that the General Treasury has been gamer
rather than loser by such grants OF alternate sections
If they have tended to benefit the states it has
not been by taking money out of the pockets of the
old Population alone gives value to land; and with
out the population of the states and territories
was built up, the public domain lying within them
could have neither market market value. As
Joint owners of the public lands ought, merely
from motives Of self-intcres to regard with favour the
advance of population in the neighourhood of the
common property and certainly that Demagogueism
IS not unmixed with malgnity which seeks TO cx-
cite prejudice against system in regard to the
pupliC lands, simply because, in bringing the pub
lie domain into market, it confeTs benefit instead of
infiCng injury Upon the State Territory IN which
such public domain chances TO lie. In where
there is plain and obvious compensation-wherci in
fact, experience has shown there results actual
profit, from the construction of works calculated to
bring lands into market, and above the value
which could have been realized from the sale of the
lands granted for the purpose of forwarding such
=, o,l n,ht ~
such grants be bitterly enveighed against and
least of all, how they be made the basis of argu
ments for such distribution and disposal Of the pub
tic property could in nOwiSe promise profit
pensaton to the Public Treasury, but must necess
tate taxation to the exact amount necessary to sup
ply the deficiency created by such distribution anc
this, too, without any corresponding benefits TO TIT
States, for it is evident that if the distribution of h
Public Lands, so much insisted upon, were made, i
must necessarily destroy the objects which It's adVO
Gates to have in view. The prodigious quaint
ties of land which would be thrown into market b.
competing vendors, would deprive it of marketable
value To distribute would be to render distribution
of no avail.
But we do not pretend to deny that abuses hav
Crcpt into the system under which the Public Land
have been administered When our researches hav
enabled us 10 discover anything human or carried Of
by human agency, into which abuses have not Crept
we will take great pleasure in stating that fact Ii
the mean time however, cannot bring ourselve
up to that progressive" state which Will enable
to appreciate the merits of those reforms who's
only operation can be displayed in the work of de
struChOn. 1t is true, undue amounts OF lands hav
been granted and greedy and grasping demands ar
now made by the States, but it is also true tina
even under the existing land system, the balance ha
been on the side OF profit, the result of grants O
land In alternate sections, with the view of bringin
the remainder INTO market. 1t appears also plalr
that while the public treasury would be depleted t
the amount Of the Lands distributed 10 the State:
and taxation necesStated to make up the deficiency
which taxation would of course have to be levied 0
the States receiving the distributed lands, no col
responding benefit could accrue to such States, as tn
presence OF over thirty competing vendors in til
market would inevitably deprive the lands of all MAJ
Ket value, while the States must sink into the posi-
ton OF the mere distributes of the General Govern
ment, already too powerful-their politics would dc
mOrallZed by the erection of new officers and agencie
arising out of the management of each ones quota {
the public lands To the amount necessary 10
recolected into the General Treasury, must be at
ded the expenses of collection and distribution
we are lar from contending that the Land SysteI
Is not capable Of change or amendment or that
should not be changed or amended We are as deer
ly impressed with the necessity for action as any on
can be,-but, from such action as is urged by III
advocates of distribution we hope to be delivered
Inc mere TACT that almost any system is prefcrab
to distribution, does not by any means argue that an
and every system is acceptable or Just We do 6
Tor change, upon plan somewhat similar to th
proposed many years ago by Mr. Calhoun and mo-
recently embodied in the Bill introduced into II
House by MIR. Boyd,-that is sale or cession of IL
lands TO the States in which they lie, upon such ia
conditions as shall guard the interests of the Unit
states and OF the Public Treasury, and, at the san
time, remove this miserable souabbe from the Hal
Of Congress.
We shall take occasion hereafter to bring forwa
the authorities and statistics to substantial our o
slhOns, and also 10 develope more fully our own view
our space compels us 10 conclude for the present.