The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-12-11
WASHINGTON, d. c..
THE S0UTHE ERIN PRESS,
LAND GRANTS TO THE WESTERN STATES
TWO EVILS.
Fsam the Richmond VA Wing.

Fam the Richmond Wal Wing.
Ii is not to Illinois alone that Congress has
been thus liberal. Nearly all, perhaps every
one, of the Northwestern States have been
treated in manner equally as muni6cent 1t
was no longer ago than last summer that Con-
gress granted to the State of Iowa sufficiency
of public lands to build four parallel railroads,
at convenient intervals, across the entire extent
of the State.
The Whig confines its remarks to the
Northwestern States, as if they alone were the
recipients of Federal bounty. The policy, it
ought to state, is sustained by all the Western
States, slaveholding as well as free, and the
grants have been made to all. If one section
has prohted more by them than the other, it is
to be attributed TO that " free society" so much
sneered at in the South.-Ed. Era
There are two evils attending this disposition
OF the public lands, and both are of such serious
magnitude that it is difficult to determine which
Is the greater. In the first place, it operates
Palpahle and fragrant injustice to the States of
the Atlantic border. These lands are the COM
mon property of all the States, North. South.
East, and West. Under all the treaties by
which we have acquired territory. a considera-
ton has been paid in money, and that money
has been taken from the Treasury of the Uni.
ted States. BY the treaty of Louisiana, under
which we acquired most of our territory west of
the Mississippi we had TO depIete the Treasury
at time when the Government was COMPARE
lively in Its infancy. 1t has not been more
than three years since we paid Mexico ten mil
lions OF dollars in cash for what is commonly
known as the Gads3en purchase.
This territory, acquired by the common treas
1Tra ov~1 IL
glUeR to the Federal Government by the State
of Virginis-the plainest principles of Justice
teach, should belong to the States in common.
Any system by which the States of any one
section derive benefit from it which is not
participated in By the States of other sections
IS grievous wrong. Official statistics show
that the receipts into the public treasury from
the sales of these lands amount to COMPARE
lively little.
The Anti-Slavery States have already ma |
Jorlty OF ffty-four members in the lower House |
of Congress. Who can doubt that another |
superintendent viii place the South in still |
leaner mir rity, and thus take away from US |
the best Guaranty OF all for the protection of our
nghis-the guaranty of numbersP
There is another effect of this material wealth |
Of these Northwestern States, to which the
South should not be Indifferent. The building
Of these internal improvements has enabled
those States 70 compete with the States of the
South, In the New York and Boston markets,
IN the sale OF the productions of agriculture
The fertile lands and cheap labor of the North
west enable the agriculturists there to under
sell us IN New York, aud to bring down the
price Of grain. The -four and wheat of Ohio,
Michigan, and Illinois, are now annually pour
ed INTO the Eastern cities In immense quanti-
ties. We're it otherwise, there can be no man
ner CT doubt that our own productions would
command q much higher figure.
The second evil of which we COMPLAIN is.
that the Northwestern States, thus made the
objects Of the special bounty of the Federal
Government, become accustomed to look to the
Federal Government alone as the concentration
OF power, and to lose that respect for the SOW
erelgniy aud independence of the States them.
selyes, which is the browning glory of our Re-
publican system. Talk to Northwestern man
about States Rights, and the sovereignty of
the States, and he laughs you in the face The
Northern States, like their people, are gregar-
Gus IN their hsbits-and are distinguished by
none of that special individuality which pecu.
larry marks the States and the people of the
South. Thus disposed they look upon the
Federal Government mainly as the grand dis
penser Of aims and benefits. There is the Ter.
ritory OF Minnesota, for instance, with popula-
ton four times as great as that with which
other Territories have claimed admission into
the Union-which still refuses to apply for ad.
mission. Why? Because, in her present con-
dltlon, al the expenses Of the Administration
Of justice are paid by the General Government.
and all her public buildings are erected at the
cost of the same bountifu hand. As State,
she would have these expenditures to make
ont Of he- own Treasury-snd thus she remains
IN territorial condition for the purpose of
bleeding the national arm.
The ideas which we Of the South entertain,
as to the rights of the States, are secuted as
absurd by the people of the Northwest And
thus, besides advancing in material wealth,
and with giant strides, to position of com.
manding importance in the Confsderacy, at the
expense and to the detriment Of the national
Treasury and the States of the South, they
have also made rude innovations upon the |
principles which regulate the connection of the
States with the central authority, and are grad
ually sweeping away all the Conservative senti-
ments which distinguish the people of the |
Southern States. Both of these evils should be |
corrected before they attain to too fearful |
magnitude