The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-06-13

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l,l25 4,32000O
The above extract is taken from the WASH
ington Union-the leading central organ of
the Democratic party of the United States
And what a melancholy and instructive lesson
does it teach How cogent and emphatic n
commentary is it upon the partial and suicidal
policy of our Democratic statesmen and law
givers! Here are four and a half millions Of
acres of the public lands-the common prop.
erty of all the States, and belonging as much
to Virginia as to any other-given away at
single dash to one single State in the North
West Given away to enable that State to
constructions different railroads, about forty
miles apart, running from the Mississippi to
the Missouri river, thus crossing the whole
State four times from East 10 West. and
averaging nearly three hundred miles each in
length =, Four and half millions of acres
of land to Iowa by single bill at the present
Congress, bsmcans of which that young and
thriving State will soon have completed four
Railroads the whole length of the State
that's, one thousand and one hundred and
sixty-hve miles of railway in all! And all
this is done for her by Congress, with the
appreciation of a Democratic Senate and a
Democratic President. Not cent will the
construction of these four long lines Of Rail-
road cost Iowa but they will be built for
her out of property which belongs equally to
Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and the
other Southern States, which, while this
common domain is being lavished SO prodi.
gally upon the North Western States, are
themselves receiving not the value of an acre.
And all this in consequence of the senseess
and ruinous policy pursued by the Democratic
party of the South. The Northern Democrats
have no scruples in thus appropriating large
quantities of the public lands to their own
States-and hence the rapdity with which
these lands are all being disposed of most
partially and wrongfully, to few of the new
States, to the utter and lasting exclusion of
the old, Virginia included. In few years at
most not an acre Of those public lands will
be LETT. The North Western States will have
grabbed them all. What excuse,wil Southern
Democrats then render to the Southern peo-
pie for the injustice and injury which their
scruples and their folly have inflicted upon
them?
In addition to the late grant to Iowa, we
observe that bill is now pending in Con-
gress, which proposes to give to Wisconsin
one million four hundred and eighty thousand
acres Of public lands, in order to enable that
State to build three railroads, embracing 500
miles.
We are really puzzled to understand how
any man with drop of Virginia or Southern
blood in his veins can see these North western
States making themselves prosperous and
rich and powerful ont of the public treasury,
and yet oppose the appropriation of single
farthing to his own section. Suppose it is
conceded, for arguments sake, that all such
appropriations are improper and unconstitu.
tional--yet, il we find that these lands are all
being distributed, in a partial and unjust
manner, to few States--what. theE, is our
duty as practical men, looking to our own
interests and our own rghtsl Why, our
notion is-no matter what our constitutional
views on the subject might be--that If grab.
law is TO prevail, we should not hesitate to
take our portion of that which law and right
both say Justly belong to us. We are not
such sticklers for mere abstraction MS to sub
nit to be heeced by others and actually rob-
bed of what is our own, without a struggle
and without complaining. If protesting
against such foul wrong is discovered TO do
no good, then we should calmly determine to
maintain our own rights--inslde Of the Con.
stitution, II: we can, but outside, IL we must.
We leave this subject to be pondered over
by our renders at their leisure. We ask them,
when the sheriff taps them on the shoulder
the coming summer and fall, and presents
bill to them just double what it was last year,
to consider whether our own railroads might
not just as well, and with equal propriety,
have been built out of donations of the pub.
lie lands as those same kind of improvements
in the States Of the Northw,
poSio"' ~ Al Bangor, Wateryile,
.,,,e ihis morning IL was showing
, and Dan,,h Da.."a,her VISA very cold,