Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1857-04-15
The Public Lands.

OF their sales is. that they have been and are being
squandered on the new States. for purposes of edu
cation and internal improvements; and that in this
way the old States being injured and the federal
treasury deprived Of its just income from the lands.
The Register, of this City, characterizes the grants
to new States for purposes mentioned as "unfair,
corrupt. and in'quitous"-and that paper then pro-
ceeds to show, by its figures to what extent and
how these lands have been squandered. 1t states,
in the first place, the number of acres sold up to
800 lsO That is nearly correct reference being had
to the American Almanac of 1857, and to the Re-
port of the Secretary of the Interior for 1863 But
the Register then states the number of acres given
away by Congress- for schools and colleges, inter-
nal improvements, &C., at O,Sls, ,436 acres This
is great mistake Up to 1853 as the Report of
the Secretary Of the Interior shows, only about
twelve millions Of had been granted for cduca-
tional purposes, and about seventeen millions fo- in
ternal improvements; whereas, the Register has six
ty six millions donated to schools and colleges. and
thirty three millions TO Railroads! That paper must
have obtained its figures from the bogus statistics
of Mr. Bennett, Of New York. As to the swamp
lands granted to the twelve land States the Register
Is about right in estimating them at $4,000, 900 Of
acres; but these lands are is known in most
comparatively worthless, requiring large expend-
lures and much time and patience to render them
arabic and valuable. Nothing is lost by this to the
general government, but something may be gained
to the individual States to whom these swamp lands
are grated; for they may drain and improve them,
but the general government never will.
The entire area of the public domain is estimated
Of To-, IL, II. ,l,Io
territory acquired from Mexico Exclusive of the
l,nds in Oregon, California New Mexico, Utah,
Kansas, and Nebraska, the number of acres is est-
mated at All, ,SO2, 49, This is, indeed, great in
heritance. The whole amount which has accrued
from sales of the public lands, up to this time, is
about $l6O,C0),000; and of this, according to the
Report of the Secretary of the Interior referred to-
some S50,OoO,O00 mus, be regarded net profits
1t is, however, asserted on the contrary that the
Mhds are still largely an dt6t 20 tie customs. This
is the opinion of Gov. Wise; and, if we arc not mis-
takcn it was stated and shown to be the fact by the
Commissioner of the General Land Office in 1854.
That the new States, as they are called, within
whose limits these lands are situated should be lib
e'ally and even generously treated by the genera.
government, we presume every one will admit. We
take this for granted, and shall not, therefore, give
the reasons why it should be so. And we now as
sert that, up to recent period this has been, as
general thing, the policy of the general government
nothing more and nothing less; and furthermore,
that the Whig and the Democratic parties as repre-
sented in Congress, are both committed to this poll
cy, as shown by their votes; and that though stren-
efforts have been M ,e during the last four or
five years, to waste the public lands, and to divert
Them from, fIuir ,1i
ton, yet these efforts have great extent failed
owing either to the frmness of the Senate or the
interposition of the Executive veto.
1St 1t has always been the custom to grant to
new States, their admission, tain quantities Of
lands for school purposes and pnblc buildings and
also five per cent. the amount Of land sales with
in their limits. By their distribution act of 1871
the Wings went greatly beyond this. This act pro-
vided that in addition to their full share with the
old States the then new States should receive ten
per cent. the net proceeds of the sales and that
they should also have, absolute gift, four mil.
lions five hundred thousand acres to be chosen by
themselves. The same act provided that distribu-
uon should cease whenever the tariff should be rails
ell above twenty per cent; and at the next session
OF Congress- the Wings raised the tariff, aud thus
cut off dist ibution.
This was not only Gerry generous to the new, but
unjust TO the old States. The Editor of the Register
approved this act and is therefore, with other higs
responsible for it.
3D. The grant Of land to the Illinois Central Rail-
road Company is often referred to as an instance of
reckless squandering Of the public domain The
act making this grant was approved by Mr.. Fill.
more. and was voted for by the Wing Senators from
this State, MesSrs Badger and Mangum [Sec Cong.
Globe vo! 81, part l, page 904.l 1t was sustained
by majority of Wings, and opposed by majority
OF Democrats in the House of Representatives
improper and ,x,ravagant grants that have been
made The old Whig party, in its day. was much
more inclined to squander the public lands on the
new States and on Railroads than the Democrats ev-
err have been. They voted for and passed bills and
their Presidents approved them, doing manifest in.
justice to the old States; and they turned round
then, as they do now, and abored fix the respon.
sibiy f'r this injustice the Democratic party
We speak by the record, which will abundantly
sustain us in what We have said. Let the Register
before it finds fault with and censures the Democra.
tic party this subject, 60 to the record-look up
the tacts and tell it's readers what has been the &C
ton of its own party friends in relation the pub.
lie domain.
We agree with our cotemporary that the question
of distribution is important; but he is mistaken in
supposing that our purpose is to waive or evade q
discussion of it. We have thought it well enough,