Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-05-01
From the South-Side Democrat.
distribution Considered Financially.


Illegally when Judged by the compact of the States.
In the former aspect the subject has been so fire.
queny and fully treated as to leave little to desire
but the fns ncia folly OF the scheme has not been
81 frequently exposed we shall submit few consid
eratons on the subject, drawn from an examination
of the national balance sheet.
The advocates of distribution are fond of dazzling
The minds of their hearers and readers with mag
nicent account Of the tTetue hundred millions OF
acres of public lands owned by the Federal Govern
ment ami ready to fall into the hands of the States,
if they would only hearken to their wooing, and
afford their patriotism opportunity Of devollng IL
self to the service OF the confederacy. division of
The sum into parts roportionable to the federal pop
uaton of the various States, and then reduced into
the entcing form of dollars and cents forms gori.
GUS substratum for infnlty of haldt rdash and
| " Buncombe" and serves sometimes to entrap the
unweary. Let US try the case by figures.
We will, for the sake of The argument grant, what
is far from being the fact that every foot of this i'm
mense domain is susceptible of such disposition
We will concede that whether these acres were de.
rived by purchase from foreign States, by treaties
with foreign States, by conquest, by the extnguish-
meni of Indian title or by he cessation, conditional
or unconditional, of States OF this Union-however
derived we will agree that every foot of them is dis
possible in the way desired by the dislrbutonsts.-
Nay more shall not only admit that there is
objection to such disposition, based upon the partic
ular mode of acquisition, but will further concede,
for the moment, that every barrier in the constitution
stipulation appeared The face of that instrument
authorizing The precise measure as advocated now in
Virginia. And, granting this We contend that every
consideration of prudence would call upon us not on
y to forcgo the exercise of such power, but to pro-
test against any action to that end bv Congress-.
In the fist place, it is simply ridiculous to speak
of this vast domain though it could be at once con-
verted into money, and the proceeds be thus made
Immediately avalablethe disposable funds of the
whole earth would suffice for the purchase. Nor
| H. .I,o1C
be able to bring the lands speedily into market,
find purchasers readily than the general gov
eminent. Having no standing armies, no military
and scientific organizations none OF these powerful
auxiliaries supplied by the bureaus OF War and The
interior, say nothing of the awbacks that would
result from conflict of title it is not to be presumed
that they would be able 10 sell the land rapidly
than Congress- Let take, then, the account of the
government for single year, and that one of extra
| ordinary brskness in the land market, and examine
into the profits of the transaction.
The official returns for the last fiscal year exhibit
the sales of nine millions two hundred and twenty
seven thousand eight hundred and seventy eight
(9227 878) OF land, at net price of eight mil
lions eight hundred and twenty-one thousand four
hundred and fourteen dollars ($8,s21 ,414) Now,
if every cent of this fund distributed among the
Staies the share of Virginia would be four hundred
ard ninety thousand and seventy eight dollars AGO.,
O78) = equal to about eighth of one per
ctntttm the assessed volue of the landed property
alone an P1rginia.
This is the immense fund which is to build the
railroads and annhilate the taxes OF Virginia
Contemplate, however, this appears, it is abso-
lately enormous in comparison with the utmous limit
of the real returns that could possibly the
State from such distribution, moments ref1ec-
ton will determine. So far we have examine only
the credit side of the account let us now look to the
debts, and discover, if we can, what this sum of 49,
S21, al A is chargeable with. Upon examining the
returns of the department of The Interior, find
this large sum debited at the outset with $4,000
for the expense of survey, and 81 for appro
priatons to eXtingush Indian titles. The receipts
thus cut down over two millions of dollars at once.
But this is but the beg inning of the account, and by
| far the smallest item in 1t.
| The military force of the United States with the
exception of The few troops necessary FOR the garrison
of eastern Notifications, is employed almost excu-
sveIy in the defence of these public lands from the
Indians. Should this territory the receipts from
its sal, be divided among tie States they would have
to assume lis defence, what, in financial point Of
view, is precisely the same thing, Congress would
do it with funds derived from the taxation of the
citizens of the States In the latter case the cost
would be exactly as it is now ; in the former to say
nothing of the unconstitutonalty the measure, the
expense would be much greater, because the cost of
the standing army which Congress must always main.
tain a nucus for times of war, would have to be
added the cost of regular force from every State in
the Union. We will suppose, then, that the cheap
est method OF defence were adopted, and that United
States troops should still Defend and United States
officers still dispose of the lands then let the
cost.
We begin by striking out from the list of army es.
Inmates every item of expense not directly chagea-
BILE to the troops employed in the guardianship of the
public lands. To this end omit all account of the
expenses OF Notifications, pensions, hospitals military
roads, recruiting, &C., and confne ourselves simply to
the items of the quartermaster's and paymasier's
budget The expenditure of the former for the fiscal
year under examination amounted to six millions nine
hundred and seventy thousand seven hundred and
eighty nine dollars ($6,976, 1897 The expenditure
of the latter, exclusive Of payments of the Military
Academy, which we strike ou as not Justly chargeabe
in this extmate, was three millions eight hundred and
seventy thousand five hundred and ninety eight
dollars (S3,078, 598, )-making total account OF
war expenditure of ten millions eight hundred and
ffty-fve thousand three hundred and eighty-seven
dollars (SlO,855, 1919 Wha proportion of this sum
is exclusively chargeable to the public lands it is OF
course, impossible TO say but when we reflect that
during the year under examination, we have had no
foreign war and with the exception of few paltry
garlsons no need for single j. s. soldier in all the
States of this contederacy it surely will not be an
over estimate, but to place the question beyond the
chance of cavi we put the proportion as above
mentioned The sum thus resulting would amount to
seven millions two hundred and thlrtyslx thousand
nine hundred and twenty-foar dollars, 1926 ,924)
Let US 60 back now and make up our books Ex-
penditure-
lhoah tI'ie '''''' 600 '''. ''.'' 1'I3O,OOU
Cost OF defence. Observation-Disclosures. 1926 .924
Total............. ............ s,3a9,924
Receipts
Sales of lands Observation-Disclosures. 8,82l,4l4
Annual loss 0lS,0lU
This is the sum that would remain 10 be disribut
ed annually among the Staes-a deficit of ouer hall
, a Million