Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-07-17
N ASH WILLIE:
who shan have she Pubiic Lana.'

who shall have The Public Landsa
We have a magnificent public domain COW
ering an area of from ten to twelve hundred
millions of acres, which was obtained By the
common blood and treasure of the whole coun-
try. The question occurs, who shall enjoy i.9
Shall it be appropriated to the benefit of few
to the exclusion of the rest of the States, or
shall it be shared equally among them ALI
Because the latter appeared right and is in re-
atty most just and equitable, the American
party have said that it ought to be disposed Of
in that way. But our immediate opponents in
Tennessee, have opposed this mode, and insist
that it shall be reserved for the future homes
of our children. This is their theory; but
their practice has been different from this, and
large amounts of land have been granted as a
gratuity to States and corporations in some
portions OF the country, and when those States
which have heretofore been totally or in
great measure neglected, make demand for
their share, they are rebuked and told that it
is wrong unconstitutional and impolitic In
theis zeal to meet and overthrow the position
the American party has assumed upon the
subject, some of their more reckless and IN
principled organs have asserted that the Black
Republicans are in favor of dividing the pub
! lie lands, and that the national Democracy are
| fighting the Know NothiDgs and the Black
| Republicans combined, on this issue. So long
as the Black Republican States Of the North
west were able to obtain partial grants to aid
in binding up their own section, they were
| perfectly satisfied with the process. But now,
since there is demand upon the part of the
old States, and especially those of the South,
for their share, they change ther tactics, and
array themselves with the Democracy upon
| this subject. They now demand that the lands
be reserved for the use Of the settlers upon
them. In au enunciatiOn OF principles made
10 the National Era, the Washington organ of
the Black Republicans, we find the following
as one of their tenets:
"That the public lands should be held trust
for the benefit of the people OF the United States,
to be granted in limited quantities TO actual 81 tile IS
who are iandless, and TO De protected against no
| nopolies."
So, the fact ia that instead f being with Us
the Black Republican, are amongst the DenaOc-
racy fighting against us. They agree with the
! Democracy, and while declairning against mo.
nopolieS, are creating them. Take the Illinois
! Central Railroad as an example. The landed
possessions of this company were so great and
so valuable that they actually Oyerbid the
| United States government, and employed Jno.
! Wilson, the former able United States Land
! Commissioner, to take the management of
their stupendous land fund; and be is now in
the employ of that Company, and is making
it yield to them, riches almost untold.
There is nothing strange in this attitude of
the Black Republicans. They know very well
where the ''actual settlers" come from to these
new territories. They know thai the North
and foreign countries supply five to one, per-
ha Is ten to one, Of these "actual settlers" and
they know too, that in all sectional contests
these actual settlers will do for them to rely
upon. They would be untrue to themselves
as a party, and write themselves down as fools,
if they favored any other policy in respect to
the public lands, than that above given. Ev-
cry inducement which they are able to hold
out for the surplus fanatics of their own sec
ton, to pass from where it is not needed, to
the territories where it is needed in the forma-
ton of new States is eagerly seized upon by
| them. BY dividing their powers, in this way,
they, Of course, become more powerful. We
are very far from charging that the masses OF
the Democracy of Tennessee are Black RePubli-
cans in principle or feeling. We believe them to
be the reverse, and it is therefore, that we show
how they are made to play into the hands OF
that party, unwittingly and Internationally
We desire them TO know upon what ground
they are treading, aud if, knowing it, they
guilty, and responsible to the country and
TO posterity.