Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-05-05
rr-,r, rho p,chr.on, Wig Apr:! 30

". have lad sad occasion, tioh iinl5 10 mr. 10
point The gross and ,paiPaS.s 1.S 81 :.
se, ri the DG.Eocrhc press tEu lci't'e''- 0' '''
question Of The public lands. ,.;
What we have said Is culy by way 81 ih'r"i.''i
10 one OF the most fragrant piece. oil ihco"s''''
on i6 part OF on. of the Democratic Jourhas On .ne
State which has ever fallen under our ooser'a.'o'i.
TIE Alexandria Sentinel. for weeks past mas nseh
particularly rampant in its opposition toa disFiDu
ion OF the public lands. Day after day nave lts co
juInr- been filled will; elaborate and Garnet mr. ee
prot. sting a,siIsi the scheme III whrn aiin hut
terms Only on Friday evening last II came our VI IA
pnrnprarh under the terrifying caption OF d'eGay
Fayvrs" ard proceeding 10 deliver Itself mus. iHo
Di.,rbu,ion hobby Of the Wing and American par
ties has already broken down. The people see !hai
tb scheme ia an evil one to the poor man, ana eva
one 10 the Southern man. eVii 10 'hg co ~
classes, evil to Eastern land holders, evilto Western
land .uecuiarors evil 10 the public al iargt-eVH'
and ONLY evil" Such il the earliest, heHtt-su'hIig'
..eyi.drup;Ilg" language of our Alexandra conie'n
porary n the present time, IN relation 10 HE scHte
Of lard Distribution. NH.
Stat-s.riuh's aud anti-dsiribrton journal, Snort
Will. barkl Has il always been opposed 10 nppro'
,rialirus of land and money 10 The States! i'e' us
see In the Alexandria Sehlinel o! The Din oi MARCH,
VT find The following short, but curious paragraph
I'VE are very sorry that the bill appropria'is
$3.50 0CO tc the State OF Virginia for the oen.h OF e
Grunge and Alexandria Rail Road, again fal!ed 10
pass the House o. Representatives..
l. he above really and truly from Democratic
iUurne--iruin Virginia Democratic Journai-iroh'
Journal when opposes the scheme o equal d!s'ri'
button Of The public lands among ne States, ms esi'
and oulr ey!ll' How ia this "Psry sorry, are
,cu ihat the TN dpproprinti"g Sl20,No 10 ne Stae
Of lueia,t, Jor the bcHCft Of Tie Orange "Ha .a''f
aa.tria Rat toad, agGia tailed topass ne H"nSs q
PeIrcs"rrGiiU,s! :" Why are you very sorry
that Congress should have appropriated me sma'
pittance Of $i2O,Ou0 "to the State OF Virginia -
You maintain every day that II ~ unconstitutional ~"
Cougress 10 appropriate any portion Vi 'he Pu"''
lands, great UT snail, 10 any Of lie States ana 9e'
you gtieve over tho fact that it refused to appropriate
moncy to the Commonwealth OF virginia ARa'n'
We ask how is this La it unconstitutional 10 appro'
pirate lands to the States, and yet entirety shG per
tectly constitutional TO appropriate money Is u.,
constitutional ~ appropriate either lanes Ut oie5 |"
either al the other !a'i roads in tho STATE" ana ye
and right and proper Ia appropriate st20O,U or al!
amount 70 ,he Orang. and Alexandria roao
Really, i, is difficult To argue with men who perpe
tra,e in the broad face OF day, such hagrsn' ana
stsrrlirg Inconsistencies. 10 hear gentlemen pra'ing
about The necessity of defending and preserving the
Constitution at all hazards and To the iast extremity
and then hear them expressing themselves ns very
sorry" that it was not violated in particular III
stance. We REPEAT thai such course "t cohduet Is
strangely ine1p!icnb!e TO u.s. Sarey: u ne .ons
tuona! to appropriate the Rum Of Sl:o,OUO ITO The
State Of Virgins" for any purpose whatsoever II
would be equally constitutional Tor Congress 10 mp
prcp!iats TO the old Commonwealth Si2O LOT
the sam. thousand other purposes. Ana II II w
constitutional we again repeat, toap0r"pr"tc money
urav l us why il would not be equally constitution
al 10 appropriate lands, either i'll small or great qua-
titles We leave to our A!rsandria contemporary 10
say Why he favored IN appropriation OF m0"y ~ 'i
State Of Virginia. and yet dennunces the schhls J.,
equal distribution OF the puDc ianns as ' I
and atrocious-as "evii. and only evil" He may De
able 10 rxplein his positions; but IT he shall D=' We
shall hereafter lock upon him MS compromising III
his own person all The ingenuity aud ability OF I'll
the Philadelphia lawyers n no have lived or may AVE.
COMMENTS
We intended more immediate response TO the
above, but circumstances have delayed it.
We remark, in the first place, that the extract quo
ted from the Seat,nci By the Wig, has no BEARING
whatever Oh the issue which The distributionsts are
now making upon the public lands The appr"pr'"'
ton desired by US was MONEY, ana the application
had no reference in any shape to the source whence
the money might come into the federal treasury. Inc
argument Of the Hhig against Our CONSISTENCY, ny
be urged TO this extent: The Sc"tinf' holds that the
revenue from the public lands, stands on the same
footing with that from o:her sources How then can
i: favor appropriations Of moncy from the general
fund sn vet oppose n unconstitutional, grants from
the iand fund, which forms part OF tn" general
Srch !. the argument o! the Wax. We choose to
state il n its utmost strength, uneinbarrassed by the
position ably maintained by tina; the land fund
i, already specially pledged to The payment .! the
public debt, and therefore is more invloable than
other sources OF revenue.
i;u; tie claim Of the disriLutionss ia that tbs land
fani is tho ssp4ra:e Instead OF tie 10~ properly OF
the Satss and hence i. pcp2'1ry the subject Oh d'-
vis,nn snong them; aud :nLe" thst cannot proper
~ go in,u The federal treasury Tor ccm%0" purposes
a. all. Il s, they Say, per"erson AID u wrong 10
nprY il thus. This is the foundation p:Ihcipe oil
Distribution. Thi. il the central Idea Now u '!ie
Richmond Wing can find anything IN he esHse'
taken from the .Scatiae! 10 sustain t6ls p"="h'
when is the real issue between us, then we will agree
thar liz editor al l.s.t, "comprehends in bis OWE
person, all the Ingenuity and ability OF all the Phiia'
dephia lawyers who have lived or may live.
Thus it appears that the Inconsistency which the
] WIZ charges upon us, fails TO compromise us Oh
The ,ssus raised Az! relied upon by the land d'siribu-
,;nr;s,s II :he nojn, against u gero we'll taken,
i, would merely chow that were inconsistent on
the subiec: OF Internal improvements by the denera
Governmental Federal appropriations to sta'e &C.
velopment. We vii! ROW relieve ourselves from that
aepuct Of tho indictment
! We ,nust cay, in tho commencement tAs' 10 'he
surprising ignorance OF the Wig on the s"lfe' 10
which, our article Of the 5th Of March referred ara
duo is criticisms of last Monday, aud tbs necessity Of
ri. rcny. Iii all ignorance which would amaze u-
il journalist usually so well informed out 'r .''
fact that it i. pretty fair sample o! 'ha' "sn' o' 'u
formation and calm inquiry which gives riTe 10 ue
proys errors, the loose statements, and me Wiz
lresnnrs that mark the distribution logic ct she pre-
.s,, csnvass. From this example the people shall
Judge what distribution defamation is worth.
THE bill whose failure we regretted, asked no g't
ar .b. General Government. In the name OF Flrg'
MIN am; by the authority o; her Legislature, II de-
noudeG what che regarded as ne payment OF u oeo'
d.. her VIRGINIA appropriated the money, when
cor,c;.d 20 the .snef; o! the Orange aud A'exan
a,i. Rail Road Company and authorised 'ha' Com
pspv 10 appy for and receive 1t OF Congress- ~
will tnua ne sesn that il was The claim OF virginia
for n, ,aymeu, Of inst deb and not the petition o:
the Orange and Aexdudris Company, for J"ror
tba. engaged the attention Of Congress. That var.
ein,a had the right to appropriate her claim ana lis
rruit5 TO her own development, OF course no one
doubts. And it wos no concern OF lhe General Gov
e.nner. what application Virginia chose to make OF
;he money for i, ,,as in NJ way complicated 10 such
disposition or It's objects. It's one duty was 10 look
to The validity of vrsinias claim and it is because
we think her claim just one, that we expressed a
regret which we now repeat, at tho failure OF Con
gross TO provide tor it.
The claim Of which We hav5 spoken has no coz
nection with the pablo innd queston' nu' 's
c-ar, die'iuct, business transaction. In 1917 ''c
Congress of the United States selected Inc size VI
what is now Washington city, us toe permanent sea-
of the federal government The federal treasury
was empty and su5!ic credits selling at one e'sh'h
of their par value. Taere was no money WIN
which to erect public buildings. In this di'enna'
Virginia, ever prompt in patriotic dity through her
Legislature. on the 9th day Of December l''c'