Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-04-06

"the unapproprsted lands which might be ceded
TO the United Satisfy any particular State, puf-
''suant 10 the Recommendation Of Congress OF the
18th of September last, shall be disposed of for
''fhe coms'0n benefit of the United States.
Virginia promptly made cession of her vast do
main north Of the river Ohio. out OF which six
States have since been formed The condition of
net c. sson adopted sub tantialy by other States)
~"s, tnst a'sthe lands conveyed shall be consid-
REQ as COMMON fund for the use and benefit of
sucn OF the U. S. as have become or shall be-
come members of the cobfederscy or federal ALI
ance OF the said States, Virginia inclusive, az
"cording to their usual respective proportions in
the general charge and expenditure, and shall be
faithfully and bona tfde disposed OF for that pur-
pose, and for no other tsSs or purpose whGterer
inus were the lands ce6ed, accepted, and held en-
trust. How they have sine been disposed Of, in
total disregard of the conditions of the trust, the
history OF the country tells in the annals Of Con-
gressional Legislation.
In disregard of the plain obligations Of the trust,
President jackson, IN the early days Of bis admiu-
Etraton, proposed to eede the lands thus acquired
and all subsequently purchased to the States in
which they lie, gratnilously for nominal price.
To counterfeit this movement, which at that time
met with no favor in Congress. b1t which has since
been substantially adopted in the system of partial
grants, Mr.. Clay introduced his we-knoVn dis,ri-
button bill, which passed by Congress on the
I'd day OF March, 1888, by a vote of "a to 90 in
the Senate, and sc TO 40 in the House Of Repre-
sentatives. This bill President Jackson refused
approve, and il did not become law the popular
will as indicated by the vote Of the House. 10 the
contrary notwithstanding. Some of the Western
members did not hesitate to svow the purpose of
eventually appropristng to the States in which they
lie sll the public lands, and one of the most emf
nent of them declared that after the of 1850
the power to do so would be irresistible. The fu-
flment of this menace is almost complete, and az
ter the census of 1850 the old States will be utter
ly powerless unless they unite cordially for their
common protection.
The whole amount of money which would have
gone into the Treasury of Virginia under the pro-
visions of Mr.. Clay's land bill, from 1882 to 1889.
period of seven years, would have been foar mil
lion three hundred aud Sirty-nine thousand hun
dred and sirty-'ine dollars for each year seven
hu2dred and twenty-eigbt thousand one hundred
and ninety-four dollars
On s. ptember f. l84l, an act was passed to ap
propriate the proceeds Of the sales Of the public
lands amongst the several Stats. The first section
provided that from and after tn 3lst December.
lS4l, there should 6 be allowed and paid to each
Of the States of Ohio, Indiana, llhDOs, Alabama,
Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and
Michigan, over and above what each of the said
entered into between them and the United States,
upon their admission into the Union, the sum of ten
per centum upon the nett proceeds of the sales OF
the public lands, which, subsequent to the day
Aforesaid, shall be made within the limits Of eacn
of said States respectiv, ly."
After deducting the said per centum, the residue
of the nett proceeds was to be divided amongst tie
then twenty-six States of the Union and the Die
trict Of Columbia, and the Territories of Winconsn,
Iowa, and Florida, according to their respective
federal representative population ssceralnpd by
the last census, (lS40) to be applied BY the Legis
atures of the said States to such purposes as the
said Legislatures might direct, provided that the
dstributive share to which the District of Columbia
shall be entitled should be applied TO free schools
or education in some other form, as Congress might
direct In the sixth section of the act there was
a proviso that il at any time there should be an
imposition OF duties consistent with the of March
2, 1888, beyond the rate OF DUTY (twenty per cent
nm \ fixed by that act, the distribution should be
suspend until this Cause shoul,i be removed
The proceeds were thus divided for one year, and
accepted by all the States, we b, leVe, except Yr
GINA. The Legislature OF that State refused to
ceve the forty thousand dollars for that year, "a
much smaller sum than the average would have
been had the law been continued, } on the ground
that il wss an attempt on the part of Congress to
corrupt the people of the State by gifts from the
Federal Treasury.
By the operation of the act of August 4, 1912,
to provide revenue from imports &c. the dstribu-
lion of the nett proceeds of the publc lands among
the States was suspended. The proceeds of the
Lands up to and including the lst of January, s39,
amounted to the sum of S57, 227 800.
The following sums have since been received: