Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-04-02

from the sales Of public lands within their limits 1t
is in regard to the grants of alternate sections OF
public lands for railroads and canals, amounting
suppose to some twenty-five millions OF acres that
propose some equivalent, though far short OF
full and just apportionment to the other States
will show you what an enormous amount woald De
required to do complete justice to the OLD states,
taking the railroad and canal grants alone as the
basis of the estimate-an amount so large that
would not think of making proposition upon such
a basis.
To Iowa, which has only four Representatives in
the two Houses of Congress, say S4,O0O,O00 worth
of public lands have been granted estimating them
at SI4 an acre, though | believe the amount is
greater. In the same ratio, New York, would be
entitled to thirty millions Take the Illinois grant,
and see to what length that would lead Us. Illinois
has eleven Representatives in the two Houses, and
she has received say four million dollars worth of
lands. New York, in the same ratio, would be
entitled to twelve and half millions of dollars. 1t
may be that the quantity of land granted to those
States may be even greater-say five millions. ],
however, propose standard of apportionment to
the States having land, to this extent. 1t would
alarm the country too much and do not know that
should be prepared myself to sustain such prop
oston at this time. What propose in this bill is,
to take the maximum grant of land to any one State
or Territory, say six millions in money value esti
mated at 81 % acre. In the distribution which
/
which New York would receive and every State
having no lands of course would receive less
amount or an amount apportioned among them
| in the ratio of their representation in the two
| House of Congress. The new States, which have
not had grants of land, equal in money value
| to the proportion their representation would entte
them to, propose to place upon an equal footing
with those States which have had grants This
would leave Michigan Illinois, and Iowa, far in adj
vance of the other members of the Union in the
enjoyment of the benefits of the public domain.
do not PROPOSE of course, to make any addition to
what they have already received, for they stand al
ready two three fold in advance of what it would
be expedent or judicious to apportiOn among the
other States
Having stated the principle of the bill, 1 wish to
call the attention of the Senate to one two con-
sderations that think rather striking in connection
with this question Sir, we cannot get an apprpria-
ton even for the purpose of making surveys to as
certain the practibty of improving the feeders to
that great natural canal the Ohio river, from Pitts
burg to its mouth, traversng line of country a
thousand miles in extent According to the rigOr-
Gus policy adopted by those who control the policy
OF the Government, we cannot get a grant OF an
acre of land, or an equivalent value in money, to
clear out the annual distractions formed by the
freshets in the Mississippi The trunk canal, which
drains one and half million of square miles-a
|
grant of land money for that object is said to be
unconstitutional; but it is perfectly constitutional
to grant public lands to Illinois, by which she is able
to exempt her people forever from taxatiOn-re-
ceves annually $4,000 or $3.50, 900; an amount
which, judciously applied, would keep the Missssip-
pi clear of all the annually accruing distractions to
its safe navigation.
We cannot without great contest here, get from
this great fuud-this magnificent property of the
| United States, the public domain-enOugh OF land
or money even to ascertain, by examinations and
survey, whether the feeder which nature has pro-
vided for that great canal, the Ohio river, may not
be improved by dams in such manner as to insure
a supply of water in the dry months of the year, OF
sufficient capacity to float all the produce upon its
borders safely to market. Why? Because such a
grant would be unconstitutional.
Is not this most extraordinary state of things
one at least, which requires some thought? You
refuse to appropriate either land or money for such
objects as tha and yet you feel perfectly authorized
by the Constitution in giving to each new State on
the borders of the Ohio, lands to improve rivers
and make artificial canals within their limits On
that grand trunk that great canal the Ohio, which
sweeps along the borders of four great States, you
are not authorized by the Constitution appropriate
a cent to improve its navigation. To such, viii
not say absurdities, but to such an unreasonable
extent is this doctrine of the strict constructions
carried.
Again, sir, look at the condition of the Treasury
at the present moment. We have probably
surplus of $25, 600, 900 in the treasury to-day. We
know the ordinary effect of such a state of things
We know what it was in 1885 and 1886. Many
doctors have given their criptiOns-suggesteC
their remedies for this state of things; and it mal
be said that have cast in mine. Various projects
have been suggested. Some are pending in thu
other House nOw-I do not know of any particular
| iii, I.olr ho
his favorte medicine, and there is not much incna
ton on the part of any one to abandon his own fO
the remedy proposed by another. One method il
by a reimbursement of the duties on imports. Ihavt
seen various estimates OF the extent to which certain
reductions of the duties on various articles of i'm
ported merchandise would diminish the revenue anC
depete the Treasury varying from ten to hteer
millions of dollars. That is to be dOie during tn,
present session, or by this time next year we shall
have surplus of more than forty millions in the
treasury. But if any measure of that kind is to be
forced through Congress- in the few days that re
main of the session, what confidence can we have
ofts success? On that point political doctors difle
as much as upon any other.
have been looking somewhat into the variou:
schemes presented, and it appears to me that some
of them, which are as likely to sGcceed any
Others, instead of diminishing the ne, will b,
very likely to increase it, though the duties may b,
free; and we the risk of interfering most inju
rously with the manufacturing and agricultural in
terests Of the country.
The great fact stares us in the face that we have
large surplus: and the cry is that the Treasury mus
be depleted even at the risk of doing greater mis-
chief to the country than might be done by letting
things remain they do not believe an
udicous or proper financial measure can be adopte,
within the short time allotted to us at this session
so that this surplus will accumulate for another year
Even when sit here next winter, we can maxi
no change of duties operative until the close of tn
neyt fiscal year; and if the importatons go on in
creasing as they have done of late the surplus ma
be fifty millions, sixty millions of dollars, be
fore any measure of that sort can be operative.
/ propose that the proceeds OF the sales of tn
public lands for the last and present fiscal year, be
ing about twelve or thirteen millions Of dollars
estimating the surplus for the present fiscal year
one half of that OF the last, shall be apportione'
among the States in the ratio have suggested.
propose to depete this boated Treasury by tina
amount and provide also that in each successive
fiscal year the proceeds Of the public lands shall b
appropriated and distributed in the way unit
we reach the maxium provided for the largest State
and It is very moderate sum compared with wha
would be necessary 10 place all the States upon al
equality with some Of the land States. This measur
however will deple.e the Treasury 10 the amount
have stated which would be a relief to the country
press it more particularly on the ground that
have no belief you can do anything safely an
prudently at this session, by REIMBURSEMENT Of th
tariff.
Southern Pacific Railroad.