Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-05-15
F,om The Wheeling Argus.
Extracts from Jackson,ssL Land Bill
Veto, Dec, 4th, 1883.
o t6e .Senate ofths United .sLafe,

lectIons which have felt 1t, to- be my du-
" to make to its passage, can be correct>
~ appreciated, without full understand
ing of the manner in which the public
lands upon which it is intended to oper-
:ntes were acquired, and the conditions
upon which they are now held by the In
tied States. "a =
The waste lands within the United
States constituted one of the early
obstacles to the organization Of any gov
eminent for the protection of their COM
mon interests. In October. 1916. while
Congress were framing the articles of
confederation, proposition was made to
amend them to The following effect, viz
t'That the United States in Congress
assembled, shall have sole and exclusive
powers TO ascertain and fix the western
boundaries of such States as claim to the
: Mississippi or South Sea. and lay out the
land beyond the boundary. so ascertaiued
into separate and independent States from
time to time as the members and circum-
stances Of the people thereof may re-
quire."
It was. however. rejected, Maryland
only voting for it; and so difficult did the
subject appear. that the patriots Of that
body agreed to waive it in the articles OF
confederation. and leave it for future set
Element.
On the sole ground that no declaration
TO that effect was contained in the arti-
eles. Maryland withheld her assent, and
in May. 1893 imbodied her objections in
the form of instructions TO the delegates,
which were entered upon the journals OF
Congress. The following extracts are
from that document. viz
+. Is it possible that those States. who
are ambitiously grasping at territories. to
which in our judgment. they have not
the least shadO10 Of exclusive right. will use
With greater moderation. the increase OF
wealth and power derived from those ter.
ritories when acquired, than what they
have displayed in their endeayors to ac-
-quire them 90
1--WE are convinced that policy and
justice require that a country unsettled
at the Commencement Mt of this one. claim.
ed by the British crown and ceded to it
by the treaty at Paris. if wrested from
the enemy by the blood and treasure OF
thirteen States should be considered as
common property. subject to be parceled
out by Congress into {. ee, convenient and
independent governments. in such man
ner, and at such times as the wisdom of
that assembly shall hereafter Direct
Following up this policy, Congress
proceeded on the 10th Of October. 1880.
TO pass resolution pledging the United
States 10 the several States. as to the ma
ner in which any lands that might be ce-
ded to them should be disposed of; the
material parts Of which are as follows,
viz:
Resolved. That the unappropriated
lands which may be ceded or reliquished
to the United States. by any State, shall
be disposed Of for the common benefit of the
United States, and be settled and formed
into distinct republican States, which
: shall become members of the federal Un>
ion. &c.
From these facts and proceedings, it
plainly and certainly results,
l. That one Of the fundamental prin-
ciples on which the federal confederation
OF the United States was originally based,
was. that the waste lands of the west
within their limits should be the common
property OF the United States.
2. That these lands were coded to the
United States by the States which claim
ed them, and the cessions were on the
express conditions that they should be
disposed of for the common benefit OF the
United States, according to their respec.
tive proportions in the general charge
and expenditure, and for no other pur-
pose whatsoever.
* 8. That in the execution of these SOL
emn compacts. the Congress Of the Uni
ted States did under the confederation
proceed to sell these lands and put the
avais into the common treasury ; and un
der the new constitution did repeatedly
pledge them for the payment of the pub
lie debt Of the United States by which
each State vas expected to profit. in pro.
portion to the general charge to be made
upon it for that object.
These arc the first principles of this
whole subject, which think cannot be
contested by any one who examines the
proceedings of the revolutionary Con-
gress under the new Constitution.
In the practice of the government the
proceeds Of the public lands have not been
set apart. 0S a separate fund for the pay :
ment Of the public debt. but have been
and are now paid into the public treasury,
where they constitute a part of the aggre>
gate Of the revenue upon which the gov
eminent draws, as we'll for the current
expenses as for the payment of the public
debt. In this manner, they have hereto
fore, and do now lessen the general
charge upon the people of the several
States in the exact proportions stipulated
in the conpacts.
From the origin of the system down to
September 30th, 1889. the amount ex-
pended for the purchase. survey, &c.. of
the public lands, has been about $49,>