Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-04-04
The swindIe, Explored and Exploded.

tlonIStS w nat tDilS 40 tHey propose iol
Virginia to do? What programme-what
pian-what measure is it that they recon-
mend all parties, all patriots. all farmers,
all tax payers, all sorts of voters to pursue,
espouse and push forward with long pull,
strong pull and pull altogether, might, main,
heart and soul? Surely, where there is so
much smoke there ought to be some spark
of living fre-surely, where there is so great
a cry, there must be little wool, some NUT
ton Again and again have we asked to be
informed Of the precise plan of the land par
celers, of the precise object of the politicians.
If great crusade is to be made by every
man, woman. child. and living thing in Fir-
ginia, surely somebody ought to know the
plan of campaign and the object to be cru
saded for.
We have besought diligently to be enlght-
ened in regard TO the thing desired aud the
naodus operandt proposed for securing it.
But our invocations have remained unheed-
ed. Occasionally, We have thought We had
caught glimpse of land amid the hubbub
and bubble Of the waters, but only to be dis
appointed Senator John BELL made u
speech the other day and proposed meas
ure, which promised to solve the riddle and
to supply the opposition in Virginia tangi-
bic proposition to campaign for, and as p
corpus to disseet. The opposition clappcd
their hands over tive prepared our dis
secting nstruments-only to be disappoint-
ed. 1t turned out to be scheme for per-
petuating land robbery and pundering be
treasury TO boot The Distrbutionists seiz-
cd it eagerly at first and since then have
been more chary and wary than ever in set
ting down upon the terra frna of practical
tangible, matterof- fact proposition.
None of them will do us the favor to say
exactly what they want in regard to the pub
lie lands, or how they are going about to
get it; aud we are very much in the eondi-
ton of the hero of Donny brook Fair, whom
nobody would do him the favor to third on
his coat tail" And 50 we must be content
to beat the air and the bushes, fighting va
carries, demolishing generalties, exploding
and pitching into bosh and balderdash, to
the end Of the spring campaign; or else, we
must construct for the land distributionists
their own proposition, and expose the swim
die which, from want of confidence in it,
they dare not commit themselves to in posi-
tive terms.
In constructing the proposition of the Dis
tributiofists for them, we shall have to frame
it on the most favorable principles for their
own side Of the case, and to make conces-
sions to them throughout, for the sake Of ar
gument, which otherwise we should dispute
at every step. After stating the most faver-
ale proposition we can conceive for them
We shall expose it, and if the proposition
prove in cur hands to be fimsy ran Of
straw, cheat and swindle, ii shall net be
on account of any unfair dealing on our
part, but only of the miserable worthlessness
Of the staple itself
The first thing to be done III constructing
a land measure for the Distributionists, is
to ooacede to them (for the sake Of argu-
ment) the ability TO secure fer Virginia an
equal division Of tue fund which she has
heretofore been unable to secure the honest
administration of. Our own opinion is. that
the Abolitionists, Black Republicans and
Northern and Southern American Know
Nothings who have heretofore voted in SOL
id colnni, aided by portion of the demo-
Gratis, for the scheme Of land plumber. will
be as apt to continue to do so in opposition
to propositions for an equitable distribution,
as they have heretofore done so in opposi-
ton to the policy of employing the land mo-
neys in the legitimate uses of the govern
ment But, for the sake of argument we
shall assume that no difficulty of this sort
will stand in the way and assume that Vir-
ginia's share Of the public lands can be OBJ
tanned by the Distributionists as readily as
it is said birds may be caught by applying
fresh salt 10 their tails.
We shall also be liberal IN assuming that
the distribution money, the proceeds of the
of the lands, may be secured. rather than
the apportionment of the laad itself Proba-
bly, our neighbor Of the Wig will not deem
this assumption liberal, notwithstanding the
large amount of money We intend to assume
as the 1istrihutable fund for our neghbor
supposes that there are ten thousand mil
lions Of acres worth twelve thousand millions
of dollars , But this will be available to The
treasury of the States among which they ar,
to be apportioned, only whene Purchasers
shall lie toend; that is to say, when allow
ing fifty acres piece for every man. woman
and child purchasing, the popalatioa on the
near lands shall reach fifty millions If souls
IA period of time rather too remote for re-
lief to the present tax payers of Virginia.
So that, we are quite sure we shall be libe-
raj with the Distributionists in assuming a
large sum of money as the distributable
fund rather than the incredible number of
acres which Virginia may get share of a
mid the wastes of the middle Steppe aud
gorges of the Rocky Mountains.
We come next to estimate the amount Of
the distrhutable fund which We must do,
not, of course. on Democratic principles,
having reference to the condition Of the
treasury or the real source from which the
money would be derived: but upon the prin-
ciples of the Distrihutionists themselves =
Now the highest AMOUNT we have found to
be anywhere claimed by the Distributionists
as the fund distributable among the States,
is that indicated in the following extract
from an article credited to the Piedmont
Wig. which is understood to have been
written for the purpose of advancing the
fortunes of Mr. A. j. MARSHALL in his med
itated contest with Gov Smith for his seat
in Congress, or with DR. KIpwEtL for seat
in the Board Of Public Works-two tempt
ing stacks of official hay, the rival attrac-
Il .