The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1857-05-22
GOV. WISE UPON DISTRIBUTION.
fProm the Richmond Whig.l

The Enquirer has favored thes public with
the Cows. views upon this subject, which he
says for sound logic and surprising ell
oquence, stands unrivalled among the many
disqusitions, which this subject has ELECTED.
For the logic. have searched in vain, and
am compelled to make the return of non est
inuentus; doubtless, however, for the want OF
the spectacles Of the Enquirer, which like the
solar microscope, can magnify mite TO the
size OF a full grown hog. Nor, have ] been
more fortunate in discovering the surprising
eloqupnce, of this extravagantly lauded per
! furmance. As fair specimen oi its logic, !
have selected the following. lie has made
the astounding discovery, that the public
lands have never paid one dollar to the Treas
ury of the U. S. Nay, more than this. IL
| they be charged with the expences OF admin
istraton, purchase money, surveying, and
the Indian wars waged in their driehce, thty
will be found to be in debt mil to the
customs, nrirabile dictu!!! AS Tor the In
dian wars, which he lugs in, they have rs
much to do with the charges against the
public lands, rs they have to do with the
change OF opinion of his Excellency, upon
this question, as expressed in his famous
I.ouisa speech, which the people have not
| forgotten, If he has. But if our Gov. has
| given a true account Of the utter worthless
ness of our iancied treasure, in the public
| lands, which like cancer on the human body,
| is proving on the very vitas of our body pol
| itic, then the sooner We can get rid OF them
| the better, Let US without moments de-
Law, apply the knife of the political surgeon,
to this cancerous excrescence, this running
sore upon the customs. But, for our cam
| fort, It has been said, from time immemorla,
that doctors will diffrr; and our political doc
| tors certainly furnish no exception to this
rue-not even the most eminent of them, as
am prepared to show. This expensive ana
worse tnan useless incum5rance, in the opin-
ion of DIR. Wise, has recently been pronounc-
| ed by DIR. Buchanan to be treasure Tar more
valuable than is possessed by any nation un-
der the sun. Certainly, both cannot be right.
Let us then probe this matter, and endeayor
to ascertain upon which OF the opinions OF
these learned doctors we can place tbs most
reliance. The former has all the advantage
which can be derived from the prestige of a
name, but the latter the much aeighter ad-
vantage of superior rank, and all the infiu-
ence which patronage can give to his offclal
| opinions, and even to his Obiier sayings,
which, in the ewes of his loyal subjects, are
Of equal authority. But will proceed to ex-
anime the very opposite conclusion at which
these eminent political doctors have arrived,
| from the same premises, and TO prove that
the former has drawn altogether upon his
| imagination for facts, and that his conc'u-
sions, from his imaginary facts, are as terly
worthless as the foundation upon which they
H. bo n,.nb,ua Of nuisinun-
| 1903, by far the greatest portion of the pub
lie lands owned by the United States, was
won at the cost of the best blood OF virgin.
| ia and with unparalleled lberality ceded 10
the United States, for no other consideration
! than that they should be used for the equal
benefit Of all the pembers of the confederacy,
without prejudice TO the rights OF any. we
paid Sl5,Ooo.0oo for the purchas OF L"ulsia-
mn SIS, 100000 for Florida, and, il recollect
| right, Sl0OO00O0 for our purchase from
| Mexico; total S30,OO0,O00, and think it will
defy his Excelency's powers of calculation,
as expert as he appears to be at figures, To
| run up all the expenses, attending the ad-
ministration of the public lands, to S70,000,-
! 900, making one hundred million From an
article in the National Intelligencer, | saw it
stated that within the last II years, from
| 1899 to this time, there has been paid in The
| Treasury, from the public lands, over $l22,'
| 100000, leaving credit to this fund of more
than S22 100000, to say nothing, Of the mill
| lions OF acres which have been granted to
| the western States, in violation Of the deeds
of cession, which required equality in dis
! peusng the benefits of the fund. have no
data at hand to ascertain, accurately, the
whole amount, which has been paid into the
| Treasury from the land fund, since the adop-
| tion of the constitution; but lam persuaded
that il cannot be less than 100000, 600,
| paid from n source which Gov. Wise repre-
sents as affecting the customs, almost as ia
| tally as mouse would BE-, placed under an
exhausted receiver. He must place a very
low estimate upon the Intelligence of the
people, il he expects to stutify them by so
papahle an absurdty, hope to convince them,
that an estate which they have stupidity here
tofore considered to be of incalculable value,
is worth considerably less than nothing. 1t
is assuredly the height Of folly, then to he
ouarrelling about the disposition Of property,
which is every year involving US deeper and
deeper in debt TO the customs. Ii it were
possible, far better would it be to sink il at
once in the depths of the Ocean. But, many
men of many minds, aud perhaps it is well
that il should be so. And, as preposterous
as il NAV appear to our Governor, would
not exchange Virgina's snare in this worth
less estate, for his "oyster fundum," and q
million of bushels of oysters tO-boot.
can have no sympathy with the servility
to party which would have us tamely to sub
nit TO the monstrous frauds which have been
committed against the old States, in many of
the inquitous grants which have been made
10 the new States, of this common property
of the whole United States. And still less
with the cowardy fear which withhclds us
from demanding our rights, under the ar-
prehension Of being branded as suppllants nt
the footstool of power. when we demand
(not supplicate) what, in law and equity, is
Justly due to us. But argument is thrown
away addressed to one who arrogates to HIM
self the title of statesman, when, from ig-
norance of The facts involved in the subject
he has undertaken to discuss, he clearly man
ifrstes that he has not gone beyond the
horn-book OF politics. The treatment which
humanity suggests to be proper for such
Statesman, is a dark room, n straight waist
coat, water-gruel and depletion.
A FRIEND OF DISTRIBUTION.
ty-It may not be generally known that
Jerusalem is less than thirty days travel from
New York One Of the best routes is by Lv'
erpool, eleven days from New York; thence
four days to Marseiles; thence eight days to
Alexandria; thence two daysto Jatiaa,nd from
| m al oaE