Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-05-21

We are authorized to announce Dir. BOOKER
F. SMITH candidate to represent Campbell
county lin par,) in the next Legislature.
Alternate SECTIONS.
Thore are those who maintain that the old
States lose nothing, under the present system
pursued by Congress, of granting alternate sec
lions of the public lands to the Railroad corpo
raiions Of the Northwest. Inasmuch as the re.
served sections are doubled in price, they insist
that the Treasury does not suffer by the opera
ton-but Is benefited by reason of the more
rapid sale of those lands which are reserved.
From casual glance at the subject, this would
seem TO be SO, But, in point Of fact it is far
otherwise. The Federal Government, by these
grants of alternate sections. loses not only in
revenue, but fails in the primary object which
Congress processes to have in view--,hat of bav-
ing our Western Territory settled aud develop
ed
township Of the public lands il divided into
thirty six sections of six hundred and forty acres
each. By general law passed several years
ago, Il eighteenth section OF each township is
reserved for purposes of education. II will be
observed that in every instance of these grants
10 railroad companies, they are given the odd
secions--as. for instance. the first. third, fifth.
and so on. The section for school purposes
the eighteenth-being an eren section, it will be
seen that the railroad company has section
more in every township than is reserved TO the
government Six hundred and forty To
each township of the public Territory would,
in the aggregate, make an immense body of land
which is thus lost to the Federal Treasury.
In the next place. the right of way is granted
to all the companies. through the even sections
well the odd-wtb wide margin of land
either side of the road All this margin in
the even sections is dead loss TO the govern
ment.
In addition TO this, the companies not
stricted TO the lands lying Immediately on tho
route of the roud, but have the privilege of So
leoting FIR fifteen miles on either side. Thus,
the beet lands are taken up, and the remainder
rendered unsaleabe, because they are compare
lively worthless.
When Congress, in liberal and commenda
bic spirit of patriotism determined 10 grant
bounty lands to the soldiers Of the war of l5l2
aud the war with Mexico, these soldiers had "a
right 10 expect, aud the country had n right To
expect that the intentions of Congress should
he executed in good faith. What ha~ been the
result! BY these lavish grants OF alternate
sections, the old soldiers have been excluded
from the best Ian Is of the Norihwe.f md tl.pn
to the necessity of either heating thor ard uar-
rants beyond the limit Of CT. .l4ii =, or IF
sacrificing them in the market at less than 20
dollar per acre. Thus the gallant men who
have fought for their country have been de
ceiyed by the apparent beraliiy Of Congress
and cheated of a material part of that bounty
which Congress awarded them for their services
in the field.
Nor is this all. The system of granting to
each State the swamp and overlooked lands "
ing within its limits, has led to the most mon
sirous abuses. With no check upon the agent.
who make the selections, it has been shown by
experience that the States have selected me of
the best lands OF the Government, under the
agreeable fiction tperhaps because rain fell upon
them occasionally that they were 'swump, and
oYerhowed." Millions of acres of high. dry
arabic lands have thus been plundered from the
1o'erhment-particuariy by that viftuous, i'm
macuia'e' and intensely patriotic State of Hi
nois. So patent and notorious had this abuse
bee me, that the Commissioner of the Land
Office. last year, refused to confirm these seeo
tions to the State believing, a. indeed he had
ample reason for doing that many of them were
fraudulent. But the land grabbers were no,
to be banked by such an obstacle as This They
went oetore Congress; and by the arts and ap
pliances OF the lobby, succeeded in getting a bill
passed, confirming to all the States the seleo
IONS they had made Of these pretended "swamI
and overlooked" lands.
There are various other ways in which tn,
rascaity of this alternate section" systen
might be demonstrated. 1t is somewhat ouriou
too that any of the Virginia Democracy shou
advocate such policy. The Virginia member
of Congress have always voted against it, Blu,
while doing SO. there seems to have been no on
of them. except Le,cher, who ever took III
trouble to denounce it. The feeble resistance G
an adverse vote is all tho protest the Vi,gini
Democracy have made against this system {
wholesale pillage and plumber.
Hon VIM. L. Marcy.
The Washington correspondent of the Ricl