Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-06-11

THURSDAY. JUNE Ii, 1857.
The Tariff and the Pubr,c Lands.


ers, have been exposed; and the demand is
made, in good faith, in the name of State
equality and State rights, that those States
which have received nothing from this
source, shall be made equal to that State
which has received the greatest amount of
the public lands, we are met with the objec-
ton, that it will require an increase of the
tariff to sustain the government, and meet
this demand In meeting this objection,
we have heretofore taken the broad ground
that such plea should never be permitted
to come between the reparation and the
continuance Of a wrong; that an honest and
just debt ought not to be repudiated, be-
cause it would require money, or even in
convenience to discharge it. In the outset
of our discussions upon the general subject
of granting away the public lands, we took
the precaution, to show in what manner
| the public domain of the United States, in
which all the States have an equal (pro-
portional) and common interest, has been
disposed Of; and the absolute power of Con-
gress over the subject, limited only by the
requirements Of justice, and the rights the
States That this justice and this equality
of the States, have been totally disregard
ed we have found none to dispute. The
question now is, whether the gross injustice
which is so manifest, shall be upheld and
perpetuated, or shall be obliterated by
prompt and speedy reparation, by bringing
about that equality which has been hereto
fore tacitly denied, but now openly avowed
and defended, by the opponents of the meas
ure. This question we have alone discuss
ed, reserving the general subject of dlstr1-
button, for after consideration. Let US first
do justice, and then we may talk of expe-
diency and policy and tariffs and taxation.
We do not care particularly what may
be the details of any bill, to effect this re-
suit, so that the end be fully accomplished.
We do not confne ourselves exclusively to
any mode of procedure. The Bill intro
duced into the Senate by Mr.. BELL, during
the last session, is one mode, and by it the
details are settled. That being the only
one before the people Of this State at this
time, we have chosen to refer it, and upon it,
to base most of our calculations. If anoth
er bill should be presented better suited to |
carry out the principle for which we con-
tend, and which is embraced by Mr.. BELLS, |
we should be ready to favor it, But what
is the principle, scope and tenor Of this
measure? AS briefly as we can give it, it |
is to ascertain how much land has been |
granted to that State which has received |
the largest quantity for purposes of inter
nal Improvement, and its value; and having |
done so, then to make all the other States
equal, in proportion to their representation
in Congress with that one. This is adopt
ing neither the distribution of the proceeds,
nor of the land itself principle; but is sim
ply extending and applying the same prin-
ciple which has been acted upon by the |
very party which now opposes us, in respect |
to some of the States, to all the States.
1t is the performance merely of simple |
and specific act of justice.
Now, granting that this measure may
require an increase of the tariff, (Which in
reality, if at all, will be but an almost imper-
ceptible increase, as we will hereafter show |
we put it to every fair minded man, wheth-
er we shall sustain it, and with it our hon
esty and good faith; or repudiate it, and so
invade one of the highest principles of State
rights, and allow one part of the country |
to be fostered and cherished at the |
common expense, and to the detriment |
of the other part. We do not appeal |
to parties or party platforms, but to
the common sense and common honesty |
of every man. II, when we have done
this, it shall appear that the original |
policy of granting lands to the States, was |
improper, we can then stop it. And if on
the other hand, our public domain should
continue to be a subject of dispute, we
could then make an end of the matter by
its entire distribution. But, we repeat,
these are subjects of after consideration,
and can have no effect, one way or another
upon the equal disposition of the public
lands, so far as we have gone, and gone,
too, with the appreciation and support of
the democracy.
But the very argument Of an increase of
the tariff, magnifes the inequality, and
shows stronger reason why the proposed
measure, should be sustained Upon that
hypothesis, the giving away already of one
hundred and sic millions Of acres, has made
a higher tariff necessary; for if these lands
had been sold, and the proceeds gone into
the treasury, that much at least, would
not have been raised by taxation. So it
appears that some of the States have not
only not shared in the public lands, but
they have been compelled to pay into the
treasury their proportional share of the
value of those lands, to meet the current
expenses of the government. The argu-
ment itself displays the injustice, and real
ly favors the proposition which it is inten-
ded to injure. Having now stated our po-
stion, and we hope so clearly that it can
not be misunderstood, we shall have some
thing to say hereafter upon the practical
operation of the tariff, and of this land
measure upon it.