Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-03-20

rying of Indian wars, as in Oregon and elsewhere
the cost of surveys and land agencies-the salaries
Of Governors and other territorial officers The extin'
guishment of Indian tites-the sums paid by treaty
to France and Mexico will, liz the aggregate, show
an annual charge fully equal to any amount which
could reasonably be expected to arise from the sale
of lands at the average rate of clearance and settle
ment Surprising the public lands 10 be distributed
among the States one of two things must be done )
either the States receiving directly disrlbutIve
share of the public lands must directly assume their
proportional distributve shares in the management
and defence of the lands and territories they must
indirectly bear the burden in the shape of taxes to be
imposed by the General Government for that pur-
pose In either case, it would be found that the ar
rangement was loosng one. That the direct de-
fence and management of the lands and territories
would cost the distributes than they could re-
lie from their distrbutve quotas, and that the ill.,
direct cost through the taxes paid for similar pur-
pose to the General Government, would exhibit the
same showing. -
But it is contended that the management of the
public lands BY the General Government has tended
to abuse and corruption. That by means of grants
to aid in the construction of railroads IN the ne"
States and Territories, injustice has been DONE
That apart from the unfairness of giving to one set
of men what is no: given to another set population
has been diverted from the old States especially of
the South, to the new States and Territories of the
North West.
Admitting for moment all that is here contended
for--admittng, for argument sake, the existence OF
these evils let look at the nature and adequacy OF
the remedy proposed. "Bennetts Bill" brought for
ward few years ago. enables US to what that pro-
posed remedy was. IL was the assignment 10 each
specified State of q specified number of acres of the
public lands to be assigned and located under certain
rules and regulations not very definitely understood
What sort of land system, or, rather, what sort
of absence of all system, would we then have with
thirty. sellers all in the market and all anxious
10 realize from their claims What speculative
schemes would we NOT then see to induce settlement
and of course sale of land, and the return of money
to the treasures of each and every of the States
If these lands and land schemes produce corruption
in Congress- would that corruption be lessened, or
the tendency in that direction checked by introducing
this element of corruption INTO every State Legisla-
ture IN the land How would the Southern abettors
of this scheme relish the organization of every free
soil legislature at the North into gantlc Emigrant
Aid Society, voting day and daily grants of lands to
abolition settlers, for the purpose of excluding South
ern settlement Al d yet this would be exactly the
result of things. And what engine this would be
in the hands of Massachusetts, and Vermont, and
Maine, and all that tier of States Instead of the
public lands if coded to the States, ever becoming
of revenue, they would all be squandersd in
a heated contest after sectional supremacy The
South or, at least, The States of the South, would
be compelled to enter the field with grants of land
TO Southern settlers to counterbalance those made by
Northern States to abolition settlers The public mind
would be excited the sectional breach widened, pop
ulation diverted from the old States terribly
tolerated pace, and when the wild excitement was
and people returned to their senses, they would
find the States poorer in their treasures, poorer in
their populations, more deeply exasperated against
each other, and paying into the United States trea
sury largely increased tax TO supply the deficiency
caused by the diversion of federal fund from its
proper and legitimate channel.