Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-04-17
The Public Lands and Revenues.

has been paid into the pubic treasury from safes Vi
lands no rea. nett profit has accrued from them over
and above the cost OF their acquisition and defence
We me an from Their sale Nor is ii at all likely that
there ever will any such profit. directly Inc
great and nearly fatal error which has been made
has arisen from the efforts based upon wrong IDEA
with respect these lands. This error has consisted
IN the desire 10 give an artificial stimulus 20 Inc
purchase and settlement Of property which, IN ltf
true use, is mainly valuable as an outet-a safety
valve for popuation-as afording some protection
against the exaclions of monopoXing 81 eculators-
II is not desirable that this outlet should be cut Off
this safety-valve shut down, but, on the contrary,
that it should be kept open at all costs; and every
acre OF land removed from the custody of the United
States and placed in that of spectators, is so much
land msapplied-so much of the national safety
valve shut down, so much of an advantage gained
hv the speculate e class over the class of bona tide
sett er. and producers
We are willing 10 give due weight and attribute
due portance to the superiority OF republican IN
s,;tutions and that spirit Of enterprise and Inderen
denoe fosered by such institutions, but we must not
lose sight of the fact that very much OF the aggregate
progress of the country, and OF the personal character
of its citizens has been due TO the existence OF fresn
resources to be developed, and IN the barrier agans
any crushing monopoly Of the SOIL which the vast
unoccupied public domains have afforded Ih' poor
agrculturist with his family the young man start
ing in ife has not been wholly at the mercy OF the
capalis while hundreds of millions of acres OF pub
lie land were attainabe at terms within the reach OF
ALL This is the great, the glorious inheritance OF
him who Las no other. The wealthy man may add
acre to acre. until the poor may be unable to get
homestead in the older portions of the country, up
on which 10 make living for himself and family
hut be cannot feel himself altogether stranger en- the
soil of The common country while he knows that there
are vast bodies of land reserved for sale to actual
settlers-lands open to him and to his Children at
prices within the reach OF the humblest man who will
work industriously and live ftugay in order that he
NAV be Observation-Disclosures in which the Spectator
cannot forestall him, and in which his humble saw
ings will give him home and q property.
While politicians handy these lands from hand to
hand, as it were, making issues based upon the DIS
posa of surplus which has never accrued from Them
or hoping to ride into power by means OF plausible
schemes to depIee the treasury of one dollar given
to North Carolina that six may be taken from her IN
the shape of protective duties to Massachusetts and
other friends of the South, it is strange that the only
tangible benefit to the country from the possession OF
these lands should be overlooked benefit which
reaches to the very heart and spirit of the nation.
and one which has done more TO preserve in it's
strength and purity the independent, free spirit OF
American citizenship than all the speculative stun
that could be preached for year.
Had there been no such outlet as the pub lanos
have afforded to the actual settler-had all the lands
in the country om the first been subject to the lore
salment of cal lal and the caprices OF speculauon'
does any reasonable man think that the country and
its people would have been what they are? We
cannot believe that any reasonable man could honest
ly think SO.
But the object now, by those of all sections who
profess 10 be the especial friends of the people, seems
10 be the deysement of the speedest and most e1ec'
tua methods of disnheri,ng The children OF the PEG.
pie of their future homes that they may be placed
at the mercy of spectators and land forsstalles.-
| And to help the matter on, we actually find party
| got up 10 divide this poor mans inheritance among
| thirtY.one competing proprietorS whose interest it
would be to use every to get ri of such inner.
tance to spectators or others, for what might bring;
thus for song, dsposng of the dearest treasure of
the nation-a treasure which properly guarded is
far beyond pecLniary estimate.
Such is land distribution. A plan more rapidly
and uselessly to squander away the future homes of
the people, and their Children and place them at the
mercy of speculative foresalles and land grabbers
AS for distributing the proceeds of the sales, that
proposition is about on par with proposition TO
distribute the profits of the post office department,
i while every body knows that the expenses exceed
the receipts
We 10 net defend any movement for forcing the
rublic lands into market and by SO doing fostering
particular regions parts of regions at the expense
of others. Let the natural progress of the country
the demand of land for actual homes for actual men
and women to live on be the only thing looked to.
AS for giving lands anything else to deveope and
force into market this or that tract of the public do
main, we would none Of it. Let the people seek these
lands when they want them, and let them remain for
the people to find them when they do want them.
"a bold ysomanry, their cOuntry's pride,
When once destroyed, never be supplied"
Upon the security Of being able to obtain land and
home, depends much of the prospects for the per.
petuation of that class of bold yeomanry-propre-
tors-so Justly regarded as the pride and safety Of
this country, and so different from the peasantry of
countries where land is monopoized, and the whole
soil of the nation is in the hands Of few Divide
distribute and squander the public LANDS, and the
dav NAV come when, even in this country We may
see monopoly of land with its concomant evils Of
which few dream.
; New Posi- OFr1cxs-The following new post Off
ces have been established this State for which the
following genllemen have been appointed postmas.