Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-09
AR. 1BBLtss sPLHN OF ~PERPETUATIN6 TIL
SYSTEM Of EaNB Robbery.

Of the Hon John Bells policy Of distributing the
proceeds Of the public lands among the States thsn
dis Tie publis lands, say they, are the property
Of an she States, and should therefore be 50 dis-
posed Of as to confer as nearly practicable, equal
benefits upon ALL Heretofors, say they this equal
iy Of benefits hasabeen grossly violated, by large
grants the new states and to railroad companies
ID the new. beyond hose which have been made %
the old States. =
Ii matters not to our present purpose Fiiat party
Is respous bic for the great wrong here complained
Of If an evil exists st should be remedisd But
low? What is the proper remedy 1he people Of
Tennessee are advised that It is be found in the
bin introaueed by the Hon. john Ben st the last
session Of Congress- commonly called the Distribp-
ton Bill We design in Ibis article q avoid any
discussion Of the general merits OF dement's Of this
bill We want to put an extnguisher, once for Gil,
now and forever, upon the argument above indi-
Gated We want to brush away the cobweb the
mere clap trap, by which this subject has been sur
rounded-to strip from off its front The specious veil
beneath which il has been ushersd into the present
canvass that We may hereafter examine it in al its
naked deformity, whether considered as q measure
Of finance Of beneyolenoe, Of political economy, Of
federal usurpation, or Of emancipation At present,
we repeat, our only object is to expose the utter
fallacy.of the argument the pretence rather, that
this bin is intended to remedy past wrongs or to e-
tablish Cor the future the equal rights Of al the
States to share alike the benefits Of the public do
main. ia
We are unable to present urreaders with copy
Of The bill itself Fortunately, however, We are
able 10 present The views Of the distinguished an
thor himself as 10 its provisions and what expects
TO accomplish, or rather, we should say, what he
does not expect to accomplish by it. Our readers,
we are sure, viii agree with as when they shall have
read these extracts, that if he comedies with
those OF bis party who conduct the canvass IN Ten
nessee his views have been, to say the least Of it
materially molifed since he addressed himself to
the assembled, wisdom Of the nation .iWe copy
from the speech Of the Hon. Senator delivered in
the Senate chamber on the Introduction Of this
bill:
Notwithstanding The large amount of grantsI
have named, and other grants for internal improve
meuts, reaching eighty or ninety millions Of acres,
propose for these grams return, or no appTOxi-
male grant 70 lle States in which there are no pub
lie lands" ...-
Again:
81 wish further to state that It viii be found in
posed in the policy Of this Government in ,Inakng
i5sr grants Of public lands to the ESTATES in which
the public domain lies, for the purpose of aiding in
the construction Of railroads and canals. Z leaVs
thai oIi37eher uHi0gsLsL I lsaUe that policy 20 ope-
rate as uEREruFaRR. h0icsusr beneficial 70 mar Be 10
these Stats bagoHa aHy thing enjoyed BIZ he Other
Suites On this ground shall meet with no oppo-
sition 10 the bin tT0mihe members representing the
new States u proposes no limitation Of hat policy,
except such limitation Congress in its discretion
ought 10 impose under an circumstances Il affords
ground for hostility on the part OF the large pro-
portion of he members Of the Senate who repre-
sent Constituencies IN the land States.'t
And again: s..-7.a- ass
"Tnis measure whichI propose does not initiate
Ggars The pglry cf granting lands for railroads IA the
Hclg States. l have favored that policy heretofore
for reasons connected with the public interests, and
lido 10, propose TO interfere rih IL in bringing for0qTd
this 5N." a..
Once more:
"Irsreat that this bill does not jHtsrtere oct or
initiate 150as he literal policy heretofore pursued By
Congress- az making igHafions gnS publc taHde
for The construction Of railroads in the States 1t
Is a MEASURE to r5ieb, ifziy opinion representative
Of the ueu States ouga to feel any hoshlity" $3.50.
We might multiply extracts, but surely tlis Is
enough to satisfy any candid man. and it's only to
such that we address ourselves not only that this
bill utterly fails to remedy the crying injustice Of
the system Of oppression heretofore adopted, but
that it actually contempates perpeI1tio1i Of that
system Uwoull seem to be, if not in fact, atleast
by necessary implication, part Of the bill which
every subsequent Congress would be bound in good
faith to carry out; for it is held out as an induce
nent 10 Secure The support Of Senators from the
ates not by chance remark, but iterated and re-
iterated lime and again, in the most positive and
nuisol7bla language that sth5s blb does not inter
frs guL or m4ts against ss liberal policy HERETOFORE
pursued By Congress ia making donations, grants Of
public lands for The construction Of railroads IN the He0
States and hat IL is a measure to 1ghch in my (his)
opinion no rsgrss7tar5 Of the States ought to feel
ana hostility" Can language be stronger? And
yet this bill is held up by the Know Nothing party
Of Tennessee as a measure Of relief to the old
States an antidote to the " eztravagant apprOpra-
lions heretofore made for the benefit of. the new
States. It might with much more propriety be de-
nominated system, " for gszpstuatiRg land robbery,
and for uluudering the treasury to boot" Instead
Of putting an end to The system, it actually fasteHs
it. riUsts it upon the country; for according to the
remarks Of the honorable Senator, it is part of
the bargain the guid pro gao offered to Senators
from the new States, that they shall hereafter as
q matter Of right, or compromise, be permitted to
appropriate, as Heretofore liberal share Of the
public lands, in consideration Of their consent to
divide the bllance In other words, the PsPetlaton
Of the svslgm Of s.laud robbery" which has formed
the great staple Of Know Nothing can't since the
agitation of this subject, is actually made, as it
were eyn79a precedent to the passage Of the bill
90 shame where is thy blush"