Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-05-01
From "The south.n
A Wonderful Documents,

SSFS " VI VINO uaNe yteiueu 10 the ear
nest solicitations Of numerous personal
and political friends" with unfeigned re
luctance and deep humility. to- offer their
poor services to the country in this crisis
OF its fate, has issued manifesto to "the
people OF the Eleventh Congressional dis
trlct, which covers nearly three columns
OF the Richmond Whig-and forsooth il
- q most notable production. A model
OF original thought. compact reasoning
andsIiterary excellence. itswillb deyour-
ed with avsdity by every living soul. who
can appreciate the exquisite rehnements
and subtleties of ratIocinalion or the gra.
ces aud adornmentso frhetorical elegance.
We have perused il with Infinite guslo
asd delight. and been perfectly raylshed
With It's pIquancy OF style. its profsndity
Of research and the unanswerable conclu-
slYeness OF its arguments. Here is no
conglomeration of hackneyed quotations,
no imposing array o! irrelevant authori.
ties all is clear, striking and eminenlly
peeuliar-a genuine. unmixed emanation
:, OF light from the effulgent lone Star"
ofthe Virginia Delegation. 10 drop the
language Of irony. We have never in the
whole course of our lives, read such an
inettsb!y stupid composition. We crave
pardon OF our readers, tor dignifying it
with an extended notice; but as it is the
custom OF our opponents to characterize
everything they utter As unanSWsru6le,
which IS not deemed worthy of q serit US
Tetutalon, we are constrained, however
reluctant, to apply the knife of critical
dissection TO this yapid production. 1t
commences thus
FELLOW CITIZENS 81 am again a
candidate for your sutFrages. and as each
election decides some question of princi-
PIE or policy. your votes on the fourth
Thursday in May next will determine
whether you will assert Vlrginia's right
TO her share of the public domain. In
determining this question. it is necessary
TO ascertain satisfactorily to ourselves
whether We have right to any portion
OF the pubIls lands. and il 30. is II expedi.
Snt TO assert our right
The United States Government is a
large landed proprietor" .......
Now, il would be unnecessary to pro.
eeed farther into this labyrinth Of uutalh.
enable nonsense to convict Mr.. Garlic
either OF unmiEigated ignorance or OF will
iul PerVeTslon. The last proposition is II
complete poser to the first. Ii the Uni,ed
otstes Government be. as he says. a great
landed proprietor. having the legal night
and exclusive title 10 the territory in lues.
ton. what then becomes of VirgInia's
share in the public domain % But per-
haps Mr.. Garlic will plead ignorance OF
legal technicaliIles. or may be. has a con-
tempt for precision of language. We res
lease him here. only 10 see him fall still
deeper into the quagmire OF inextricable
confusion of ideas.
Hear him again:
These lands have been acquired, 6rst
by grants from New York. Virginia, Mas.
sachusetts. North and South Carolina,
and Georgia. and. secondly. by purchases
from France. Spain and Mexico.
Virginia. prior to granting to the
United States her lands, owned what is
now Illinois. Indiana. Ohio. Michis gan,
Wisconsin. and all Minnesota east of the
Mississippi river. While we were enga.
.ged in the war Of the Revolution. and
pending the effort to unite the States un
der the Articles OF Confederation. several
OF the States objected to becoming mem
bers ofthe Confederation. unless Virginia,
and the other States would agree 10 share
their lands With all the members the con-
federacy."
He then cites the Virginia compact oil
cession. one Of the conditions Of which is
as follows:
THAT all the lands within the territory
so ceded 10 the United States, and not re-
served for. Or>appropriated to, any Of the
before mentioned purposes, or disposed OF
in .bounties to the officers and soldiers OF
the American army. ShmH be cOnsid. red q
common fund for The ave and Jsneft of Such
Of the United States az hare become or ShULl
become. members Of the Confederation on
Fede al alliance Of the United States. Hr.
gina Inclusive. according 10 their usual
respective proportions in the general
charge and expenditure. and shall be
faithfully and GOnu file disposed Of for
that purpose. and for no other use or pur,
pose whatsoever"
Admitting, tor arguments sake. that
by a proper construction of the above
clause of the grant, the General Govern
ment, instead of being constituted trus-
tee Of the States united, is merely appoint.
ed a sort of special agent to sell the land
and distribute the proceeds among the
several States. how much Of the lands
thus ceded by Virginia remain at this
time unappropriated We venture to
affirm. without referring to statistics. that
with the exception OF a mere pi,.ance.
and that dug in The market. all have
been disposed Of to bona tiets pu. chasers
for valuable confederation. And the same
may be said Of The other grants. H.v-
ing succeeded in demonstrating. to his
own infinite satisfaction. that. nOtaoith.
standiny the erciufive ownership Of Con.
W;r..;n:, i,.,r rl,n,n IL.