The Washington union., 1857-06-06

lands of the settler by furnishing him new markets anu
diminished cost Of transportation On this subject, Mr.
Buchanan always the friend Of the States in his
cent inaugural uses the following language
No nation in the tide of time has been blessed
with rich and noble inheritance as we enjoy in the
public lands. In administering this important trust,
whilst t may be wise TO grant portions of them for the
improvement Of the remainder yet should for
get that il is cardinal policy to the lands as
much may be for actual settlers and this at moderate
prices We shall thus only best promote the pros
perity of She States by furnishing them hardy and
independent of honest and industrious citizens but
shall secure homes for children and childrens
children, well those exed from foreign shores who
may seek in this country improve their condition and
enjoy the blessings of civil and religious liberty"
Our American railroads, exceeding twenty four
thousand miles completed, have greatly advanced the
power, prosperity and progress of the country whilst
linking together in bonds of eyerncreasing
and intercourse and tending by these results to soften
extngush sectional passions and prejudice and thus
pepetuate the Union of the States This system 1t is
clearly the interest of the whole country shall progress
until the States west of the Mississippi shall be ntersect
ed like those east of that river by network of railroads.
until the whole at various points shall reach the shores
of the Pacific The policy OF such grants by Congress
clearly established and whatever doubts may have
prevailed in the minds of few persons TO the con-
sttutonaty of such grants when based only upon the
transfer of portion of the public domain in the language
of the inaugural of the President, for the mprOpe
aen Of he remainder, yet when they made, as now
proposed in the ordinance accompanying constitution
in consideration of rcnqushng the right TO tax the
puDc sucn grants
equivalents and their constitutionay is placed beyond
all doubt controversy For this reason, also, and in
order that these grants may be made for ample equiva
lents, and upon grounds of clear constitutional author
ity it is most wise that they should be included in
ordinance and take effect by compact when the State is
admitted into the Union. If my will could have pre-
vailed regards the public lands, indicated in my
public career and especially in the bill presented by
chairman of the Committee Public Lands, to the
Senate of the United States which passed that body
but failed in the House, would authorize no sales
Of these lands except for settlement and cultivation
reservng not merely preemption but homestead of a
quarter section of land in favor of every actual settler
whether coming from other States emigating from Eu
rope Great and populous States would thus rapidly be
added to the conedeacy, until should have
unbroken line of States from the Atlantic to the Pacific
giving immense additional power and security to the
Union, and facilitating intercourse between all its parts
This would be alike beneficial to the old and to the
States To the working of the old States well
of the new, it would be of inccuabe advantage not
merely by affording them home in the West, but by
maintaining the wages of labor by enabling the working
classes to emige and become cultivators of the soil
when the rewards of daily toll should sink below fair
remuneration. Every new State, BESIDES adds to the
customers of the old States consuming their manufac-
tucs employing their merchants giving business to their
vessels and canals their railroads and cities and pow
erful impulse their industry and prosperity. Indeed
it is the growth of the mighty West which has added
more than all other combined to the power and
prosperity of the whole country whilst at the time
through the channels of business and commerce. it has
been building up immense cities in the eastern, Atlantic
and middle States and replcnishng the federal treasury
with large payments from the settlers upon the public
lands rendered of real value only by their labor and
thus, from increased exports bringing back augmented
imports, and largely increasing the Of the
government from that also.
Without asking anything new from Congress- If Kansas
receive, coming into the Union, all the usual
grants, and them udciously she not only speed
lily herself with network of railroads. but by de-
voting all the rest to purposes of cducaton she would
soon have complete system of common schools with
and n university in
all of which tuition should be free to all people In
that university the mechanic arts, with model workshops
and all the sciences should be taught and especially a
ricultme in connexion with model farm
Although YOU ask nothing in your ordinance than
has been already granted to the other States yet in
view of the sacrifice of life and property incurred by the
people of Kansas in establishing here the great principles
of State and popular sovereignty and thus perpctuatng
the Union, Congress- doubtless will regard with indul
gent favor the State of Kansas and will welcome her
into the Union with joyful congratulations and most
liberal policy as to the public domain.
The full benefit Of that great measure the graduation
and reduction Of the price of the public lands in favor
only of settlers and cultvaors often urged by in
the Senate and in the Treasury Department and finally
adopted by Congress- should also be secured in ordi-
Having witnessed in States the deep injury
inflicted upon them by large bodies of their most fertile
land being monopozed by Spectators suggest in
corance with the public policy advocated by me,
that entire land under the constitution for the
next twenty years should be confined exclusively
cuped and-whether owned by residents non-resi-
dCntSas one the DcSt means oil guarding against
monopoly of choice lands by Spectators. desire
in fact TO convention exercise the whole consu-
tona power of State to guard rights and interests
and especially to protect the settlers and cultvators
against the monopoly of public domain by specula-
tors.
As regards the school lands of the States the fol-
lowing views will be found in my reports of the Sth of
December, l847 and 9th of December ls4S Secretary
of the Treasury of the United States
1.-The recommendation contained in my last report for
the establishment of ports of entry in Oregon and the
tension there of laws is again respectfully
presented to the consideration of Congress- together with
donations of farms TO settlers and emgrants, and the
grant of school section in the centre of every quarter of
a township which would bring the school-house within
point not exceeding mile and half in distance from
the most remote inhabitant of such quarter township
And again
My last report recommended the grant of section
of land for schools in every quarter township in Oregon
o Congress, to some extent, adopted
this recommendation by granting two school sections in
each township instead of one for education in Oregon
but it is respectfully suggested that thus extended
the grant is still Inadequate in amount whilst the loca
ton is inconvenient and too remote for school which
all attend The subject is again presented to the at
tcntion of Congress- with the recommendation that 1t
shall be extended to California and New Mexico and also
TO all the other States and Territories containing the
public domain
Acting upon the first of these recommendations but
not carrying them fully into effect Congress doubled the
schoolsection grantsan advance upon the former sys
TEN. But, in my judgment, the benefits intended will
be fully realized until four school sections instead
of two granted in every township locating the school