Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-04
Cow Iorrs, lo,p1r1on or MR HArroN-

GOV. JONES' OPINION OF NIB. HATToN
One Of the great obstacles which those who ia.
vered distribution Of the proessds Of the public
lands have always had to encounter, was the went
Of constitutional power TO take money from the
Federal treasury and divide it among the States
Such doctrine has always resolved itself into an
assumption of State debts by the general govern
ment, encouraging system of legislation which
went upon the principle of making the States depen-
cies upon the Federal bounty, and Of subordnaiing
State sovereignty to Federal power. They found
that when they got in the vaults of the Federal rea-
sury there could be practical discrimination made
between the dollar that came in from the sale Of
land and the dollar that had been raised by our in
direct system Of taxation; aud that if one could he
taken and given to the States the other could And
this chain of argument would inevitably lead to the
concession of power in Congress to collect money off
Of the people and distribute it among the States-s
most odious doctrine.
Statesmen, such as Mr.. Clay, have long puzzled
their heads to find some way of obyiating this diff
Guilty, without running into others that worse.
What Mr.. Clay and other statesmen found it impos-
sble TO do, the inventive genius of Robert HattOn
readily accomplished. In his opening speeches in
the District he took the bull by the horns and said
FellOw-citizens in favor of dividing the lands
thsmsslees." Mr.. HattOn, no doubt, thought he had
made wonderful discovery-though the money
could not be taken out of the treasury and divided
who would say that the lands might not be We
suppose it had never occurred TO MIR. Hatton that
We would have to organize first great Court Of
Chancery to take and state an account between the
different distributes charging this and credit
ing that one and after having ascertained the mum
Der Of acres TO which each entitled, to partition
it out, saying where Massachusetts should hold bel
territory and where Tennessee should hold hers II
may never have occurred to Mr.. Hatton that some
conflict of State sovereignty might spring up, when
one State began to exercise authority within the
limits of another Independent States Massachusetts
for instance holding lands in Arkansas, to be used
as a free colony by Abolition prOpagandists. VIZ
suppose that these and many other difficulties of
like character, had never presented themselves Il
Mr.. Hatton's mind, in the opening of the canvass
as we understand he has since got back in favor o
| distributing the money OF the lands.
But it was not purpose to show the fallaey o
such position, but to give Gov. Jones estimate of
/ mah VIII "Oulu que suCu u pIVpuSlllOH' III III
recent letter land redistribution, which we publish
| ed on Wednesday, he says:
There is another aspect in which this question
is presented to the country fraught in my judgmen
with imminent danger to its peace and repOse Ii
order to obviate the difficulties that exist in tn
| minds of many as to the power to distribute tn
proceeds of the lands thus taking money out of tn
treasury, it is proposed to divide the lands them
| selves. This is the merest subterfuge, beneath III
dignity Of the merest schooIboy sophistry; you
to sOohe the conscience By making murderous assault
on the braiH-if you give away the money you ge
for the lands. The power in the one case, is tn
power in the other, but the expediency is who'll
different thing. | think it expedient TO divide tn
proceeds of the lands but inexpedent and danger
to divide the lands. This proposition to my nina
Is so goRstrouS and absurd as TO leaUe me in dOuL
Whsther any sane lVsH informed mind, seriously
terrain IL for one moment"
We leave the reader to determine what kind of
mind Gov. Jones must think Mr.. Hatton has, an
how far Gov. Jones is right.