Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-03-13

Raj Roads - l99.sa5
individuals 4 Companies 21s.593
Swamp Land gwen 10
States 4t,si.aat
l5n $50
II thus appear. ,ha, the quantity Of the public
lands gratutously granted uway by Congress
exclusive Of million, Of acres reserved Tor a va
riety OF purposes, exceed. by tveuty az mil-
lions of acre. the whole amount sold for the ten.
eff, of the public treasury
In the recent efforts tn ado II give to tbs qnes
ton purely party aspect. to represent The pop
ular demand which is sI-ng ia the old states tor
some show of justice IN the disposition o this
common property. as political denan-tta.
tion for power. great flat la ben lost
sight Of. Ii, frivolous to ursr at tld- day, the
arguments which in year, long gone by, awaited
with the people of Virginia nul ihr etber old
States against the podeyuf Distributions Whom
the whole Of ihe common fund ~ in land Aal
undsposed OF, thrrc Vas, t. ,ty thc ieast p'nps
Utility in those arguments. Bat the question
has been judged and the decision ha- heenby lit
lie and little stolen away from HI orpe-er- OF
distributions not ~ tho WI aafc ia fn.or Il
an equitable distributions bu' IA, the eppo,er- #
that scheme. the advocates Of the Injustice ~
have Just summe1 the state. except Nr-
gina. nave in enc fun ~ uuahel declared in lis
favor by taking the benefit # IL
Bat The plast serion- sicw II the matter - the
old states. especially those # he N.oiil, - thai
day by day the po,ctr Ia do rhem-rlve- justice i
rapidly passing out Of iheir MI, ana III, very
inequality-sa glarlugiy rAti1fel hv the figures
given above. j. the moan. by which they
losing it, The mere loss Of a hun bed and sixty
millions of aor,s of the public lands is nothing
in comparison With The eousalucn which will
flow from the purposes t. winch they are mp
Piled. These vast amounts Il property ar made
the means Of Developing with miraculou, rapid
ity.ihe res Agricultural. commercial min
eral aud ,oca-ot region which is destined at
early day 10 BE- the great controlling power of
the Concderaoy. The Upper Mississippi valley.
from the Ohio 10 tie Rocky Mountains, contain
ing the already popoous and powerful States Of
Ohio Indiana Illinois and Michigan, and the rap
idly growing States aud territories of Iowa Wis
consin. Minnesota aud Nebraska. aud the pas
ce mt State Of Superior. will in few years teen
with population Of many millions. There viii
be the great centre Of population, the centre of
social wealth, the centre OF political power.
If in their infancy these States and territories
are 80 rayenons nnd successful in their de-
mands how much justice shall we expect when
they have the power TO do as they list
Again, as Il measure Ct self preservation, upon
purely sectional grounds, what course 90 wise
the part OF the old Southern States. rs TO pro.
vide themselves with fund 10 which they are
al. a. /
pletion Of their works of Internal Improve.
ment. the Development of their own resources,
and wealth and population and power. l. not
this the best guarantee we can take of our pecu.
liar rights What is paper barrier in compari-
son with the security afforded by power Shall
we lie supinely while the rich Inheritance is
hlcted away by those who use it to strengthen
tn emselves not only at our expense, but till they
grow to an excess of vigor which will enable
III EN- to strangle' US almost without an effort
The principle of granting alternate sections To
internal improvements, qualified by the rc.tric.
ton that it should be only with view Of en-.
HANGING the value of the residue, was perhaps
the most formidable blow ever struck at Southern
interests. II is this which /, rapidly carving
the balance of power forever cat of our reach, by
shifting the centre Of population to the Upper
Mississippi 1t sagacinus policy in
northern men. Ii was u nearly fatal error in tho
South to permit 1t. The only reparaiion which
can be made will b., in so,ne practicable form -,
to make the old States ,qnal participants in the
benefits of the land fund. aud for them each. nc
cording to her views of her own interest, ely
to use her share, with the view Of retrieving her
relative loss of population, wealth and power
Suppose Virginia. for instance, as She would
be if her great improvements were oil completed
the james River and kanawha Cgnnl upnn tn.
wafer line reaching the Ohio: the Coyington an
O'iia Railroad finished. and the lesser work
pished 10 their respective destinations. the ques
ton, whence would Dudley Mann's steamers get
their freight! could no longer BE- derisivey asked
A tide of commerce.
deep majestic, smooth and strong
would pour through ports and seek the markets
81 the world without paying tribute to New York
commission merchants. Her public debt OF
Thu millions. though it should not be reduced
"a All. las it speedily might be,) would sit easily
op,'n the shoulders of the people. Large mar
krts within our own borders would afford our