Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-04-02
From the North Carolina Standard.
Letter from Hon. john w. Ellis to
VIM. #. Dancy, Esq.
TAwBoRo', March 81, 1853.


Letter from Hon. john w. Ellis to
VIM. #. Dancy, Esq.
TAwBoRo', March 81, 1883.
GENTLEMEN: Calls having been made publication
Of the letter of the Hon Jno W. Ellis to Mr.. W. Dancy
to you the original letter for place your columns
Very respectfully,
Your ob'tserv't,
JNO. S. DANCY.
NEwBERN, Nov. 10th, 1857.
Ny DEAR SIR just in the receipt of your favor of
the End inst, advising me that my name spoken of, in
Carolina and asking my opinion upon several questions of
public nature, which you PROFOUND with view to their
Inquiries upon those questions touching the general politics
of the country have no conceamens of any political
And comply with YOUR request cordially from the further
fact that personal and political relations have been of
am persuaded it will give you satisfaction to know that
those sentiments identical with those entertained by us
great principles of Democracy from the high fountains
You must however in declining your request to
entirely satisfactory to yourself At this time the pubca
ton of such letter from would look though design
cd ID the s ce o hs we
always to be conferred and never to be sought
know the opinions of the public men of the country upon all
questions general concern and to call for them whenever
there IS any hat tnose son e a from
which their opinions may not have been previously
ed as yet nave no RaN a nave
political course and of which recorded evidence may be
found the Journals of our General Assem6v ana the
Democratic party Hence it is that conclude, in the alb
sence Of any necessity for publishing Letter. suc publ
for the nomination to which you refer GER
fanny &c & I e Ry the ann NG Of
greatly hOnored by the nomination at the hands OF the Dem
sueh to the parv thew might call upon to per
FORM far my ability will admit yet at the same tme
my propriey and due regard for the harmo-
of thn marty met O hpi
In your quere you ask whether the event of
continued squanderng of the public lands by donations
to Railroads and other corporations will you % favor
distributing the lands themselves or portion of
them, among all the States according to federal population
To this enquiry fully and satisfactorily, will be
a the enfsn o M ndy though
The question of land distribution has, from time to time,
been presented to the people of this country under differ
garbs each successive scheme being dsgnedy made
attractive by its authors that might escape the de-
feat that attended its predecessor yet i'll them ALL be
discovered the self same pncplethe naked principle OF
distribution principle founded the old federal idea of
assumption OF the State debts by the general
and consolidation of all sovereign power in that govern
me thereby reducing the several States to mere servient
dependencies upon it.
ALL if not the most seductive introduced into Congress
by Mr. Clay at the first session after the election of Gen.
Harrison and which passed into law. This law pro-
vded for the distribution of the monies in the public treas
uy, arising from the sale of the public lands among the
At that session. Immediately thereafter the eel
ebrated tariff law of 1912 enacted; whereby the agri
cultural interests heavily taxed than at
time the history of the country and yet this was done
under that clause of the Constitution which empowers Con
gress to lay and collect duties and lmposts or fetene
purposes.
These laws part of the great Wing system Of
that daythe fruits of their victory of lS40 But they prov
ed destructive of each other The people could not appre
the wisdom Of distributing the public monies from the
from the people with the other paying heavy percentage
both for collecting and Distributing to those who
performed this service They wholly unable to dlstln
guish between that money in the treasury which arose
from sale of the public landslide property of the general
| bcbr aIf foN
ports. But they did and clearly that with large
number of the Northern members of Congress- this draining
of the treasury by the distribution law, preteX
for filling up again. by force of high tariff which would
furnish protection to their manufacturing interests These
laws received the sanction of the people, they were
both condemned in most emphatic manner by the election
of Mr. Polk in 1874, Mr.. Clay their author and most
famous struggles of the Democratic party struggle
Sir in which you and labored side by side and in which
your noble County achieved honors to be forgot
struggle that resulted in signal victory whose fruits
manifested in repeal of the obnoxious laws referred
to- and bringing back of the Government to the original
position assigned her by the Constitution of the country and
in which she had been maintained by the immortal abors of
the Republican ay under the lead of Mr. Jefferson against
the Vaccinations of the Federaits and where she must
be preserved preserved she will be- by Democratic
principles and Democratic men.
Such is briefly the history and fate of the first of
distribution. The next is known to the public under the
than its predecessor nasmuch less scrupulous and
addressed itself the most sOrdd passions by promising
large bOuntes to Individuals and contemplated nothing less
in fact than the cesson of great corruption fund.- to be
used at discretion by dangerous class of politicians in the
made themselves notorious organizing the black republican
party and making upon the property and institutions OF
the South The details of this bill too recently known
to the country to need repetition This measure was also
defeated this tme by vote in Congress- when the Demo
cratic party had majority and again though some nd
ted by the opposition Of the Democratic party.
The advocates of the doctrine Of distribution in
wise quoted by this second defeat but they have already
mated another scheme which proposes distribution Of
the lands themselves among the several States according to
federal population They propose to make this distribution
Issuing land scrip to the several States with the power to
SELL but not to locate This is sustained by many
specious arguments such that the public lands
being squandered in donations to the new States for var
purposes and unless the older States receive their share
the whole will be dssated and lost to them hereafter
Although this scheme differs form from the other two
in principle the and reduced to practice would
be attended with evils perhaps than would have
suited from the success of either of the others.
1t is still the same proposition to dispose of the public
would greatly benefit the States themselves
We wlsuppose for instance that two hundred millions of
of land parttoned in this way among the thirty
States of the Union Not being empowered to locate
their land warrants they must necessarily put them in mar
ke for sae presenting the spectacle of propre
tors eager competition to sell the time This
competition would inevitably reduce the price to mere
nominal sum, and thus, very short hme this immense
property would be found in the hands of stock bbers and
brokers Wall and elsewhere. In every State there
would be those eager buy at low rates. and of they
would urge the States to throw large quantities upon the
market to enable them to do So scene of corruption
would in this be exhibited to the public view such
has before been witnessed in this country and dis
reputable legislation and dangerous the integrity of
institutions At present. there being but proprietor
of these lands moderate price be fixed by law Gas is
the case and sales effected rapidly the legitimate de-
of require but the hands thirty
different propretors, such uniform price could be
fixed upon them. In ne regard this scheme deusiVe
one, and within itself wholly impracticable.
Your question would imply that unless the public lands
partitoned among the States they will be squandered
by Congress- in donations to Railroad &C. Now to be
Observed that this word squandered used with reference
to the public lands has become prominent one in the
| of of Democratic marty