Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-01-22
Both Sides Of a Question.

all times, and with the general public occasionally to
questions only Sdetha side to which their
feelings or supposed interests direct their attention.
The relations of the General Government to the new
States or Territories in which the public lands e in
vovc one of these questions Of which onesded view is
most usually taken which side is embraced in that view
depending mainly upon the point of vision occupied by
the observer The people of the land States Terri
tories, influenced by their peculiar interests or
schemes being disposed to ask more than equity pre-
scrbes. Those of the old States portions of them
going as far towards the other extreme in wishing to
refuse to grant, to deny the right of the States
to ask for grants of land for any purpose whatsoever
The legal right of any State to tax the property of
the General Government within its borders, has never
been conceded by Congress- but the equitable right to
receive compensation for the waiver deprivation
of this power has been practically admitted since the
foundation of the government. Labor alone creates
property and assigns value to the earth or its products
Alexander Selkirk Robinson Crusoe might have been
monarch of all he surveyed his deserted island of
Juan Fernandez but the island being deserted he could
not have sold thousand of its broad for the price
of breakfast and his main desire was to get rid OF his
fertile but worthless domain In the wlds OF Oregon
or Washington Territory there are thousands and NIL
lions of fertile acres for which man would pay money
because as things stand they would be wholly worthless
to the purchaser.
But let the pioneer come with his axe-the farmer
with his pougl-the workman with his tools, and the
face of things would be changed. With the advent of
labor and population property would arise values would
attach to the soil and its products communications
would be opened up and the public lands be brought
:. foot no Grc+ lilo
property
The pioneer-thc armer-the mechanic-tbe mer-
chant and the professional man-ey constitute the new
State-their presence and labor alone impart CONNER
cia value to its soither improvements bring the pub
lie lands into market The enhanced value of these lands
is earned by the sweat of their broWs The land they
have bought--thc private property they have acquired
is taxed to dclay the expenses of the State government
Or to bear the burden Of public improvement, while the
property of the United States which shares in the ben
efts secured escapes all the burdens imposed This may
be strictly legal but would it he equitable? Let us
suppose I; parallel in our own State
Take the county Of Arson. The soil of An
son is owned by private individuals. 1t is
subject to taxation The County Court and the citi-
zens make county subscription OF Sl5O,OOO to tn
Wilmington Charlotte and Rutherford Road. The wOrke
is intended as IL public benefit and the subscription is
made with the belief that this benefit will be
ate with the outlay required to secure it. i'll which out
lay all participate they hope to participate in the re-
sulting benefit But suppose that onehaf of the surface
Of Arson County was covered by the lands of the Gen
cral tovermentthat Of the forty fifty miles Of rail
road to DC built through the county, twenty-five must
pass thro,"h open up bring into market these public
nd, Of
be willing to bear az the burdens Of Il work onc-haf of
the benefits Of which must cnure to proprietor whose
property could not be taxed and who would net part
with any portion Of it for the benefit of the whole
Would not these private land owners say: We tax
! ourselves to the amount Of $l5O,OOO. Uncle Sam is
h.ncfttcd as much as We are let us request him as
landowner to do his share 1t is neither honorable nor
equitable that he should sponge off reap the rewards
of our sacrifices and make none himself This would
sound like common sense and justice in North Carolina.
1t is the principle of land grants in the regions in which
the General Government is and-holder How far the
practice has been abused another question One thing
is certain it makes great difference in things whether
your bull cores my OK, my cores your bull The
very politicians that would sign memorials to Congress
in one case and demand compliance, would be the first
to denounce similar demand upon the part of others
Iland-grabbng
We do not say that there have not been multiplied
instances of abuse in the way of grants of public lands
We know that what was originally based upon prin
cpe of equity has been perverted in some cases into al
unprnciped speculation but this has not prevailed
the extent charged. A large proportion of all the
grants made rightly made; nor upon review o
the whole case do any reason to believe that thu
United States has actually lost by the operation badly
managed as it undoubtedly has been in some cases Wha
we mainly contend against is the practice of sweeping
assertion and indscrimnate denuncaton without
full and dispassionate examination