Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-05-26

to an extent without parallel in the history Of the
world and having in its favor the prestige of past
success, and the self sustaining strength which more
than fifty years of actual trial gives it. it will be
easier maintain it against the increasing strength
and holder demands of the States than to es-
tablish any new system equally just to ALL
Many persons are under the impression that the
public lands have ceased to be a source of revenue
to the government. and that they are being squan
dered for the benefit of the States. The grant
of lands to the Illinois Central Railroad is often spo
ken of as improvdent and unjust and it is supposed
by many persons that that road built out the
lands granted by Congress- and cost its stockholders
nothing. To what extent the land gave the com.
pany credit, am not able to say, but have before
me q statement from which it appears that the road
cost, $25, $40, 3A
OF which the company borrowed, 21,5097
And stockholders paid in, 443O6l5
The road was built with money borrowed in Eu-
rope, and not out of the proceeds of lands The
lands could not be made available to pay their debts
as they became due, and the last time heard of it.
the company was nsovent, and its road and other
property had, believe, passed into the hands Of
receiver for the benefit Of its creditors In no in
stance, far as l know, have these land grants
proved of much value to the grantees; and those
who attribute to them the rapid growth of the Wes-
tern States. fall into very great error. Their
growth was just rapid before Congress had given
to railroads The true cause Of their unpar.
aeled prosperity is to be found in their fertile soil
and noble rivers and in the immense tide Of emigra-
ton they receive FROM Europe. am told that some
of the Northwestern States keep agents in New
York, and even send them to Europe to electioneer
for emgrants; and stranger hearing the distri-
button speakers in North Carolina and reading their
newspapcrs-depictng in glowing terms the pros
perity and attractions of the Northwest, and the
pc, erty, and ignorance and backwardness OF their
own State-might suppose that they had their mis-
lating people to emgrate. The land grants ben
eft them but little, if at ALL for they go into the
hands of spectators, who often non residents.
Large grants have been made to railroads, but
they have all been on the alternate section prnci
pie that is, the Government gives every alternate
section on the line of proposed road to the COM
pany that will build it, and doubles the price of the
remaining section-the company not being allowed
to select the best land, but taking it it comes
BY such an operation, the Government obviously
loses nothing, and the friends of the system say it
gains by being enabled to sell what otherwise would
have been unsaleable 1 shall not defend it I have
voted in every instance against such grants but
have been Influenced to do so. less by any great
wrong can discover in the system as far as devel-
oped than by an indisposition to sanction any de.
parture from the old policy, and opposition to the
establishment of a system which there is too much
reason to fear will be abused in the future The
grant to the Illinois Central Railroad the first,
and most important made by Congress, and inaugn-
rated the policy. 1t was voted for by Messrs. Bad
l
have never heard that their friends at home then
considered it squanderihg the public lands That
our estate has been impaired by misapplication Of
the lands, no one can, or i'll question but it can
not be said justly, that it has been done to an ex-
tent to demand of US a resort to desperate exped-
ents. After giving about fifty millions to the old
soldiers they still relieve the people of taxation to
the extent Of more than S., OOO. 900 per year.
The plan on which the lands are surveyed, and
the order with which they brought into market,
worthy of all admiration, and only be main
tanned by unity in their management The plan Of
survey devised by Col. Mansfield in the early part
of this century, admits of no confusion Of bounda.
ries and tapping of titles, such in the old States
fill the courts with litigation and the hearts Of cit
zens with anger and bitterness. Instead of irregu.
lar figures running from post to tree, and from tree
to stump of various shapes and uncertain bounds
ries, are paralelograms Of unvarying contents and
indestructible boundaries. The Government sur
veyor with his chain and compass, is the forerunncr
Of freedom and the harbinger of civilization
Ahead of both, he plunges into the Wilderness and
with no guide but his needle, selects some great
land mark for his initial point From this he pro-
jects on the heavens his great Base and Meridian
lines as the basis of all his operations These lines
are invisible to human eyes, and unmarked by hu-
man tools, but are as univar5ing as the constella-
TONS and incapable Of oblteration, whilst the sun,
and the moon, and the planets, mantain their rela
tive positions. To the north and to the south, to
the east and to the west, he plants his mile posts.
and his hafmile posts--the mute and inanimate
sentnels, which forecast and wisdom place there to
command the peace and preserve harmony amongst
the thousands Of human beings who shall, through
all time, hold these lands. The perfect coincidence
Of all his lines and corners and the beautiful har-
mony of all his results, however he may have rami.
fed meandered, provided only he has followed his
compass, and departed not from his base and meri-
dian, are strkngly typical Of system Of govern
ment. The needle may be true to the pole, but it
is true than is our race to the principles OF
freedom and order. The precepts of the Constitu.
ton are the great base and meridian lines of our
political system, deep craven the hearts of our
citizens and incapable Of obhteration. So long as
we shall be true to those precepts and faithful to
our hereditary principles, we may expect harmony,
in the operations of our complex government, and
freedom from Earring aud conflicts; When we de-.
part from these lines, and misplace the division poss
between the various departments Of Government, or
wantonly throw down those marking the boundaries
between State and Federal authority, clashing inter
ests and conflicting claims will soon al! the land:
with mourning and Dc order. -
e has been said that {. the undeyout astronomer
mad because the solar system itself ptoclaims s
great First Cause, cmnscient and omnipotsnt, and
be would be madman, indeed, who, in penetrating
lis depths, and trucking its pansts should fail
reyerencem much goodness and so much power,
So American statesmen IN the constant confempaas:
ton u FouE beautiful land system may be- imbueds
With Sllsns u deyoton to the Consetnti and i'd
asrspe - q II iplpA inE tk0ee q