Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1858-01-29

mad when cookie came near his cage Cookie did want
to scrape acquaintance onstrous bad for all that so,
one day. whe thought the Bengal looked particular qul-
ct and good humored, he opened hole on top of his
cage and poked something down TO him the end of
spit something, leaning with his head at the hole
Quicker nor lightnin old Bengal capped his paws on
the back of the niggers neck where it joins his head
and tore the head right off the body which tumbled back
the deck dead That the difficulty the tiger bad
with the cook" The difficulties in the way of the
distributonsts equally fatal Indeed, MIR. McRae's
expeden to avoid this last difficulty, throws him back
upon another even more serious. It throws him back
upon the position of distribution of the proceeds of the
sales Of the public lands for if the title remains i'll the u
States until the location then it is United States pro-
perty that solo, it is United States money that IS re-
ceved without legal appropriation made any Federal
object promoted.
Say that there are two hundred and fifty millions of
of public lands unsod in the State-does thence
follow that these lands all be sold for the of one
dollar per The experience of the General Govern
ment ustifes such assumption, does it justify the
assumption that one half even could be realized.
There is such thing graduating the price of the
public lands according to the system now in operation
the wisdom of which has been endorsed by every Pres
dent who has remarked upon it at all. Lands in the
market for certain number of years and unsuitable are
offered at IS cents per acre still longer in the market
they are offered at so cents longer again, at 25 cents
and finally at 1215 cents For years past the number
of dollars received into the Federal Treasury for lands
has not more than half equad the number of of
land actually Sold 1t is said that land-warrants sell
we'll So they do. At least they sell, but these
rants for any portion of the public domain not pre-
empted otherwise taken up They are for the pick
and choice of all the lands in the States or terrtories
But suppose that instead of being thus, they were
for the lands as they come say that war
rants are issued for two hundred and fifty
millions of acres, for all the lands within the
borders of the present States few millions might be
sold at something like eighty cents acre, but after
awhe-after the pick and choice had been TAKEN there
would be coming down from the magnificent figures of
sangune spectators. 1t is easy to talk about two hun
dred and fifty millions being sold in time to pay debts
and build our railroads: But it is not easy to prove
that it be DONE This is actually more public land
than has been sodgven away, Or otherwise disposed
of since the formation of the government We asked
to look at the rate according to which lands have been
taken up during the last few years Of exravagan
laton. We do look, and do and feel the results
of this manathe country has felt it. Long years must
eapse before any considerable demand can be expected
to arise. If we wait for that to build railroads or
pay our debts, Lord help the creditors, say We How
much would the late crisis have been intensified had any
such scheme been in operation p
In 1853 the Secretary of the Treasury stated the cost
of the public lands up to that date at $74957879 49,
money paid out of the Federal Treasury directly for the
opN IF Iopd hoe
since been augmented by the sum of ten millions to
Mexico for the Gadsden purchase This does not include
anything for territorial governments military protec
ton. The interest this is five millions of
dollars exceeding greatly the nett annual average reaz
ell from this source If these lands their proceeds
are given away it will just amount to tax on the
Federal Treasury for remuneration and for pur-
pose authorized by or contemplated in the grant of
powers made by the States.
Let us look at the thing in the light Of history At
the time when the original States, or what had been
colonies achieved their independence their claim to all
the lands within their bounds once called in
question If Virginia, North Carolina and other States
ceded lands then useless to Themselves it was their own
voluntary actan act of patriotism certany-for the
purpose of the confeeracy An act the
very opposite of that friously advocated by some
men of the present day. The States do net claim for
themselves what was assumed as inherent sovereign
right by all the original States the right of ownership
taxing power over all the lands within their sovereignty
but they ask that the Federal proprietor of lands shall
do like any other proprietor-hence the great outcry
raised.
We by no means assent to the tone of depreciation of
their State adopted by the disrbutonsts. North
Caronians are, per CAPITA richer than Inosans. The
credit of North Carolina stands higher to-day than that
of Illinois, and her ratio of taxation is less She has not
been stimulated into speculative extravagances by the
Elusive prospects of sudden gain. Her resources are
great and she will develope them without being pen
soner of the Federal at the cost of tariff
TONS calculated to increase the real evil under which she
abors-that of commercial dependence upon the North
If her population has increased in less rapid ratio it
has not arisen from the want of public lands but from
her different and more limited basis of labor The slave
labor of the South restricted within the limits Of ma
tura increase, and no healthy superstructure can be
raised dsproportioned to the basis upon which it ex-
peced to stand But is she less vruous Or less happy?
Who will assert it? We would not change her cond-
ton to-day with that of the boosted Northwest.
We might comment upon the Inconsistent course Of
politicians claiming affinity with the Democratic party
and yet afiating with its most bitter opponents in
their efforts to SOW dssenton in its ranks by the advo
cacy of policy which that party has and again
denounced as unconstitutional. We might point to the
position of the treasury which renders such scheme
the present time simply ridiculous and its advocacy
valuable for no end but that of agitation for personal ad
vancemen but prefer to argue the question upon its
own merits, appealing solely to the judgements of oul