Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-15
The Agricultural College Bill--The
public Lands.


This bill. of which we have heretofore Civ
ena synopsis we are glad to see has finally
passed the Senate, and only wants the Presi-
dents approval to become law. The vote
in the Senate was as follows:
49, Ksas-Messrs Allen. Bell. Frederick. Cam
- eron. Chandler. Clark. Crittend"n. Dixon.
Doolitte Durkne. FessAnden. Foot, Gwin.
Hale Hamlin. Harlan. Kennedy, King. Sew
ard Simmons. Thompson of Kentucky. Thorn
son of New Jersey, Trumbull, Wade and Will
- son--25.
Na,a-Messrs Bayard. Brown: Chestnut,
a CLAY Clingman, Davis. Fitzpatrick, Green.
Hammond Houston, Hunter. Jones, Mallory.
Mrsnn. Polk. Pugh, Reid, Rice Sebastian,
Shields Slidell and Ward-22.
or the yeas, there are but four from the
whole South and Southwest, viz: Mr. BELL,
ofTennessee; Messrz. CRTTTESDEN and THoMP-
son. of Kentucky; and Mr.. KENNEDY, the
American Senator from Maryland. But four
= d mocrats voted for the bill, viz: Messrs. AL
LEN, Of Rhode Island; BRoDERICK, and GwIN,
OF California; and THOMSON, of New Jersey.
. The residue of the yeas are all Republicans
The nays are all Democrats with the ex-
ceptien OF HoUsToS, of Texas. Governor
JOHNSON. Of Tennessee, appears to have been
absent. Had he been present, ii is presumed,
from his previous votes on collateral ques-
tions, he would have voted in the negative.
The bill provides tor the distribution among
the several States, for the support of agrlcul-
tural colleges therein, something upwards OF
six millions, out Of eighty odd millions of
acres of the public lands, now subject to pri-
yate entry. Tennessee's dstributive share
l. will be 240, 900 acres.
-. Mr.. BELL not only voted for the bill, but
spoke in favor of it. We quote from the In
telliqoncer's brief report of the last days de-
bate upon it
"Mr. BELL remarked that the Government
was already reduced to the necessity of
resorting to Treasury notes or Government
loans 1t was proposed by this bill to give
AWAY upwards Of six millions out Of eighty
& odd millions of acres of land now subject to
prjvaie entry Some hundred millions OF
acres had heretofore been given for internal
h imprdy ements, or improvements OF some de-
s.riutio. and for educational purposes in
the several States--for purposes not defined
in the Constitution, but under general
power to dispose of the public lands, which
isas without limit in the Constitution.
Since 1876 fifteen or twenty millions of
acres the very best portion of the public
domain had been given to individual States
under the pretence-for it was no more than
a pretence-of improving the sales and in
creasing the value of the public lands re-
naming in MARKET Congress in this had pro-
fessed to exercise the right Of every proprie-
tor of a domain large or small, to dispose of
part in order to get higher price for the
remainder; but this only a pretcnce,
substantially and in fact, put forth in order 10
get around the constitutional scruples of
certain gentlemen. whose Judgments were
warped by it, although they did not entirely
AXE I'D their minds that the proceeding was
~ unconstitutional He rpfprrpd the
large grants for railroads, which no man
could say were really made for the purpose
Of Improving the public estate. 1t was all a
u mSy pretence Four or five millions were
granted to Minnesota in this way, and the
demand was so great that the policy was
pursu,d Of extingui-hing more and more the
Indian title, so a. to max lands available far
into the wilderness. Three millions were
also granted to Illinois.
Mr.. CLAY inquired if the gentleman did
not vote for these grants.
Mr.. BELL. l did. Aud did not the gentle
man from Alabama vote for them?
Mr. CLAY. ] did, sir; aud explained at the
time the grounds upon which L voted for
them.
Nj. Bell said he would not have done it
but ior the hope that by generous course
of policy they could soften the rigor with
which those new States hold on upon all the
balance of the public domain, denying any
portion of it TO the older States. These
grants were made when the Treasury was
ov. rfiowing, and when the economical spasm
which reaches'small things and never touches
larger ONES had not come upon Senators.
Mr. b. continued at some length to discuss
q the propriety Of grants OF lands tor railroads,
and the history of past Legislation ON that
subject"
In the course of recent speech in the
Senate. by the Democratic Senator from
Pennsylvania in favor of revising the tariff in
accordance with the recommendations of the
President, that Senator gave detailed
statistics showing that from 1850 to 1857.
y 500 900 acres of the public lands, worth
y. towards of 500 900 900 wore granted for
railroad purposes TO the States of Illinois,
Missouri. Alabama, Mississippi, louisiana
Michigan, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Wis
consin, and Minnesota. From eight Of those
8 States namely, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama.
Minnesota, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas
and Florida, all Democrats, not a Senator
could be found willing to vote for the
pittance of six millions of acres OF the public
lands to be distributed among all the States
of the Uuioulfor agricultural purposes. PUGH
the Democratic Senator from Ohio, was
dead against the bill, while WADE bis Re-
plblcan colleague, voted for H. JONES, oil
Iowa Democrat. also voted against the bill.
nd his Republican colleague for it.
--.s Verify, Tennessee owes q heavy debt to
Democracy for keeping her out of her fair
proportion of the public lands, while 25.OO0,-
900 of acres, worth upwards OF 500 900 900,
now given away to the eleven States enumer- |
a;ed, in ths,tsrief space intervening between |
nd oil I'm nFnmOtinU the |
cause of Democracy in those States. This
debt due from Tennessee to Democracy we
sJIst the people of the 5 ate will pay at an
.rly day, and with interest.