Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-03-03


The Washington Union of the 27ah, brought us,
through the last nai the message Of the President
vst0ins the bin recently passed by Congress- ''do-
mating public lands to the several States and Terri
tories which may provide colleges for the benefit Of
agriculture and the mechanic arts.v
This viii, ss we learn from The message. make
donation 10 the several States Of twenty thousand
acres Of the public lands for each Senator and Rep
resentative in the present Congress; and also. an
additional donation Of twenty thousand acres to each
additional representative to which any Slate nav
be entitled under the census Of 1860. According 70
the report from the Interior Department based uuoD
the present number Of senators and representatives
the lands given to the States amount to six millions
and sixty thousand acres, and thef value, at the
minimum government price of one dollar and t#en-
tyhve cents per acre, to millions Eve hundred
and sOTenty-fve dollars.
The grant in land itself is confined to such States
ss have public lands within their limits worth one
one dollar and twenty-five cents in the opinion Of
the government Fer the remaining States the
Secretary Of the interior Is directed to issue Gland
scrip to the amount of their distributjye shares in
acres under the provisions of this see. said scrip to
be sold By Isid States for the purposes specified
1t is estimated that the amount Of scrip that would
have to be issued would he five millions four hun
bred and eighty thousand acres.
The President proceeds TO enumerste the various
objections to this bill and to set them forth in
clear and forcible manner. Ist AS it would effee.
the revenue Of the government, which, from this
source, he thinks would be almost entirely dried
up. I'd. As tending to make the State governments
fa,t "a a al II
the time ever arrive when the State governments shall
look to the federal treasury for the means Of sup
porting themselves aud msintaAing their system
Of education aud internal policy the character Of
both governments viii be greatly deteriorated. He
shows consusively that the effect would be to throw
the most valuable Of the public domain into the
hands of capitalists; and argues that it would DO
wiser TO grant money TO the States for domestic pur-
poses than TO squAnder the PUBLIC lands and trans
Ter them in large bodies into The hands Of specHa-
tors. Sd. That ii is extremely doubtful whether
this bill would contribute 10 the advancement Of
agriculture and the mechanic arts. That the fed
srsl government, which makes the donation. has no
power 70 follow it into the States and enforce the
application Of the fund to the intended objects
But does Congress possess the power to make do
nstiOn Of public lands to the different States Of the
Union provide Colleges for the purpose of eduea
ting their own ohildren7 This is the 9Th and main
objection urged by the President. He can find no
such power delegated to Congress, and thinks it
would be comforting upon that body vast and IT.
responsible authority to ooncede it, utterly at
war with the WelI-knOwn jealousy Of federal pow
er which prevailed at the foundation Of the con.
stitulion.
Regarding the message as document of unu-
suhl interest, We will publish it in full tomorrow