Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-03-04
aas5biIle ataion sno ansritan.
Daily IS !; rri.NXeekIy s.; weesIY -.
PresIdent,. sele sIe..age.


Presidents ssto Message.
IT, The Hsa'e Of Representatives, Of lss United STATE,
return, with las ,bjociieas. 10 the House {
Representatives, ia ign ca il originated ide bill FL
| tasi . A.. &c, d1naisng bic itnds 10 the spvpra
Sta'es and Territories which may provide college
for she tensht Of agfieuturs and The T. echani
arts, presented 70 rae the 18th inst
This bill makes dohsiisn 10 the several S,stt
Of twenty Thousand acres { the Idbhe lands TO
each senator and eeprss. ntsiiye in the presss
Congress; aud al. ga additional donation OF tWept,
thousand for each addrion Il representative Il
which any 5 ate may be entitled uater the census O.
1860
According 10 a repors from the Interior Depart
ment based upon the present plumber of Senator.
aod Representatives, the lands given 10 the Sta e.
amount 10 millions and sixty thous ,ud acres
an their value at shp minimum government price
OF enc dollar and twenty five cents Per acre {,
seven millpn five bun Ire and seventy five thousand
| dollars
/ The Obie;t Of this glf, as stated in The bill. is
"the eIdOWment, support and maintenance Of al
least one college liz ,aeh ate where the leading
| object shall he. without excluding other scientific
or cl4sfioIl studies teach such branches Of learn
ing as are RELAXED 10 agriculture anil the m sehsuc
srts as 'he leg stature Of he States may respec-
lively prescribe order to promote the liberal and
practical educ lIion Of the industrial classes IL the
several pursuits and profe siciss in life -
benehciaIies in existenes to which this endowment
can be applied, cacn sac is require to ''prjvide
within i've years at least not less than oae college
or the grant 10 said State shall cease Fl" la that
event the ''ssid Sta shat be boIud to pay The
Unei States the amount received of any lands pre-
viOusy sod and that the title to purchasers under
the State shall be valid"
The grant IN land i,srlf is confined 10 such States
as have public lsuds within their limits worth ore
dollar anu tsenty-hse cents per acre. the opinion
OF the Gov rnOr. For Toe remaiang States the Sec
reta'y of the Inter o. is dire Ell issue 'land scrip
to The amount OF their distributivs SHARES ia acres
uader The provisions of this act; ali scrip 10 be
sold by said States an the pr ceeds thereof applied
to the uses and purp prescribed in this ae and
for no other US or purpose Whtts ever" The l4nos
are granted and the scrip is be issued sin sections
or subdivisions Of sections less N one quarter
of section
According to an estimate from the Interior De-
parIment, the number of acres Whish will probably
be accepted by States h4yi0g public lands within
their own limits will not exceed five hundred and
eIghiy thousand acres and it may be much less:
Having balauee of fEe million fO:r hundred aad
eighty Thousand acres to be provided for by scrip
These grants Of land and land scrip to eacu Of
the thhty three Sta'es are made upon certain eou-
dtions, the principal OF which is that if the fluid
shall be lest diminished Oh account of unfortu
nate investments, CT Otherwise the deficiency shall
be replaced and made good By the respective States
shall now proceed 10 state my objections to this
bill deem it TO be both inexpediens and uneOn-
sttuiional
This bill has been passed at a period when we
caa with great difficulty rai-e sufficient revenue TO
susia n tae expenses Of the government Saoa!!dd
become law, The treasury will be deprived of he
whole, or neatly the whole, Of our income from the
sale Of public lands, which for the next fiscal year.
has been estimated at five millions dollars
bsro statement of the case will make this evi
dent The mi.imum price at which we dispose Of /
our lands is one dollar and twenty i've cents per
acre Al the present moment, however, the price !
has been reduced 10 those who purchase the bounty
land warrants Of the eli soldiers TO eighty 1--WE
cents per acre; and of these warrants there ara sl
out standing and INDICATED. appears by a report
(l2 February, 1881 from the General Laud Of
fee, the amount OF eleven Biloos nine hundred
and ninety thousand Ihr, hundred AMI biueiy-CDe
acres rois has already greatly re used he CTR
reLt llCs by The g0Vtrnm- NJ aud diOiHs he'll the
revenue from this source IT, in aIdi 100, thirty
three Sia Is SHALL cater the market WIN tb,ir land
scrip, The Pr &c must be grea,ly reduced low even
eighty five cents per much 10 he prejudice
ot h old soldiers who have already partei wlth /
he land warrants as - govCrnmsnr IL is ,a-y 70 I
perceive that with this glut Il market govern
mem can sell little no lands at dollar aud .
weIty i've Gems per acre wien tie price tf bOuaty
aud warrants and sciip thGll he reduced 10 half /
his sum This source VI Tsgenue viii be almost
ntireiy dried up. Under be Dill the States may
sell ir land scrip at any price it may brrg.
There is no limitation whatever 10 this repeet Ia
lee they must sell for what the scrip will bring
or without this fund they cannot oeeed to estate
ish their coilCg within the five years to wpicb
hey are limited 1t is manifest, therefore that TO
he extent to which This bill will prevent the sale OF
he public lands at dollar aud TWEEN y-6ve cents
per acre, to tina amount it will have precisely the
Isme effect upon the treasury if we should Im-
lose TAX or create loan to endoW these State col
eges.
Surely the present is the most unpropitious mo-
nen which could have been selected for the pas
,sge of this bill.
Waving for the present the question of consti-
utonal power, what effect will this bill nave on the
relations established between the federal and State
governments? The Constitution is grant to Cons
yress Of a few enumerated, but most important
powers relating chiefly TO war, peace, foreign ard
domestic commerce, negotiation, and other subjects
which can be test alone exercised benefcially by
he common government. All other powers are re-
served to the States aud TO the people For the eff
icient and harmonious working for both il is neces
isry that their several spheres of action should be
Kept distinct from each ether. This alone can pre-
rent conflict ard mutual injury. Should the time
ever arrive when the State governments shall look
% the federal treasury fog the means of supporting
themselves and maintaining their systems of edu-
:aion and internal policy, the character of both
governments will be greatly deeriorated. The rep
esentstiyes Of the Safes and Of the people, feeling
more Immediate interest in Obtaining money &c
ghten the burdens of their constituents than for
he promotion OF tho more distant objects inlrus ed
~ the federal government, will naturally incline 10
obtain means from the fedral government for State
purposes. If ques ion shah arise between al sp-
ptopraton of land money to carry into effect be
objects of the federal government and those Of the
SIsles their feelings wall be enlisted in favor of the
alter This is bumsn nature; and hence the
necessity of keeping he two governments entirely
distinct The prepon1 erance of this home feeling
has been mabifest,d by the passage Of the present
hill The establishment of these colleges has pre-.
vailed over The pressing ants of the common treas
Dry. No DatiOn ever had such inheritance as !
We possess in The public lands These ought 10 be
managed with the most care, but at The ssms time
with a liberal spirit towards actual settlers
Ia the first year Ct with q powerful naval 4
nation, the revenue from customs must, in great
degree, cease resort to loans will then become /
and these N always be chained as our
fathers obtsined them, advantageous terms, by |
pedging he public lands security. In this vieE
of the subject il would be wiser to grant money 10
the States for dJmestc purposes I'll IN 10 squander |
away the public lands, and transfer them 10 large
bodies inIo he hands of speeulstois
A successful rugge on The part Of the State gov
erT with t1e g,r eral government for the pub
lie lands would d,prve The latter of the means of
lis high duries esI SeIaily crIiics,
and daugtIoue periods Besides, IL would operate
with equal dsniment 10 the best interest of the |
States IL would remove the most wholesome Of all /
restraints On legislative bodies-thst CT being /
obliged 10 raise money by taxstIon from their
sltuents-a would lead to extravaganza, if not 10
What il chained easily aud without |
responsibility will be lavishly exp nded. J