Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-04-19
Aggregate outlay Of every kind.
s6O,3sl,9I3 3

Net profit to the $50 3sl aI3
Since 1850 there has been received from the pub
lie lands about thirty-seyen millions. Where is the
| balance Where is the deficit? The measure be-
fore you provides for the settlement of each alter
nate leaving the remaining sections to be entered
either at 81 p or 81 80. Add the twelve and halt
cents proposed to be charged to the 81 % and you
get more chan Mr. Stuart himself says the cost
of the public lands. He says twenty cents is the
average cost. There were 500 600 900 of profits in
1850, and nOwIS37 100000 more, making Sg7 600
profit from the public lands What right have you,
then to withhold from the man who shed his blood.
and from his children part Of that which is his
Have you any right to do it! | demand it in the
name of the American people | demand it in The
name of the Constitution IdemandIt in the name of
justice. being in conformity to the spirit end ge-
MUS of our Government.
When we begin to press this measure there are
various other measures brought forward One is to
give all the lands TO the States. The enlightened
statesman Mr.. Calhoun, some years ago, brought
forward proposition TO surrender all the lands TO
the States. ] remember it well. Mr.. Calhoun did
not want TO eectioneer at all! He was above that
sort Of thing. Yet when he wanted to COncede the
power to make internal improvements, he could
change the name OF a river to a great lnend sea-
and then it became constitutional An extraOrdma-
~ statesman! l do not question that he was an eX-
traurdinary statesman. Mr.. Calhoun had some pc
cuiar notions about government; and II you brought
HIM back, all the men in the United States could not
put government INTO operation under the system
he laid down He was logician; he could reason
from premises to conclusion, bull he was as often
wrong in taking his premises as anybody else. Adj
init his premises and you were swept on to his con
clusiOn; but look at his premises, and he was just
as often wrong as any other statesman; and think
Mr.. Calhoun more Of politician than states
man. have my opinion; / think for myself. Mr..
Calhoun never possessed that class OF mind that en-
abed him to found great party. lie founded a
sect; and if he had happened TO have been secta-
rlan, he would never have gone beyond founding a
sect peculiar to himself His mind was metaphysI
cal and logical, and he was great man in his pecu
liar channel; but he might be more properly SAID
to have founded a sect than founded great party.
have been for the presumption and graduation
policy: | have been for the homestead policy; have
been in favor of cO1tining the future sales of public
lands to actual settlers and to them in limited guam
titles have looked forward to the day when, al
ter these measures were fixed on tie country the
homestead concentrating the policy that has been
heretofore inaugerated, the result in few years
would be a surrender Of the public lands to the
States: and look on these measures as merely pre-
lminary and it is an object have long desired, for
l want the powers Of this Federal Government
want il kept IN its proper orbit,
and want to withdraw the operations of the Fed
eral Government, as far as possible, without the
limits Of the States. The presumption, graduation,
and homestead policy is nothing but the prelimina