Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-03-10

uc ldluS slldll DC TctdlUcu uS Il SctlllStJ
for the National debt. Without intend
ing to advocate the position assumed by
Mr.. Weed, we may extract from this
epistle some important statements in re-
ference to this subject He says that the
Government still holds between fourteen
hundred and fifteen hundred millions of
acres of these lands, which are in the
States and Territories as follow =
.Sates Acres. Sates. Acres.
In Ohio. 900 Wisconsin. &c, 81, 900
Indiana. 10, 90 Minnesota. So 900, 600
Illinois ......l4 060, 900 n. W. Ter 3T6 600, 600
Missouri. -, 2le 900 Org'n Ter 2lS 900, 600
Alabama. II, 23s, 300 Ne. Terry .6T,ls5, 900
Mississippi. ii 3Os, 900 Ind. Ter. .,ll9 7s9, 600
Louisiana. "a BOD, 900 Gala Utah. .2S7 l62, 600
Michigan. "a, S64, 900 n. Mexico, 40, 727, 900
Arkansas. 81 i02, 000 -----
Florida. 81, sol, O0) Total. i, ,423 4l5, 600
lowa...."... -, 1896
Sold at one dollar IN acre, these lands
would produce enough to pay at least one
half of the sum which it is supposed the
National debt will be at the close of the war
say three thousand millions of dollars.
The manner in which they are to be made
available is as follows, according to Mr.
Weod's nlon.
"First. Stop giving away the lands.
"Second, Fence them with protective laws.
H.. Third & SCI them under such system , that
iab !" umi itm in e fur ' ,Io nra;I"
BILE sections will sell for sums sufficient to pay
not only the interest on the debt, hut to ulti-
mateiy retire the debt itself as other war debts
Gr traI ~ '"' p'o'e'u' Vi '''e puo''o '''''' IT,
In ordor IN show the voluo which tbcso
lands nossescs Mr. Weed instances tbo
ov,r,o,l;ror,, soIo, ,,oda h.. ,Lo G. III;
=, ~ '
nols central Naiiroad Company, under
the grant of public lands made to that
corp0ration bv CONGRESS- to aid in its con-
tr,,o.;, M Jn..; ~ . Eo5 oon
7'' i"0 uon'''oii "a' ""o'IU0
acres, under an act passed IN lSoU. Up
to December, 1868, the Company had
sold | 312'a73 acres for which il had re-
ao;,,oJ :, ii, .,J ,,oJalI. oo,,I,;t;a,,
80 ~ I"'" anu ","'i"oi' ',,
Slo, ,oo3, ,o.5,4f. There yet remains
] ,2S2 626 acres, which are estimated to
be worth SIT 900 900. Thus it is ar
gued by arithnletical logic: If n BODY
of lands less than two millions six hun
dred thousand of acres are worth nearly
thirty-four millions of dollars. what are
lands exceeding fourteen millions Of acres
worth? The result according to the SAN
rujne cvnbernp of Mr. Weed reaches
what Mr.. johnson might have denomi-
mated. ga potcntiality of wealth beyond
the dreams of ayarice."
There is one other argument Of Mr.
Weeds which is worthy Of being ouoted .
as, upon first examination, it seems to
possess strength. He saws -
at is known and admitted that when the
Rebellion is ended Europe will add millions TO
hu ,h h @ I ho Gghs
cd by the policy of our Government. If the
lands are to be given away the old World will
send its refuse population to us, But if the
ibnae wbo oear' @ y? brn n ,o pless
and improve them. We can draw from the
other side of the Atlantic either the idle and
vicious from poor-h uses and peniientiarcs,
%, r'r ,nnu3.i?S "'i ''y from '''s ana
And now Loft nscxam;nc these ncs;,;ons
In the first nlace we admit that if tbc
nublic Lands could he nroncrlv Guarded
# thew could Lo m,naacd a.: nr;vatS
owner would manage them tbcv would
nrodnce Immense SIMS of money Rut
we do not believe that Conoress would he
able to withstand the Tremendous assaults