Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-02-18
A FEW PLAIN QUESTIONS AND AN.
SWEHS.
VIRGINIA, February l3, 1869.

and sometimes a. to what it ought to do
we gather from the columns of the local
press. In the Enterprise of to-day, cop
led without comment, | read from the
Carson appeal of the day before, an ar
ticle which, / take it, was written for
the purpose of advising the Legislature
and ~consoling the people of tho State
who feel concerned about our State
finances. (Can you reprint the APpeafS
article TO which | allude? 1t may aid,
if not illustrate more fully the purposes
or the present communicatiou.)
GCertainly we IAN. Here it is from
the appeal of Friday, February 18th
ED. NEws.l
HOW OUR FINANCES MAY Re BRrTEREp.
Two acts Of justice will come very near
putting Nevada on q cash basis, and Will
send her on the high road to wealth.. One Is
that which Congress has been asked 10 per-
form: Assume our Territorial inde0tedhess'
Tn other is: For the present Legislature to
devise and enact a law which will be opera
tive and beneficial. II this State could real
ize fifty cents per acre for the lands which
have been donated to her by Congress she
could wipe out her debt and have a handsome
balance in the Treasury. Our school system
can be put upon n most substantial and
nrosperous footing il the Legislature will go
10 work s~easonably and in the right way.
Those who arc accustomed 10 think Of Nevada
as bu. a desert waste OF sagebrush and alkali
flats famed by Washoe zcphyrs, are incredu-
lous Of the stated value OF much OF the States
land. They forget the vast region OF pine
forests which lies along our western borders;
they do not remember, II they ever knew OF,
the thousands Of fertile acres which lie to the
south and southeast OF Pahranagat n
White Pinc-lands that are eagerly sought
for by Mormon explorers who have squattcd
uuon them and who have found that they are
capable of producing the most valuable char
acter of crops. Those Mormons arc eagerly
waiting for some plan whereby to become
possessed Of the States title TO these lands ;
and where customers are waiting to pay coin
into the States Treasury, a way should sure
ly be provided BY which they can be accom-
moda,cd. And these Mormons are not the
only people that are waiting for the State to
mark out a plan whereby they can purchase
pulic lands ; for, indeed, there are thousands
Of dollars seeking investment in these lands
which are only withheld because the market
is not prepared for their reception.
This subject, as we have before urged, is
Out VI tue IllOSN NlNaA ~
lie interests and in view OF the impoverished
condition Of the State Treasury, il should re-
cciyc the most careful and earnest attention
of our Legislators. II will be n proud tribute
10 the present. Senate and Assembly If they
will but give the people an opportunity TO
say that the Fourth Legislature devised an
Act of so much wisdom and value as to re-
licve the State from debt and place her upon
4 footing with the most prosperous commit
mites Of the Union. Believing that this can
be, we trust that it will be done.
The article alluded to, despite the
message Of n Goyernor-the reports OF
the State financial agents, such rs Con-
troller and Treasurer-has solved the
heretofore incomprehcnsiblc problem Of
our State indebtedness. 1t is truly re-
fresNing, in view of the impecuniOus
condition of IL State finances, TO light
upon an expedient, whercwith to pay
our debts, which costs so little and
promises so much. Can we do this, or
shall we accomplish, in the way sug-
gested by the Appeal, the end so much
desired, to wit: the payment Ut our
debt?
First, it is said that Congress shall
assume eur debt incurred when q Terri
tory. Why or upon what principle can
we claim this? The Territorial debt
chiefly was created by the purchase OF
n State Prison at q price most exorbi-
tant-eveu if n perfect title had been
obtained-but which was approved by
the Territorial Governor (Nye) when
his attention wGs called to the fact that
no valid title could be given by the VEN
dor Curry, and which | learn is now,
or soon will become, the matter OF suit
by n party claiming adversely to the
State. The other Territorial indebted
ness, perhaps but with slight ex-
ceptions, was created by allowing, I'M
der the force of Territorial laws, ap-
proved by Il willing and obedicnt Exec
utive of the Territory, an increase of
pay or salary ian increase Of officers in
some ~respects) of Territorial officers in
the Executive, Judicial and Legislative
departments, beyond the rates and the
number OF officers contemplated by the
Organic Act.
Aside from the wanton and wasteful
extravaganza in the conduct of Terrific
rial officers, both in the Executive and
Legislative departments, which has en-
tailed on the State the debt referred to,
what excuse can be urged before Con-
press to assume, this debt? | know OF
none but perhaps its Territorial Ex-
ccutiyc, in the person of a Senator from
n State thus eplhralled, may sufficiently
explain the matter rs to induce Con-
cress and an economizing President TO
further our wishes and to this extent
relieve our needs. So mote it be
| hazard nothing by the assertion
that no instance can be found wherein
the Federal Government has assumed q
Territorial debt, contracted for any pur-
pose-much less for the uses which APP
pear in this instance and with the in
coming administration we can scarcely
expect n departure from safe precedent,
unless tho late Governor, now its SEN
ator, shall be able to show this to be an
exceptional case, that has never before,
nor will over again, occur in the admin
~istration Of Territorial affairs.
Next, as to the Public Lands. Has
the erudite and accomplished journalist
who conducts the only newspaper at
the Capital, ever read the Federal laws
and consulted the Constitution of the
State, in so far as they bear upon the
question Of Land Grants to the State ?
After reading his article, most persons
familiar with these subjects would coa-
clude that he had not, else the article in
question would never have been written.
As I read the laws of Congress and the
Constitution Of our State, oH OF the
lands granted by the United States to
this State Except those granted for pur-
poses of State Prison and public build
ings, a~ggrcgatins about $4,000 acres,
the proceeds of which under the Capt.
tol Bill," now pending in the Legisln-
ture, are to be applied in the way OF
erecting n State Capitol), 60 to the
School Fund of the State, either for the
Common Schools or the State Univcrsi-
ty, and for all time are ~irrevocably
pledged to educational purposes. Vide,
State Constitution, Art. ri, Sec. ;, and
Laws Of Congress authorizing such di-
version