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The Public Domain--another Letter From Mr. Weed

The Public Domain--another Letter From Mr. Weed image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
March
Year
1864
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Albany, Feb. 10, 1864. Dear Sir - Tho letter which I took vbe liberty of addressing to you on the Bth ultimo, is elieituig discussion. - Sorae regard the estímate of our war debt as excessive; otbers doubt the suffici.ency of the proceeds of' the public lands a.9 an available sourco of revenue ; while very few queation the" justice and wisdom of devoting the national domain to the uses of the national treasury. The war debt estímate, unhappily, was too small. Should the war end with the passing year, we shnll find ourselves called. upon lo próvido for a debt of more than three thousand millions. The value of the public domain depends i;pon it management. Protected avid husbanded with vigilanco and economy, its constautly iccreasing value would become a basis upon wich the üuancial policy of the governraen could be firmly established. In the past this domain bas been bv iavish legislation, fearfully impairod. - Conffresa hr,s ezenjpliSed the prodigal mpátient only to squander bis inberitauce. Nenrly or quite oue hindred aod fifty raillions of acres werc thrown away. But the government est í 11 lioids between fourteen and fifteen hindred millions of acres, wbicb arn dialfibuted among tbe States and territories &s followa: STATES. ACRES. ín Ohio '' 745,000 Indiana 2,751,00b Illinoi9 .... 14(;00.00u Missouri - - - 23,210,000. Alábanla .... 17.238,000' Mississippi ... 14,.)08.0()0 Louisiana - - - - 22 854,000 Michigan - - - 24.864 .000 Arkansas - - - - 27.402.000 Florida - 31.801,000 Iowa 27.153,000 Wisconsin - . - - 26,321.000 Minnesota - - - 56.000 ,000 Northwest Territory - 376.000,000 Oreo-on Territory - -218 53(5 000 Nebï-aska Territory - 87,488,000 Indian Territory - - -119,789.000 California and Utah - 287,165,000 Hew Mexico - - - 49,727,000 1,423,410,000 I know how much lias boen said about Swarap and Reíuse Lands ; but I know that after all such deduclions, if the domain is proteoted, tlie lands now possess an intrius o valué of one dollar an aero. If, however, we assurne half a dollar an acre as their present valué, we fortify the Federal treasury with seven hundred millious of dollars. Even this at the outset of our new financial career, will be rogarded with marked saiisfaction as a secui-Hy. But estimated as they may be if caied for, at ontj dollar per acre, we have on hand the nieaus of extinguishing one-half of the national debt. It ig, however, in the prnspective value of the domain that wc are to look for glowing pecuniary results. First, stop giving away the lands. Secoiid, fence them with protective laws. Third, sell them, under such a system that the lands will increase in value as they diruiuish in acres ; until, vjitbiu five years, the availïble sections wül sell for aums sufficient to pay, not onljr the intepst on the debt, but to ultimately retire the ciebt itself as other war Jebts were, by the prosöeda of the pu'blic lar.ds retired. Journals approving the suggegtioB whioh devotos the public domain to the public treasury uoder estímate its valuo. Of thia class, the N Y. World, and Philadelph'ia Jnruirer, in woll considered articls, fail tb discover, in those lnods, what Dr. Juhnson, speaking of anothor element, doscribcd as the "pqtontialitv of ácqiiínug wealth beyond the cbffiërig of avarice." Fort,unntely I am glad to fortify this position with " facts and figures." In 1850, Congress grauted 2 595,000 acres of land to aid tho construction of the 11 Illinois CeDtral Railmad." ïliat company cooraenccd operatioas in 1853. In December, 1853, the Company bad go)d 1,312,373 acres of it:. land, on wniê-h $6749.811 18 in cash bas been reeeived ; while $9,914,008.44 iügnod and avaihible tiecurities, remaiu duo The whole anaount paid and payablc, therefore, is $10,003,823-14. Ot theiv lau'd gun,';, 1;282,626 aoves remaiu uusold. These urijoid lands are now estiinated to be vvorth at least $17000,000- -makiug a total of nearly $34000,000. It is thus show ti that public lands giv en to a single railroad company, properly managed, have in valué risen to a sum eqaai to the paynient of interest, at six per cent. en nearly $700,000,000 of our public deb't ! i'milar grants have been made (br railways in Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and other States. Of lands grauted to the Illinois Oen tral road, several huudred thousand acres were classified as refuse, and had been ofFered, for ocr;,! years, at J2J cents per aero. The Ooinpany lias sold th'.se "refuse" lauds for $;5, $4 and 5 per acre Ovej 50,000 acres have been sold for $12 per acre 1 The value cï public lands, 1 repeat, depends entirely opon their management. They can be made valuable pr worthless as the goveruuient ehoose. We liivc set'i] what they aro worth in I he hands of the Illinois Railroad Company. If the lauds that were a drug iu the niarket at twelve cents an aero, by a chango of policy, sell fcr ns many doüaro ppr acre, eau e doubt tho"iutriiisc" vatue' of the domuin which early in our history paid our national debt ? If two milions and a half acres produced $84,000,000; what, under a proper managemet, vvill lüurieen huudred thousaud laillions of acres be worth ? It is knowu and admitied that when thé reberlüou ended, 'Europe will add millious to our populación. Tho character of emigrauts aitraoted by tïie public laudn will be determinad by the poli cy of our government. If the lauds are to be giveu away, the Old World will tlie lands are offered for sale, at reasouable prices, those who come will bring money to purchaso and improve thera. - We can draw from the ctber side of the Atlautic, either the idle and vicious, from poor houses and p'mitentiarias, or the industrious and thrifty, fr.Qtn farms and manufactories. We shall need, when the war is over, all the finanoial streng; h the country possesses. Every element sjb.oiild:be developnd, cherished and coucentrated. - My estímate of three thousand millions as the Federal debt, was inteutionally moderate, for I am not a croaker, and would 'crush out" rebellion whatéver it' costs. But svhile that is being aecoriiplished by the army and navy, statesmen sliould be preparing the government for a financial crisis, emergency, or shock, more formidable than has been eneountei'ed by any other nation. In the mcuntiuac, while contemplaling the debt of the nation, thoughtfal rainds will not forget that Ötatea, counties and towtis, have mado and sola their bonds for monoy to pay bounties to soldiers - [f, when the prodigal expeuditure that always prevaÜ3 during wars, ends with the 7iixv) and the people are again required to èarr. the money the tax gatherer demanda, it shull appear that rulers and represeötati'es failed either in wisdom or fidtility, tp ease; as far as possiblo, their burdens, tej vili cease to be rultrs aud representativeg. In fitstetiiug the public doruain to the Federal treasury, we shall have cast an iinchor at which the national slnp will ride through an approaehino; financial gaL in safety. That domain belongs tci the people, and sbould be preserved and managed for their benefit. Congress has the arbiirary but not the moral, right to give it aw.ay. A Congress that devotos this domain irreyooably, to the payment of the national defct. will signalize its wisdom and patrioiisui. A Congress that fails to do it will mistake its duty and regret its error. Truly vours,

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus