Speech #460058348

At least there is no claim in the bill that there is any deficiency due to any of the States arising from that source. They have therefore received a very considerable amount of money out of the public Treasury. a bounty which the older States of the Union never received. It was. peraps. a wise policy o the part of the Government. for the purpose of encouraging emigration to those States. for the purpose of encouraging persons to go there and settle. that some gratuityas I hold it was a gratuityon the part of the Government should be given to those States. in order that they might be rapidly built up and become thrifty members of the American Union. I am not now complaining that an unwise policy was adopted toward them. and yet I think there is very much in the suggestion made by the Senator from Alabama [Mr. 3lonG w] the other day. who said that if these lands were to be regarded as a trust it was a trust for the whole people of this Government. and the question might arise whether the act which gave to these several States 5 per cent. was a constitutional act or not. whether there was at least a faithful execution of the trust that had been reposed in the General Government by the States of this Union. all of whom were interested in these public lands. But without raising any question as to the propriety or the legality of the act.