Page:Life of Henry Clay (Schurz; v. 1).djvu/381

Rh the states, it was far from certain that any would be pleased.” However, he undertook the task, and the result was his report on the public lands, the principles of which became for many years a part of the Whig platform.

In 1820 the price of public lands, which had been $2.00 an acre on credit and $1.64 for cash, was fixed at $1.25 in cash. The settlement of the new states and territories had indeed been rapid, but various plans were devised to accelerate it still more. One was, that the public lands should be given to the states; another, that they should be sold to the states at a price merely nominal; another, that they should be sold to settlers at graduated prices, — those which had been in the market a certain time without finding a purchaser to be considered “refuse” lands, and to be sold at greatly reduced rates. These propositions were advanced by some in good faith for the benefit of the settlers, but by others for speculative ends. Benton was the principal advocate of cheap lands, for reasons no doubt honest. Jackson had never put forth any definite scheme of land policy; but McLane, his Secretary of the Treasury, recommended in his report of December, 1831, that the public lands should be turned over at fair rates to the several states in which they were situated, the proceeds to be distributed among all the states.

Under such circumstances, the subject was referred to Clay's Committee on Manufactures. He reported that the general government should not