WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1842
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Enclosure marked "B" reads: An Extra,ct from. tke Report of B1·anck T. Archer, See1·eta1·y of War andi Navy, made in September, 1841 "Another matter connected with our naval armament, will, I have no doubt, attract the early attention of this government. By the report of the commandant of our navy, it would seem that the vessels constructed in the City of Baltimore for this Government, were of unsound materials, in violation of the contract between the parties.- "If this be true (and I cannot doubt it, having full faith in the Com- mandant who makes the report), some immediate steps should be taken by the Government (one of the contracting parties) to defeat this unhal- lowed fraud." These enclosures are both to be found filed with Houston's message in the Cong1·essional Papers, Texas State Library. To THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1 Executive Department, City of Austin, January 31, 1842. To the Honorable, the House of Representatives: I have carefully reviewed a bill " to amend and repeal -a por- tion of an act granting land to emigrants, approved January 4th, one thousand eight hundred and forty one, and to extend a further donation of land to emigrants and citizens, and for other purposes," which has been submitted for my sanction, and find that the first section removes the conditions (except that of three years residence), imposed by the act of January 4th, 1841, which were to have been performed by the emigrant before he could get a patent; and that it permits the whole amount of land granted under such act to be thrown into the market and to be- come the object of speculation, peculation, and fraud upon the government.- Section third extends a donation of land to emi- grants and citizens arriving at lawful age. I cannot but deem this impolitic. Our public lands are pledged. They ought to be the main support of the national credit. Their value and amount have never been ascertained; and, until these floating claims are out of the way, our land system can never be settled. Interm- inable confusion will prevail and litigation must continue the abiding curse of the country. Emigration will be prevented by a pervading and well founded distrust of the rights of property; and, also by a depreciation of its market value, by the polity and practice of the government in bestowing it gratuitously upon all who will receive. Thus our public domain is rendered wholly unavailable· for that on which the government places no value, the emigra~t and resident abroad will, of course, consider value- less.
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