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WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1842
,.are those only who would profit by the bounty and munificence ·of. the government. The sailor has his bounty and prize money '-as incentives to enlistment and continuance in the service-none ·expect more--it has not been usual to give more. If, moreover, a fleet be in the vicinity of a land army, its co-operation is always supposed, and it accordingly participated in the spoils of victory. If; on the other hand, the victory be achieved by the fleet, the reverse is the case-the naval corps alone enjoy the reward of success. Again, the sailors who would have claims are either dead or scattered before the winds of Heaven. If bounty land were gr_anted, the few who survive would deem it value]ess because none of them would be willing to penetrate the wilderness in quest of a place to locate it some hundreds of miles beyond our frontiers; and rather than make the attempt they would be will- .ing to sell it for the veriest trifle. ,· The heirs of deceased sailors, too, would not be benefitted by ·their claims. Persons would be found ready to administer upon their estates-nay, even make a business of it, as has been done in numberless cases in the army-draw.the bounty land and back pay, and finally defraud the legal heirs, should they ever come ·forward to claim the promised bounty. : ·· Aside from the foregoing facts, the provisions of the bill would, "i:n my opinion, be exceedingly impolitic; because their effect would certainly be to open a broad field for fraud and deception upon the government; and our land system would be involved in .still greater confusion and difficulty than at present so unfortun- .ately exists. The period has arrived when the government should no longer add cause and encouragement to litigation, but rather seek to adjust and ascertain its true condition, and the best mode ·of rendering our remaining resources available. This can never be done, while millions of acres of our public domain are from year to year converted into land certificates and ·distributed gratuitously to all who have been in public service. We will need our public domain; and if it be properly managed we may yet hope to realize some advantage from its sale and set- .tlement. By lavish and unnecessary donations of this kind, the value of this branch of our resources is greatly diminished- .indeed, I might say almost destroyed. Sam Houston t"Messages of the Presidents," Conuressional Papers,· also Executive Rec- 01-d Boole, No. 40, pp. 30-31, Texas State Library.
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