SCHOOL LANDS. 2I8 



as uniformly been our enemies, on every question, when their 

 votes could injure us, in the national legislature. 



SCHOOL LANDS, AND COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM OF EDUCATION. 



The congress of the United States, by several acts, usually 

 denominated " the compact," gave the people, of all the terri- 

 tory northwest of Ohio river, one thirty sixth part of the land, 

 for the support of common schools. No small portion of these 

 lands, was occupied, at an early day, by persons, who settled 

 on them, without any other title to them, than what mere occu- 

 pancy gave them. These occupants, made no very valuable 

 improvements, on these lands, but they contrived, in time, to 

 obtain various acts of our general assembly, in favor of such 

 squatters. Such acts increased in number every year, until 

 they, not only had cost the state, large sums of money for legis- 

 lating about them, but some entire sessions were mostly spent, 

 in such unprofitable legislation. 



In the meantime, scarcely a dollar was ever paid over to the 

 people, for whose benefit these lands had been given, by con- 

 gress. 



Members of the legislature, not unfrequently, got acts pass- 

 ed and leases granted, either to themselves, to their relations 

 or, to their warm partisans. One senator contrived to get, by 

 such acts, seven entire sections of land into, either his own, or 

 his childrens' possession!! 



From 1803 to 1820, our general assembly spent its sessions 

 mostly, in passing acts relating to these lands ; in amending our 

 militia laws; and in revising those relating to justices' courts. 

 Every four or five years, all the laws were amended, or as 

 one member of assembly well remarked in his place, "were 

 made worse." At a low estimate, this perverse legislation, cost 

 the people, one million of dollars. The laws were changed so 

 frequently, that none but the passers of them, for whose bene- 

 fit they were generally made, knew what laws were really in 

 force. New laws were often made, as soon as the old ones 

 stpok effect. 



