The Arkansas advocate., 1832-03-14
From the .Arkansas GdSeiie. TO 1rEfE pIIiIIlt.

p0sslDles 10 aVoid newspaper eohtio- versy. It is very unpleasant, and geIl- erally results En d total breach oi per sonal friendship between individuals who have hitherto extended to each other the kindly hand of brotherl, love. From the introduction Of my name in the last weeks Advocate, Tn q communication over the signature oi .sRo6ert Cratende1a,n l feel ms sell mor- ally bound to say something tn ]ustlfi- cation of my course relative to the dis position of the Ten Sections of Land, of which Mr. Crittenden speaks. lam
 not one of those who will ever shrink
 from responsibility to my country for any act or decd of my own, even as
 private individual or public officer
 My course has been through lie, thus
 lar, uniform and q think consistent;
 aud my opinions at all times frankly ex-
 pressed, when caaed for-and this be-
 Ing one of the times when think my
 selfln one sense of the word required to
 say what part did take in that trans-
 action, l shall do 1t freely and fully,
 without reservation. In doing which
 Il will be necessary 10 narrate facts as
 they occurred, as nearly as my recol- lection serves me.
 Some short time prior 10 the meeting
 oi the last Legislature. was informed,
 by oncof my friends, that Mr. Grittei-
 den intended to offer 10 the Legisla-
 ture, Lis house and lots. for the use oi
 the Territory, in exchange for the Ten
 Sections of Land. Some desuitory
 conversation passed between us, upon
 the subject of the relative value of the
 two pieces of property, and ] think i
 remarked that about seven sections of
 land would be a fair value for the house aIid lots; and if Mr. C. would agree to take that quantity. if was probable the Legislature would exchange with him. 1t was then suggested, that hIr. (. in- tended to make alterations 10 the house, and put it in good condition for begis- lative Halls, in which event it would  be worth, as wassupposed,so SS,0Gu.
 l had never reflected for d moment upon the advantages attending thls grant or donation over all others in this Territory, and of course fixed upon the sum of Sf D per acre as the minimum Pnce, and estimated Mir. Cfittenden's house, with the necessary improve ments he intended to make, at an equal and accorded with my friend iii the belief shat Ii would be polite ln the Legislature 10 make the exchange. and so expressed myself on several oc- casions, and, until the meeting of the Legislature, continued Of the same opinion. This constitutes, ] honestly believe, about the amount or sum total of the part took in favor of the pro- ject of exchanging the lands for Mir. Crittenden's house.
 Now let me ask the indulgence of a generous public, whilst l assign the causes which influenced me in a change of my former opinions. In the first place, after the meeting of the iegisia- urea free interchange ofopinions were had, and tic value of the donation free ly and deliberately discussed, in con nection with the situation and ualue of Mir. Crittenden's honse and lots. was induced to believe, upon more ma ture reflection, that the Ten Sections of Land would sell for considerable sun above the minimum price of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. l concluded that MT. Crittenden'sho house was not worth, in it's present condition, more than from S5,000 to STOOD. (feaying out the alteration l understood he originally intended making.l Icon sidered this land as fund set apart by the Congress of the United States, for the express purpose of erecting a splen- did public building at Little Rock. which would reflect much credit on the enterprise and public spirit of our cit zens, and afford fine employment to ourmechanics-such as briek-layers, carpenters, stone-masons, &c. In the second place. proposition was made. on the second or third day of the ses- sion of the Legislature, by Mir. Ball, to take the Ten Sections of Land, and give Sl0,000 in cash, payable in six and twelve months, secured to the Ter. ritory by personal and individual secu- rlty to the amount ofat least S30, GOO. This sum, l was convinced, wonldbuild us house far surpassing that of Mr. CrIttenden's, in point ol elegance and convenience, and in a more eligible sit uafinn In tho fhirl ,aI.xa i.x.