Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1837-02-04

+, Of time, lie SAID, did not exhibit a growth II, The FopulH
ton, wealth and resources CONNIE n5urate with that OF
the new States; while, on the other haha, the history "a "a
the world did not present such i scene OF premature ou
apc and decay as was witnessed in the CID States. lh's
bill, he said, had been called an administration measure
aud the friends Of the administration had been as such
called upon To support il. He denied That IL was an
administration measure; but do not, said he, lax u
me about an administration measure, when you
put your fingers in my pockets for the 6eneht Oh
srua,lrrs and Spectators. MI. King enlarged on lte
inequality Of The bill in combining lis benefits TO 'h"se
who lived in the new States, while The people OF me ou
Slutes, who had given this dou!Iin 10 the General 20
yernursut, were prevented from participating IN lis DC,
netils, and instanced the State Vi Georgia, VINO h"a
given the territory for two Of ,he richest States ana yel
her citizens were prevented from crossing inc '',e, '"
uuIchase & pu.lion Of these very lands. Alter entering
into calculations, tracing the causes OF The uneXaIhpieu
suecula,ions in The public lands, and showing that II
mus, lie temporary, MI. X. went on 10 oppose the pre-
enption feature IN The bill, which he looked upon as Ut
worst. offering all the lands of the United States, iroh'
Florida 10 the mouth of the Columbia, surveyed ana uh'
surveyed, whether the Indian little be exti"guished or not
to those who had the least clalms on the bounty oi Inc
country. :.
liuht 10 tile Senator from Georgia, who had gwen a True
exposition Of inc.s as connected with tile spec"'all'hS
qoipr on in public lands, and the effects which, wou'a
result irosn passing lhis bill. Mr.Ss. FIRST objection l."
the section proposed to he stricken cut was, That 1t
CHANGED the whole pulley CT the Government T.: regard
to the public lands. binding the Government 10 MAKE
them 4 source of revenue. His s.coEd objection TO The
bill was, that il was hnldIng out an encouragement L"
the people Of tic old States to leare their L0n!rS, and 60
where a population was not wanted.
mir. Upton vindlcated the conduct Of some OF his con-
s,iluenls, against whom lie considered the Senator from
Georgia (AIr. king) 10 have aa4r charges, as connected
,iul their haYing Settled on the public lands. lie had
done great injustice to Mr.. rs constituents, BY placing
them on the salne ie4iEsg rs squaltrTs. MIR. 1 went on
10 show wherein his constituents differed trerI those VINO
purchased lands when the Yazoo cnrntry was III The mar
tt I,r o,la What IEp uuu'rpU / are these men Id lie
denoninaled thieves and robbers: The honorable Sena-
tor had dune them great injustice; aud he 'eIt certain
thai, did he knuw kc trae Stale OF the facts. lie would
rot have made 80 serious 4 charge MS this With regard
to the section unGer consideration, he would vote against
it. Indiana haa nothing 10 hope ur TO lear from Il. She
would be glad, however: if The cid presumption were re-
vired; and il Congress desired ;hat the frauds which
were SAID 10 be pfIpciraIrd IN the purchase of the public
lands should cease, let taeru graduate the price.
Mr. King Of Georgia nsade 4 few explanatory re-
mark. ard aver!ed HAT il wos ret Iie WISH Of Il great
majority Of tic people Of the new States, so far as he
could ascertain, that a prcctnrt!cn Iaw slow be passed.
MIR. Upton expressed Himself ~loerably we'll satisfied
with the explanation Of The Senator from Georgia. lie
WAS aware that a great maturity of the people residing
in the new States arr not anxious for 4 pre- Exemption law.
The majority ni The people Of the State OF Ohio. as well
as his own State, care nothing about it. and have not
asked Congress to pass such law. There are but three
counties in Indiana where the people did care for,
a!J desire, tie passage uf such 4 law, and they were
hurrst and honorable men.
MIR. Fulton said The passage Of this bill would put an
end 10 the ENORMOUS spcculaliuns which had taken place
in the public lands. Such had been the effects OF the
combinations eff spectators in the purchase Of land,,
that they had compelled men to pay from five 10 twcn-
ty dollars per acre for ihcm, when, in fact. they would
not ulh"rw wise have had to have given more than one dol
lar. In The State of Arkansas, during the last year,
whole counties were entered by spcculatcrS; and honest,
industrious men, had been compelled to quit their
hulDsS: and at a sale which took place at Little Rock
last spring, sU'ue spectators combined against the
honest settlers, ard they purchased the whole Of
tmr land offered tr SdiI and in a few DAYS ltrr.
wards they sold ii at auction, and realized about one
thousand dollars per share. Millions OF dollars would
! have been expended in the sGme way, had IL not been
tor tn. much. r~cprobaled Treasury order, which prevent.
ed their bank paper from being received. Mr.. +. de-
tended the provisions Of the bill against what had been
alleged agains; it, and thea spoke Of those men who
were denuminatcd ' squat,rrs.' lie v;ndlcaled their
character from the aSpers!ons which had been cast upon
il, and argued that they were bold aud brave and hardy
adventures, who went into the very wilderness Of the
country, where they settled down and cultivated the land,
thereby rendering the public lands the more valuable. lie
remarked that the Stale OF Arkansas was settled by squat
lcrs,' who were 50 much denounced here SIX or eight
hundred Of whom were al present at Tort Gibson: and WHO
had wished 10 defend the frontier from The savage and
ruthless Invader. AdvrrtIng TO The sciIrInentoi the pub.
lie lands, he said, that instead Of It's being cr!mlnu!tu do
So, Congress itself had authorized the adoption OF that
course. And had not Congress from the year lc2l 10
the present TINE been granting pre.cnptIcn TIglits:-
Certainty they had; With regard to what had fallen
from The Senator from Georgia, IN respect 10 the sales Of
land III Alabama, lie would remind hm that they were
credit sales; and in consequence Ct the high prices that
were given by the purchasers 10 the Government, it. was
at length impurluned so much from year To year ~ low
er The price. '!'a. II. no" finally reduced aini'st T. u mi,
nirnurn, and rash Payments wers demanded. The III
Consequences o! A!gi prices, tao, had caused the present
8 system.
And, with respect to The system abrr, 10 be introdu.
ccd, he considered that II would put 4 stop 10 sprcuia.
lion entirely, and would greatly tend tD rcdact3 the !e.
vcHue ii the Government as derived from the sales of
the public lands. The great recommendation Of the
bill was. hat the Government Of the United STATES was
: 10 be The landlord; that lands would he purchased OF them
instead OF unreasonable and graspirg spectators, 50
that justice would BE- done to every man. In cunclu.
sion, he expressed his hope That the provision under con.
sldrraIon would BE- adapted by The Senate.
Alter q few words iIom MIR. Bayard, OF taking The
qurslo", the amendment! was rejected by the following
vote
Ycas-Alessrs. Bayard, Calhoun, Clay, Clayton, Crit.
+ tende", Cuti!bert, Davis, Kent, King Of Ga, Knight,
Moore, Morris, PIeniiss, Preston, Robbins, Ruggics,
%Southard, Swift, TaIlmadge, TonIinson, Wall, Webster
-.
.Nays-Messrs. Benton, Black, Brown, Dana, Ewing
Of H., Fulton, Grundy, Hendricks, Hubbard, King oi
Ala, Linn, Lyon, Nicholas, Niles, Norvell, Page, RIvss,
Robinson, Sewer, Strange, Upton, Walker, White, aud
WrigLt-2l.
Mi. Clay moved to amend The bill BY providing that
the right ui' pre- emption shall not apply 10 any lands
prior 10 their being surveyed.
Alter some remarks in opposition 10 The motion by
Messrs. Linn, and Walker, it was lost: yeas ., nays
% as follows:
rcns-Messrs. Bayard, Brown, Calhoun, Clay, Clay
ton, Cri!tenden, Culhbcrl, Davis, Kent, King of Ala
bama, Knight, Morris, pIentiss, Preston, Robbins, Rug
giles, Southland. Strange, Swift, Tallnadge, Tomlinson,
Wall and Websler-23.
-Nays-Mlessrs. Benton, Black, Dana, Ewing of ILL.
nois, Fulton, GIundy, Hendricks, Hubbard, King Of
Georgia, Linn, Lyon, Moore, Nicholas, Niles, NorvelI,
Page, Rires, Robinson, Sewer, Upton, Walker, White
and Wright-23.
Mr.. Black moved 10 amend the bill by providing, that
the privileges of this act shall not extend to any others
than citizens Of the United States, which motion was
adopted-yeas "a, nays q; as follows:
icus-Messrs. Bayard, Black, Calhoun, Clay, Clayton,
CIitenden, Davis, Fulton, Grundy, Kent, King Of Ala,
Knight, Page, pren,iss, Preston, Robbins, Rugsles, Sou