Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1839-01-29

Correspondence Of the CharIegtOn CuufTiier.

~ AShANGIONs January ~
Ahe debate on the bill to reduce and
graduate the price Of the public lands. was
Essumed today, in the Senate, and
brought to close, at least for the present.
BY the adoption Of Mr.. Claws motion to
rocommit the bin to the COMMITTEES on
Public Lands, with instructions 70 amend |
i 80 rs TO limit its benefits to actual set. |
tiers. The bill, as reported, provided that
s-Liol .a8FGalys0ns Faillionso f agresto
which i applied, should be thrown into
SaatiEet, and entered BY any one, at a dol.
sar an acre, or, after certain time, at Sc
Nenly-hve cents an acre. There was a
restriction inthg bill, limiting the quaint.
syHo'be entered by each purchaser, to one
section: but it was alleged that il was
not0 practicable and efficient restriction.
y5Ihe les il viii be reported, under Mr..
,rNcy's instructions, will allow actual set
a9tlef9g and cGltiyators to enter limited
yquanuty Of land as the reduced prices.
y1fAhl8 changes the whole character of the
,slbill. Il wilhpromote the settlement and
,ucuitivatIon of the land in the new States,
suwithOut wasting tho public domain, and
lgthFOwing il into the hands Of monopoli-
uSEingi Spectators. The success of Mr.,
Delays motion was unexpected, as the bill
chad passed the Senate, at the last session..
.uiEhe vote on the reconimtment was % To-
40, and on the instructions, % to H.
Messrs. Calhoun and Preston voted in lhe
noafhTmatiye. 8.nt CTS e.. ffas b .c.o 1 =
Mr.. Rives offered a resolution, the OBJ
ject of which was TO elicit further infor-
nation in regard to the, transactions be-,
tween the United States Bank. and the
Government The resolution calls fer
the returns Of agreement between the
War Department and the Bank, relative
:, 10 the transfer and payment of certain
sums, the proceeds, in part, Of the sale Of
the bonds Of the Bank.
The proceedings Of the House, pre-
scented nothing of interest, except it may
be two resolutions-the one calling on the
Department for report Of all the facts IN
relation to the defalcatiOR of Gen. GRA-
TIoT-and the other calling upon the Pre-
sident of the United States, for any infor-
/, mation,in his possession, reativeto the in
Wasion Of the South. Western Frontier of
the United States, by an armed force
Il from Texas. Both these resolutions were
adopted.
@.vf WASHINGTON, January 4,
In the Senate, Mr.. Benton offered a
resolution, calling for information as to
the mode of collecting, keeping and dis
:, bursting public money in foreign countries.
Mr.. Walker from tie Committee on
Public Lands, to whom was referred back
the bill to reduce and graduate the price
of public lands, with certain Instructions,
reported the same with an amendment,
limiting the benefits of the bill to actual
settlers, Mr.. Walker gave notice that
the committee would move a further
amendment to the bill extending its bene-
FITS to actual settlers adjacent to the public
lands.
Al about one o'clock, Mr.. Rives called
pp his resolution, offered yesterday, calling
for the storms of agreement" informal
or otherwise, between the Secretary Of
War and the Bank of the United States,
respecting the sale or payment of one Or
more bonds of that institution, &c.
He spoke about two hours in explana-
,1ion of the objects Of the resolution, and
an support Of his. allegations, heretofore
made, Of an understanding and fiscal con.
nexion between the Government and the
Bank Of the United States. Mr.. Riyes
! leviewed the report Of the Secretary of
The Treasury, in reply to his former reso-
tons relative to the sale and payment of
the bonds of the Bank, and undertook to
shew from the report, that the Bank Of
the United States had, without authority
Of law, been reinstated IN the fiscal agen-
cy of the Government. y. ,a,.t fa,..y
The law authorizing the sale Of the
bonds, provided that they be sold for cash,
but Mr.. Woodbury. had sold them for, an
open credit on the books of the Bank. 10
violation of the law. Il appeared, Mr..
p II. said, that the FIRST offer of the bank
to pass the proceeds of the bonds, to tie
credit of the Government, and pay the
amount to the public creditors, in such a
way as would be acceptable to them, was
rejected by Mr.. Woodbury., who demand'
ed specie or its equivalent. The Bank
Agent finally told him that these terms
afforded no motive to the Bank to under
take the purchase, The next thing w
heard of, was, that the negotiation wa,
re.opened by Mr.. Poinsett, upon due au
thority, and that the arrangement rejected
BY Mr.. Woodbury., was actually made
and subsequently recognized by Mr.
Woodbury., and carried into full effect b.
him. He proved that the money was pu
on general depositeand not on special de
posite, as the Secretary had representa-
IN his annual report. It formed part 0
The resources Of the Bank as much as an
part Of its fund. II was paid In notes o
the Bank, and What was more, publ
creditors, at distant points, were paid b,
the. Bank III depreciated local paper. Thu
average amount Of public money thu
Kept in depo5iie id the Bank and used BY i
was three millions. go y
Mr.. R. alleged, too, that other sum
thau the proceeds of the sale of the bond
had been and were on depositc in iii
SBtnk, which was a fact that the Secfeta
~, ii Bis report, had disguised. H
Showed that $4,000 were depositeu
IN the Bank, and were Still Here, from
another source le0io o. Dsifo4saei
AIR. Rives called upon Mr.. Bdciatiai
TO aidhiminldehOnhc this insldious ain
.gnauthoriyed attempt 70 resestablish. a con
.Bsction between the Bank of the Unite
States and the, Government. Mr.. b.. wa
not present. Mr.. Rives then appealed /