Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-09-12

niinafing duties, ~ consequence OF the
refusal Of this govern,nen nt to interchange
ConsuIs with the Government of Hayti,
and all this because the people with
whom we have so large commercial in
lercourse are BLACK.
MR. CLAy's LAND BILL.v-From the views
that we have already presented of Mr. CLArs
policy IN respect 10 the Public Lands, 1t L.
apparent that the time had arrived IN hls
opinion for final adjustment OF this impor-
lant question. lie regarded the national
domain in the light of "common fund" to
he managed and disposed of for the "com.
mon benefit ofal the States" This property
he thought should be prndently and provi
denly administered; that 1t should not be
wantonly sacrificed at inadequate, prices.
and that il should not be unjustly abandoned,
in violation Of the trust under which it was
held. to q favored section Of the country
These principles were the basis of the bill,
which he fell il his duty to introduce in the
Senate, in discharge of the trust confded to
The committee. II is our present purpose to
furnish an analysis Of the provisions Of this
bill.
!. II provides that after the thirty-frst day
of December, 1882, I2A per cent. of the nett
proceeds Of the public lands, sold within their
limits, shall be- paid to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Alobama, Missouri and Mississippi, over and
above what each of these States is entitled
Ia by the compacts of their admission into
the Union; to be applied to Internal Improve
mcnts and purposes of Education, within
those States, under the direction Of their
| independently Of the provision
for the construction and maintenance Of the
Cumberland Road.
Il II. After this deduction the residue Of the
nett proceeds is 10 be distributed amonc the
(tllcn) "a States according to their respective
federal representative population. TO be ap-
piled to such objects Of internal improvement,
education, or colonization, as may be desig
mated by their respective Legislatures, or the
reimbursement of any previous debt con-
tracted for internal improvements.
\ I'LL. The net to continue in force for fee
years, except in the event of n war with any
foreign power; and additional provisions Ia
be made for any new States that may be
meanwhile admitted to the Union.
II Nv. The minimum price of the public lands
not to be increased and not less than $50,
0O0 per annum to be applied to complete the
| public surveys.
II V. Lnnd offices 10 be discontinued IN dis.
trcts where for two successive years, the
proceeds Of sales are Insufficient to pay the
salaries of'the officers employed.
II VI. Grants are made Ia Mississippi, Loui-
siana and Missouri, of 100000 acres each; to
Indiana of 272 acres to Alabama 100 600
acres TO Illinois 10000 acres lying within
the respective limits of those States. These
lands not to be sold at less than s. % per
acre, and the mott proceeds to be applied to
internal ovements--namely, roads.
bridges, canals and Improvement of water
courses; such improvements to be free for
the transportation Of the United States mail
and munitions Of war, and the transportation
OF their troops, without the payment Of any
toll whatever
| Such were the simple and equitable pro.
visions Of the Land Bill of Mr.. CLAY. 10
the new States they were abundantly LIBERAL
without violating The terms of the original
eession by the old States; for The money laid
out IN the new States for internal improve
ments, subject to the use of the United States.
may be Justly regarded as for the "common
benefit" Of the Union.
II The introduction of the report and bill of
Mr. CLAY created no little surprise and ex.
ci,cment in the Senate. II was hardly ex
| pected Of a candidate for the Presidency
that he should have so promptly and peremp.
tOrily rejected the opportunity, thus tempt
ingly presented, of bidding for the votes o
the new States by holding out the prospect
at least Of punder and aggrandizement. But
on this subject, as on all others, Mr.. CLAY
took the broad national ground. He looked
at the question as a statesman, not as poll
tician. He suffered no individual induce.
mcnts to influence his opinions or his policy.
His paramount sense of duty his habilunI
sense Of the sacredness of colnpacts his su-
periority to local, sectional, and personal
considerations; were never more conspi
cuously and moro honorably manifested than
on this occasion.
We inadvertently stated in a previous
article that Mr.. CLAY was chairman of the
committee on Manufactures. Mr.. DECKER
son was the chairman, and on the fourth of
May moved in the Senate to take up the Land
Bill; Mr.. KING Of Alabama moving to refer
it to the committee Oh Public Lands, with
the view of eliciting from that body report
IN opposition. The motion of Mr.. KING was
subsequently carried by the casting vote Of
the vice president; and on the eighteenth oi
May, the counter-report was introduced in
the Senate. 1t recommended that the
minimum price should be fixed at one dollar
an acre, and that when lands had been Of
fercd for sale five years it should be reduced
to fifty cents. The Bill was made the spc-
cinl order for the 20th of June, when it was
taken up by MIR. Clay, and advocated with
his usual cloqdence and ability. Mr.. BENTON
replied. Various motions were made for
pos'poncment and amendment. The policy
OF reducing the price was urged with great
pcrtinacity by the friends Of the adminisira.
tion but the objections Of the repor, to this
policy were justly regarded as unanswcrnble
and insurmountable, and on the third of July
the Bill, essentially in the same form as re-
ported, received its final passage in the
Senate by vote Of 81 years to Is nays
The late period OF the session at which it was
sent to the House, and the conflict Of opinion
in that body in respect to some of its pro.
visions, enabled the administration to effect
its postponemcnt to the first Monday Of the
following December by vote Of 81 yeas to
SO nays.
This, of course, was equivalent to its re-
Jec,ion-but such was the wisdom and obvi-
Gus equity of lis provisions, and so highly did
commend itself to the good sense Of the
people. that the administration party was
compelled to yield to the uncomfortable force
OF public sentiment. At the next session.
therefore, Of Congress, the bill was again
taken up, and passed the Senate by vote OF
"a to 20, and the popular branch by vote OF