The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-24

opinions he had certainly opposed WIN T., ~" cansIiu-
OF his power, as having no foInh g, ;.liee nnI equ
tiunal law, and as snbVrrsive Of aHJussnrb favor
~ 10 the s ates. They did mol 20 a'n ,sar 10 have
with the country; and after While i'm had
en- alb indoned Blu, then, ansne ,,rr IN his opin.
subsequently, arisen 10 anoanst, us thai though
The nun ie lands rightiuly belonged 70 w, So
ment vel Congress ought 70 ceue 'ne" ",',ssd ana
In which they lie. Tbs, ass, ne oppSj !, $50 -
SIN mlJ continue to oppose, hecau,e ne ,egalu1" a.
n,na,s ;ni.,slicr III The States generally, ana a.
fr I ,Iin Of the trust upon which the ianas hau
hem originally conveyed To Congress. -,
Ia re ,aId 10 b IN these prcPnill ms Mr' W salu
,ha, while he ID exerted him self 10 maintain what
he ,bou mi the true interests Of the nntrv, he had
the Measure Of co0curring wi those with whom ne
generally acted an political subjects WIN REGARD,
hpwever, Ia same >nhor,linale questions, as u hs
mad: of administering this irus, he had dlhefrd
from mem He differed from them last session on
the pre.emplion bill He was in favor 81 maj pm,
He wished ,hen, and wished now. that the nIll haa
been more perfect, 81 AS u c1rry uu more Iu'N apu
conplr ,ly the ia enlionS 1T Congress ana, oh'h's
subj "f grad raj =, he had exp rs>ea Opinions AZ
an early d,y in ~ rh his friends "a MOI concur;
In The >esi N at lS.72S before referred TO- ~ nad
m v-d To amend The bill h"n prndins ny suiSng
on all itsr enaciing 81 use, ana inserting w1al
h.. would then read. Mr.. w then read the iol-
lowing: ....
"Furlher to amend the bill by striking ont all
amer the ena cling clause and inserting The follow
ing
That nj any time from and after the first dav OF
January, Ammo D,mini one III usand eight hundred
ami twenty nine, such portions ni The public lands as
shall fyr bfn otfe red public SALE and shall alsn
have b'eh subject 10 entry IL private sale, ior the
tern Of - years and shall sill remain uhsold,
shall lhenceinr~ard be Offered At private sale 10 nn-
.~t> c,ni'rnin2 % sectional divisions ana suoa'S''
s1hn> atlhe rue 81 ---- per acrt - ;,
"Ssc. q AMI M IL furiAsr emo ed That It SHAH
and may b: lwlnl Tor any head of family, young
IN over The age OF twenty one years, or widow, n
having re ivrd donation o land from The United
S aes, nd wishing To become an actual settler ON
any parcel OF bile lani au horiz d BY the first Sec
tion ofthi> act 10 be sold AT - per acre, and not
exceeding In quantity the amnuni 81 one qnarisr-Sc C.
tnn, 10 demand and receive from h' proper gSler
and receiver a wr,ltea permission 10 settle on the
sane upon payment, to be made ID the proper re-
crver, OF the sum oi - cents per fcre; ana "
snch person, applying Tor and receiving snch per-
mission shall forthwith settle on the said land and
he or She his her ber~or legal representatives,
sh vi cultive the sumo tor live successive wears,
and shall be izrn c liens Of the United States,
al IN. end Of that time, them on proper proof being
m lie, before the register aud receiver of such SET
Element, cultivation, and citizenship patent shall
issue for The said land TO the person who received
such pernSsi n, or his her heirs or legal repre-
senraves. And the faith OF the United States is
hereby pledged 10 all persons who may settle On the
public lands, according to the provisions of this
'inn, that no di>penSaon shall at any lime, be grant
ed 10 any individual from complying with the sub.
stantial conditions herein prescribed. And il due
prof OF settlement, cultivation, and citizenship,
herein required, b. not made within - year next
after the expiration of said FIVE years the said land
shall again b. subject 10 entry al private sale as land
belonging TO The United States"
Mr. WEBSTER said the Senate would take notice
thai Inc bill then pendi lg was bill " 10 graduate
the price of the public ands-to make donations
thereof To actual Seters-and cede the refuse to
the States in which they lie" that his amendment
embraced TWO objects-he graduation Of price, and
fha l,nnf II all
cess onS to the States Il wouli be noticed too that
his graduation proposed but STEP AID 10 stop
there As to donali 'nS to actual settlers, he had
often expressed the opinion and still entertained it,
that it would have been a wise plicy in Govern
men', from the FIRST TO have rrade donation of half
81 after o. one -quarer section to every actual 81
tier, the head OF family upon Condition Of hab'a-
ton and cultivation that this would have been far
better, and freer from abuse than any system Of pre-
notion. ~... ..
Aud, as to graduation, what was it1 II simply
meant reduction ,f the price in order to m Ike sale
Of Lands that would not sell at the existing price,
Certainly il could b. no matter of principle that all
lands good and bad should be held AT the same rate.
! m CHI he exoehien or inexpedien,, but no princi-
Pile was invDv ID in The matter The law Of 1920,
which reduced the price of all lands from - to
81 D IN acre, was itself graduation b |, aid a
IN important one and its ff.ct> have been gene
rally thought to b. useful When / nd> have been
long tine in m.rket at certain price, and have
NJ comm nhed il, why should they not BE- put al a
pro. At which they will SELF 10 all his mater, he
had always felt The eviction that The real obi G. of
the convey nee Of these lands to the United States
was, HIT they should he sold and >enled S e and
set l.mer were The great ends IN view. He did not
mean III II they wrrs.to b. sold in a hurry or crowd
ed on the m1rke b.vJnd the demand But they
wer 10 b. sold al reasonable prices as fast as
cnnrv conld b. settled. la some cases lands had
been in market for twenty years They were nfe-
ri r lands, End cond be sold the genera. price
Way >h n'l they then nnl b. sold al such a price as
hg,,, Al. 4
would do who held lands in trl> TO sell He knew
very well that where these poorer lands were mixed
in W " b. ter lands which had been sold the sale
and 'iv on at these b. ter lands in the neghbor-
hnoi had ri ed the pc' of the poorer land; 50 that
IN such places some OF these poorer ndS were dis
p ssed Of every year al the common price Yet, even
here. the sales were inc 'n>id Table and lingering.
Blu then there were other causes which for ned
the main occasion for graz uIlion Of prizes. They
were wh"n v'rv lar.n LnctS Of lands altogether
OF very Inferior on Iii V. Such large tracts did ex-
'>' IN raj Of, the Sou hwcSern States in Mis>i>
siPp'' ArN 'nSls, 'ni>i,na, and Alabama There
reason ~ h'itve that large territories of this
deSrrip ION would not self, at the present price in
hali century, nor a century This :, I. of thiurS
!, convenient To the States wi,huu h I'M, n.sI, -
the United acS While held b. tn Uni,ed S,a,es
these lends are not Snhl'cllo S ale tax lion ,rh.r
contribIe nothing To The burdens thrown ,h ober
lands. great proprietor is in the State hnld;ng
ltrsr 'rit'ry, exempt irnn common bur tens ~
it b. remembered Mr.. Webster rrpeaed) tina, our
trust i 10 sell and settle, not 10 hold permanently
is TO sell and settle, AMI To apply the procee is to
purposes beneficial 10 all The people of the United
States He was against all notion OF permanent
holding He had always been opposed to The policy
Of deserving lands supposed TO contain mines, with
view of leasing them, and deriving rent Govern
ment. His opinion had always ben that these lands
should be ex imined, explored, their true value as
cerlained and Disclosed and then the lands sold like
other lands, 10 the highest bidder
He said that when he brought forward his prop,-
ston in April 1923, most OF his political friends
voted for it, But il was rel 1cled by a IN lority OF
the Senate; and the b u then Def re the Senate, be-
ing on It's naSslge, was also rejected,
Mr.. WEBsrr. said he had now stated, in very
few words the history Of his opinion on this subject
of graduation He hoped 1t was apparent, at least,
TINT he had embraced no new sentiments suddenly
lie thought as he always had thou sht Graduation was
QUESTION of degree. Il was wise or UNIV sc as il