The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1841-01-13
oouREsPONDENcE OF THE PILOT.

OF THE PILOT.
WASHINGTON, MONDAY, Jan. II, IS41.
In the Senate, we had the usual number of pc
titions, which the day gives birth to, for bank
rupt laws, suppression of slavery SC and reports
from committees on private cases, when the spe'
cial order came up, viz: The prospective PIE
emption system. On this bill,
MIR. MANGuM made an eloquent and energetic
speech against the bill, regarding it danger
Gus in all its features, and not suited to the just
and equitable proportion of right which should
belong to all the States in common.
MIR. LINN followed, ina neat little speech,
DENYING the power of the whole government
to prevent squatting on the public lands
MIR. CALHOUN will speak tomorrow, and Will
offer as an amendment, the bill to cede the lands
to new States on certain conditions.
Mr.. CALHOUN SAID as the whole subject OF the
la W system was brought up by the amendment OF
the Senator from (Ky) he hoped the debate
would take the widest range.
was very forcibly struck with remark OF
DR. LINN, made on Friday, when he was appeal
ing to the Senate to take up the Private Land
Claim Bills. ''My hair, (said Dr. Linn) when
| first brought forward these claims was black,
no,o look at it?" There was nothing IN the re-
mark, but the action of passing his hand through
his hair, the tone of deep dependency with
which it was uttered, and the look of appeal to
the senators, all struck home on my heart,-I
was carried back to the time when the DIR. look
ed so youthful, with his head of fine dark raven
hair, now partially whitened by time,-to the
heirs new appealing, instead of the original
claimants, those hopes deferred, which sIcken
the heart. >
TUESDAY, January IL, lS4l.
In the Senate, we had the usual number OF
petitions and reports. Some dozen or so Oh
bills. chiefly private, were ordered to be en-
crossed.
The prospective presumption system was ia
ken up at one O'Clock, when
Mr.. CALHOUN rose and addressed the Sen
ate for about an hour, in strain of energy and
eloquence which so peculiarly distinguish him.
He made brief allusion to the different prcpo-
sitions for the settlement of the question OF the
public lands, which he considered more lmpor-
tant than almost any other, not excepting the
currency or the tariff. To cure the evils oil
the system, there has been different schemes
proposed-the first was to distribute the pro-
ceeds ofthe sales among the States, which he
conceived would rather aggravate than mlu-
gate the evil-the graduation and reduction OF
the prices; but did either of these systems reach
if Where, then, was the remedy to be iound'
1t was only to be found in one, and that 1t
was in cession, which would be the means
of cutting off one third of the patronage of the
Government, and diminish the business oil
Congress more than one-half, besides allaying
all those feelings which were daily growing up
between the new and old States.
The galleries and lobbies were crowded to
sufFocation, and both Mr.. C.'s friends and OPP
ponents admitted this to be one among the
greatest efforts of his mighty mind. 1t Is re-
ported by the reporters of both parties, ana
will shortly be published.
MIR CR,TrENpEN followed in favor Of bis a
mendmcnt, recognizing the principles OF distrl-
button and presumption. He denied that he was
ever unfriendly to the presumption system. he
was born pre-emptioner, and ii, as Senator
and trustee of public domain, he did not JOIN IN
all the wild schemes Of gentlemen, to get nd oil
the public lands, he was still not an enemy ofthe
presumption system, much the less Pre-emPhoners'
MIR. BENTON also replied at some LENGTH
chiefly denouncing the distribution system as
monstrous, as reversing the old principle, making
the. States call on the Government instead ct the
| Government on the States-it made the meat 1t
fed on, and the appetites, when they once lap
ned the blood of the General Government, would
never be satisfied.
No question was taken when this was sent