The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-01-19

cd IN 1906 The principles of the bill had been before
tne House some ten years and every member was
familiar with IT. he moved that il be read the third
Mr. LEWIS WILLIAMS moved that il he refer
req to the Committee OF the Whole and be printed
Mr. CAVE JOHNSON hoped that course would
not be adopted. Il has passed the Senate over and
over again win the concurrence of both parties The
nl had been so modified that would meet the appro
Dalton OF all parties in the House He WINS in favor
oi selling out this land and putting the money into the
pubc Treasury. He hoped that il would be laid ON
the table and be printed and then il might be taken up
| at amy time r
MIR. WISE said that some wears AGO. when he re-
sided IN Tennessee, his attention was drawn 10 the
SUBJECT OF land titles, and his opinion then was as
now is That the first bill pro posed TO Congress was
us. one II was the only class of lands that ought to
pc gwen up The bill merely asked owing to the pc
cuiar tlle OF these lands, that the State Of Tennes-
see oe permitted TO sell the lands and put the money
mo the public Treasury and he thought The passage
OF the bill, the most udicous course
Mr.. MONTGOMERY opposed the bill. 1t was
the most unjust bill ever before the House
Mr.. WISE said if the gentleman would examine
the bill he would he satisfied with it.
Mr. MONTGOMERY had examined the bill, and
came to the conclusion that it should not pass. He
hoped that it would be referred to the committee, and
be printed with amendments he designed to offer
Mr.. LEWIS WILLIAMS said the motion he
made in regard to the hill the usual motion,
cording to- the rules of proceeding adopted by the
House. He was unable to conjecture why gentlemen
wished now to adopt an unusual mode OF proceeding
II did destroy tke bill any more than any other
that is referred to Committee Of the Whole. The
say that when he lived in Tennessee, he con-
WINGED that this clause was just. That there was
something peculiar the claims of these lands and that
they belonged to Tennessee. This, said Mr.. w. is
| very peculiar opnion-a very extraordinary one
which he believed but very few members of the House
would entertain.
Mr.. WISE had not expressed opinion. He
would reserve that for the immediate ultimate con-
sideration Of the question. He merely said he had
made up an opinion, and he wished to induce the
House to immediate consideration Of the bill. He
would say that his opinion was and still is, that the
lands belong to North Carolina and Tennessee-and
as soon as the claims of North Carolina extin-
gushed that the balance Of the land remained to Ten
nessee. When North Carolina coded the State Of
Tennessee she reserved rights and after the sa-
tisfactn of her claim the balance of the land ought
to be given to Tennessee
Mr.. l.. WILLIAMS had understood the gentle
man from Va. Mr., w } to say directly tina, the lands
belonged to Tennessee; if he had misunderstood he
would stand corrected by him His Mr. Wms) OPT
MON and he thought the House would concur with
him. that not foot of this land belonged to Ten
nessee after the claim of North Carolina was salts
fed That it belonged to the Government of the
United States-that the United States holds hese
lands by precisely the tenure by which she held
land in all the other States-the same as in Ohio,
| Michigan, Illinois, and all the other States.
| Mr. WISE said that there was something peculiar
in this. The General Government never had been
in possession of these although the Indian title
had long been cxtingushed.
Mr. L. WILLIAMS said that the General Govern
| ment had not, yet come in possession OF these
lands, because the claims Of n G. had not been
1 tsfed.
| Mr. CROCKETT advocated the passage of the
bill, and not its reference TO the Committee. It might
well be committed to the ocean 1t had been before
| the House for thirteen fourteen years.
| The SPEAKER here said that the morning hour
had expired, and the House would proceed to other
business.
Several members ntmated desire of proceeding
with this bill
The question being between the reference of the
BILL and immediate action on it,
| The motion of referring to the Committee, and
printing, with the amendment by Mr. MONTGO-
| merry was carried.
| Mr.. DAVIS of Indiana from the Select Commit
tee on j. G.. Rves letter asked leave to report that
subject. This report necessary, none Of the
binding of the documents Of last session could be
done until il reported. The conclusions to which
the Committee had arrived were the following
lst That there nothing in the character Of this
controversy to imply censure on either department
but il seems TO be the result Of misapprehension.
I'd. That all the printing should be executed by the
| public printer.
3D. That the binding of such documents as have
been printed shall be received by the public printer
The report laid on the table and ordered to be
printed
| Several members asked to offer resolutions which
could only be done on leave, and Mr. PECK objected
to any except the usual one he had been de-
prived of making report.
The Speaker then laid before the House the follow
| ing communications:
| LIST. From the Comptroer's Office; a statement Of
such officers had not rendered their accounts during
the year.
ID. From the Treasury Department
Sd From the Comptroller,
4th Wal Department
9th From the Navy Department; showing the
number ofcerks employed in that Department during
the year 1S40 all which were laid the table, and
ordered to be printed
The Senate bill, supplementary to the act for abo-
fishing certain land Offices and for other purposes APP
proved June IL, 1910, received its second reading,
and referred to the Committee Public Lands
The House then resolved itself into Committee OF
the Whole, Mr.. Briggs in the Chair and went into
the consideration of
Il PRIVATE BILLS.
The bill for the relief of Nathaniel Goddard and
others up which was pending when the com
mitee last Saturday The question mo-
ton of Mr. Turney to strike out the enactng clause
Mr.. TURNEY spoke in opposition to the bill, and
commenced an examination OF the History and OBJ
jects of the Hartford Convention reading extracts
from old newspapers, and private correspondence, to
prove that II was a reasonable concern.
i Mr.. WINTHROP rose to order, and inquired Of
the Chair whether it was allowable under the rules OF
relevancy to enter into an elaborate history of the
Hartford Convention on bill like this.
i The CHAIR decided that Mr. Turney was in
order
4 Mr. WINTHROP appealed from the decision Of
the Chair and stated the ground Of the appeal that
here bill founded upon an occurrence in 1872,
while the Hartford Convention, as was well known,
was held in December, 1914. Besides, there were
some six persons interested in this bill, while
there pretcnce that than one of them had
any connection, direct indirect, with that Conven-
ton. 1t seemed to him, that twould be almost as
much in order to argue the question of the SubtIea-
sury because it could be proved that one of these
petitioners was a friend to that Of the Admi-