Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-09-10

| aliens dcortUsd, b. the Federal Party, ol
the right 0f Pre- Eruption, sc1ethtr their.
L6n1ls be sarccycd or not.
Facts are stronger than assertions! We
have heretofore asserted lhAt the wing leaders
were opposed to thes rights of aliens, AND
NOW WE HAVE THE PROOF. Look
at the vote in the Udited States Senate, copied
below. The Federal party, in a body, refused,
on motion by Judge Young, 10 allow aar fell
low citizens, born out Of the country. the right
of presumption to their little farms. whether
the land be surveyed or not. Was there ev-
er such oppression as this - Do the records OF
any. civilized nation on the face OF III ,arth,
show policy more infamous, unjust or OPP
pressive! Wchave invited foreigners TO set
| tie among us, free from the enslaver1ent OF
Europe, and now, we drive them from their
settlements Such is the policy Of Henry
clay, and his subserxient wing tools in the U.
S. Senate. Ill. State Register.
Extract from the proceedings of Congress, as
given in the National ln,eIligencer.
Mr.. McROBERTS moved to amend section
10 by striking out the words,s' and ,rAich has
been, or shall haze been, Surveyed prior thereto. =
Mr.. McRoberts, in support Of his amend
ment, proceeded to say that the section of the
bill under consideration was the one contain
ing the presumption clause. 1t provided that
every person, being the head of family, or
widow, or single man over twenty-one years
of age, &c. who has made, or shall hereafter
make settlement on the public lands to which
the Indian title has been extlnguIshed, anu
.,chich has been, or shall hare been Surveyed pri-
or thereto, &c. shall be entitled to pre-emp-
ton. have been thus particular IN stating
The substance Of the section, that the object OF
my amendment may be the more readily IN
derstood. That the Indian title should be ex-
tingushed before settlements should be allow
ed, so as to authorize prescriptions, Is right
and proper. The law has never been other
wise. But, sir, continued Mr.. McK., IS II
right and proper to exclude persons from the
| right of presumption, who settle upon the ianas
| before the surveys are made! 10 retain THIS
| provision in the bill, would defeat the great
and paramount object of Government IN grant
| ing prescriptions. ii would exclude the Pion-
GERS who first cultivate the wilderness, and
therefore have the strongest claims. have,
therefore, moved to strike it out, so that the
actual settler, whether he should build his
house, and plough his field, and plant his corn,
either before or after the land was surveyed,
would still be entitled to presumption. But
in the bill, will be at once perceived, when the
fact is recollected by the Senate, that this
Government has never been able to carry on
its surveys so as to keep pace with the popu-
lation. This branch Of the public service has
always been in arrear Of the public wants.
The inability of the Government TO hasten the
surveys, ought moi to be taken advantage of,
and from that cause refuse prescriptions to ac-
tual settlers upon the land. But, sir, was
such provision ever inserted in any previous
presumption law? Nc, sir, no. This is the
first instance, and hope it may be the last.
AS senator from one of the new States con-
tanning the public lands, let me tell you, sir,
the consequences of tits feature of the BILL
There are hundreds, and possibly thousands,
of citizens of Illinois, now residing upon pub
lie lands in that State, which have not to this
day been surveyed-lands upon which the ia
cob staff was never erected. Men, and wo-
men, and little children, have homes in that
great State, beyond the limits of the public
surveys. Sir, we have had counties organl-
zed--counties thickly populated too, upon the
public domain. And, sir, let me say further,
that no population on this earth, is more just,
more upright, or more hospitabe than tina:
population. Honor, integrity, and chivalry,
are their brthright The whole of the denun-
Citations of the settlers on the public lands, so
| far as Illinois is concerned, are only evidence
Of the ignorance of the men who make them.
Sir, it has been said that to allow pre-emp-
! .ions in advance Of the surveys, might inter-
| fere with the 10th section reserved for schools.
| This is mistake, because section sixteen IS
| expressly reserved to each township by the or
| dinace of 1887, and it is also from abundant
caution, because it was unnecessary, again re-
served in this bill.
| Why, sir, large portion Of the great valley
Of the Mississippi has been settled and i'm
proved before the surveys were made. hope
| that provision, so manifestly unjust, may be
stricken from this bill. Not only this feature
in the bill, but other parts Of section 10, show
that it was conceived and written in Spirit
hostile to the growth and prosperity Of the
West.
Mr.. SMITH, of Indiana, said it was prac-
teal question whether settlers should be per-
mitted to go on 10 the public lands before they
were surveyed. The House of Representa-
ives had come to the conclusion in advance,
that they should not. He had always voted
in favor of presumption laws and pre-empton
claims and was still in favor of them. He
thought, however, there ought to be some Inn
it. The sixteenth section was reserved by
c onnpact for the use Of schools; but If 1t were
declared in advance that lands may be settled
| on before they are surveyed, the settler could
know nothing Of the sixteenth section, and his
title might conflict with the reservation, and
they would have to grant him float or de-
prye him of the benefits of his improvements,
which he, (Mr. S. was not disposed TO do
There was no danger of that time ever coming
when lands sufficient could moi be surveyed.
He was in favor Of pre-empion rights, but he
did not think they ought to 60 in advance OF
the public surveys.