The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-07-01
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
TUESDAY. June %, 1871.

OF the Unleu . atesi together win some remarks oil
his own, explanatory OF It's provisions. IL act
prepared 10y that gentleman, which he wished to be
considered and which he had requested him (Mr A
to move to be printed by the order of the House and
that il be referred to the Committee the Currency
which he accordingly moved.
The reference to the Committee was carried
And the motion TO print after a few remarks by
Messrs. EVERETT ADAMS, HUNT, BAR.
NARD, BROWN and SERGEANT, was laid on
the table on motion of MIR. J. G. CLARK
The motion submitted yesterday by Mr. LINN TO
reconsider the vote the resolution providing that
the hour of dournment for the present week be three
o'clock, unless previously adjourned taken up,
and the House, by ayes II, SO, refused
slider it.
Petitions and memorials were called for in the re-
order of the States and Territories and pre-
scented by the following members
Mssouri-Mr. MILLER.
Iadiana-M ussis. KENNEDY, WHITE and
THOMPSON
Louisiana-Mr WHITE
kentucky-Mr, BUTLER
PenHsyirania--Mr. SERGEANT.
Nep York-Nlcssrs McKEON, WOOD, Egg
BERT, WARD, CLINTON, FLOYD, FILL
MORE, and BARNARD.
Connectieut-Mr BOARDMAN, [who presented
certain JOINT resolutions from the Legislature of that
State, which, on his motion referred to the Com
mttee the Whole the state OF the Union and or
dered TO BE- printed
MussacAnsetts--M essrs. ADAMS, WINTHROP,
and PARNENTER
Resoired That all petitions resolutions of State
Legislatures, and other papers, on the subject of
bankrupt law presented in the last Congress be taken
from the files OF the House and referred the Com
mtee on the Judiciary,
Ner Hampshire Mr.. ATHERTON.
The committees were then called in their order for
reports
Mr. CALHOUN, from the Committee on Naval
Affairs, reported bill TO provide for the payment OF
navy pensions.
The bill read twice by its title, and on motion
of Mr.. c., referred to the Committee of the
Whole on the state of the Union, and ordered TO be
printed.
Resolutions were next in order, and the question
pending, the resolution offered some days since
by Mr. Floyd, relative to the Mcleod case On this,
Mr. HUNT was entitled To the floor but at the sug-
geslion of Messrs. FILLMORE and VIM. COST
JOHNSON gave way and the resolution was laid
over.
The House then resolved itself into Committee
OF the Whole on the state of the Union Mr. Law
renee, Of Pa, in the Chair) and resumed the consi
dcfatlon of the
DESTRUCTION AND PRE-EMPTioN BILL.
Mr. VIM COST JOHNSON having the floor,
resumed his remarks from Friday and proceeded at
length in support OF the bill.
When he was arrested in his remarks on Friday, he
endeavorlng To show that according TO the genius
the spirit and letter of the of cession the public
domain never wasltended source of national
enue for the purpose of supplying the wants of the
General Government He would offer argu-
demonstrate that the proceeds Of the sales of
the public lands upon any ground of law, of principle
expedlency should not remain in the Golfers of the
for the purpose OF being pended bv the Gen
eral Government He had referred, by way of illus
tration the law of $780, which assumed the part
of the General Government the debts of the States
To illustrate this position, he could refer to the Ian
guage of the then Secretary of the Treasury to that
famous report of Mr. Hamilton in 1890 that convinc-
ing and strong argument which he then made in favor
oassuming the State debts, upon the ground that the
General G vernment by the very language OF the
Constitution did arrogae to itself supleme power
the whole question of commerce. that the States were
stripped OF that power and consequently OF the means
OF huudaiIng the immense debts which they created in
the war of the Revolution
That was the argument used by MI Dickerson If
New Jersey, in 1926 that even the public revenue
from customs well as of the public lands might be
divided among the States that the States in their
independent and sovereign capacities could carry on
their works of internal Improvement without imploring
and heseechlhg the General Government to aid them
IN those laudahe and essential undertakings lie
Mr.. might pursue the argument read the report,
and quote from the speech of this gentlemen but II
was sufficient for him to know that at tina, time Mr..
bsS h NIX Ms % od n
maintained those grounds with ability rarely if ever
surpassed.
He now came to speak of The question of exped
ency but before he went into that question he would
refer to argument which might be made in OPPOSE
tion 1t would be said why do YOU wish to pass this
bill when the revenues of the General Government
are not equal to It's wants Will you press such
measure, when the chairman of your Committee of
Ways and Means (Mr. Flmore) has reported a bill
authorizing loan OF twelve millions Of dollars Will
YOU urge the argument of eypedency, and talk about
ia, ding the proceeds OF the sales of the public lands
when your Treasury Is empty Will you urge dis
tnhution when you have no hing TO distribute Well
response To that, he would ask members of the Com
mItce TO take up the report of the Secretary Of the
Treasury to EXAMINE that document, and TO see whe
ther they bad not materials enough upon which they
could legIslac, not only the present and
future lab es OF the nation, and To divide tins fund
bat 10 do 50 without embarrassing any portion of the
Union. They might 80 and double the amour Mt
They might even 90 as tar as Mr. Dckerson and Gen
eri Jackson.
What were the fics He found that Mr.. HamiI-
ton IN his first report, recommended to Congress to
Law something like duty of twenty five per cent on
Madeira vine According to the report of Mr. Gal
l,tn IN 1902 more than a million of dollars were
raised in this upon the article of wine alone
Looking the report OF the Secretary of the Trea-
sury we found that from the year 1884 TO the year
-iu the amount of articles imported into the United
STA -, duty free averaged seventy five million seven
hundred and twenty -eght thousand two HUNDRED and
twelve dollars The amount paying duty was but
slNy-nlne million hundred and lofty eight thou
sand lour hundred and htty-seycn dollars 1hus
then, during this period Of years, received within
our ports larger amount ot articles wholly exempt
from duty than Of those which paid duty. We found
nlso by the same report, that TN strict conformity
with the compromise act) might exempt from duty
fourteen million three hundred thousand dollars worth
OF aitcesj and yet, upon the residue of those i'm