The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-02-06

The NIOE fhEoiDElNl lulu DcIOfc the 0cudtc
resolutions from meeting Of citizens Of Calhoun
county Florida, asking the admission of Florida into
the Union.
MEMORIALS AND PETITIONS.
The following memorials and petitions were pre-
scented and appropriately referred
BY Mr. WALL: From number of citizens, ship
masters and others, Of New York. demonstrating
against the repeal of the pilot law of 1887
BY Mr. RUGGLES; Several petitions in relation
to slavery The motion to receive ordered to lie on
the table.
BY Mr.. WILLIAMS: A document in relation to
the fishing bounties.
BY Mr.. TAPPAN: From citizens Of Ohio for an
alteration in the place of holding one of the terms Of
the circuit court of the United States
REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES.
Mr. HUBBARD, from the Committee of Claims,
ssed be discharged from the further consideration
of the following memorials
From the General Assembly of Georgia, in relation
to the claim of her citizens for Expectations committed
by the Creek Indiaps from the claim of Richard
Harris and Nimrod Fanow from the claim of J. G..
Bradford and from that of Dennis Hills.
Mr.. CRITTENDEN, from the Committee on Re-
evolutionary Claims reported bill for the benefit OF
the legal representatives of Robt. FL. Sanders.
Mr.. FULTON, from the Committee on Public
Lands, reported bill for the relief Of Isabella Hill,
John Hill, Elizabeth Hill and Samuel Hill, heirs at
law of Samuel Hill.
Also, bill TO authorize the selection of school
lands in lieu of those granted TO the habreeds of the
Sac and Fox Indians.
The bills ordered to be engrossed yesterday were
severaly read third time and passed.
PRIVATE BILLS.
The following hills were then, severally considered
in Committee of the Whole, and ordered to be en-
crossed
A bill for the relief Of Colin Bisop
"a hill he aliaf ofE Dickson
bill for the relief of the legal representatives of
Pierre Bohhomme.
A bill for the relief of the legal representatives of
Nathaniel Pryor, deceased
A bill for the relief of j. NJ. Strader.
A bill for the relief of Gurdon S. Hubbard, Robert
A. Kinzie, and others.
A bill for the relief of Francis A. Harrison.
A Till for the relief of Joseph Paxton.
A bill for the relief of the heirs Of Madame de Lus-
SER
A bill for the relief of Henry Wilson.
bill for the relief of the heirs of Miguel Eslaya
PERMANENT PROSPECTIVE pRE-EMpTIoN BILL.
Mr.. HUBBARD spoke at much length in OPPOSE
ton to the amendment of Mr.. Crittenden and the dis
tribution policy.
Mr.. III. was followed briefly by Messrs. CALHOUN,
WEBSTER BENTON, CLAY, of Alabama, PIERCE, HEN
DERsoN, and RvEs the latter of whom addressed the
Senate in the following terms
The question being about to be put on the several
propositions before the Senate
n Mr.. RIVES rose and said, before the sense of the
Senate was taken on the various questions about to
be submitted for its decision he desired to say word
two explanation of the votes he should give upon
them He had design to enter into the debate, as
he felt thdwonld be out of place for one who had so
recently taken his seat in this body without having
had the advantage of either hearing reading the
able discussions which had occupied its attention, for
the last three four weeks the subject of the pub
lie lands He wished merely to state few general
notions which would govern the votes he intended to
give.
The public lands, said Mr. Rives are the common
property of the nation They expressly declar
ed to be- and solemnly consecTated to the be-
neft of all the members of the Confederacy in the
deeds of cession of the respective States which org
nally held them have been since acquired and paid
for by the common treasure of the Union. He was,
therefore against all schemes for alternating dssi
patng this common inheritance, either by the whole
sale operation of cesson TO the States, as pro-
posed by the Senator from S. Carolina, Mr.. Calhoun,
by the piece meal process of prospective presumption
rights, contemplated by the bill of the Senator from
Missouri MIR. Benton) But while he was thus OPP
posed to all partial exclusive appropriations of this
fund to the special benefit of particular States
particular classes, he had always been willing to
it administered in spirit of liberaty and paternal
kindness to the States in the spectacle of whose
prosperity and magical growth one felt hgh her de-
gree of patriotic Pride, veler fraterna sympathy,
than he did. A kindly and fostering policy towards
the States and equal justice to the DID, ought in
his opinion, to go hand in hand in all our legislation
on this great national interest.
In regard TO the proposition the Senator from Ken
lucky, Mr.. Crittenden,) to re-commit the bill of the
Senator from Missouri with instructions to report
plan for distributing the proceeds of the public lands
among all the States, it is, said Mr. Rives, question
which necessarily and inseparaby connects itsefwith
the general revenue system of the nation, and could
not be safely or properly treated apart from that
general system The public domain had always
hitherto been collateral, and often very pro-
ductiye of national revenue, tightening, to
the extent of its auxiliary contributions, the burthens
imposed upon the general consumption and industry
of the country Ii is true that since the extinguish-
ment of the debt Of the revolution, and of the debt
created by the last war with England there may not
be the urgent necessity for its aid in tile national
finances but its diversion to other purposes, at the
present moment at least he thought neither prudent
nor safe. The entire revenue of the nation, embra-
cling both the proceeds of the lands and Of the
TOMS it is admitted falls short at present. of the actual
wants and expenditures of the Government; and we
have, moreover, debt of unascertalned and In
definite amount hanging over us the extent of which
cannot yet be known. The revenue, too, we are IN
formed by the Secretary of the Treasury, will be still
farther reduced in the ensuing twelve eighteen
months, by some five millions of dollars more taken
from the customs under the progressive reductions OF
the Compromise act of 1883. In this state OF things
actual and prospective TO Withdraw the proceeds otne
public lands from the national Treasury and to throw
the Government for its support and expenses exclu
sively the customs, would be, Of necessity, to add
very greatly to that branch of the public taxes and
to run the risk at least of reviving those angry
tests about the tariff which recently distracted the
country with intestine divisions, and which threatened,
indeed time the peace and even the existence of
the Union
know said Mr.. RwEs it is proposed TO obviate this
danger by laying the additional duties, that would be-
come necessary to supply the resulting deficiency IN
the revenue, on articles of luxury. He was himself
in favor Of subiectng all articles of luxury from abroad
to reasonable duties They proper and legitimate
subjects of taxation, and ought, in his opinion never
to have been exempted to the extent they have been
But it must be borne in mind that there is linlit
this resource both nthe the nature of things
and in the policy and wisdom of legislation. These
articles of luxury enter largely into the commercial
exchanges between foreign countries and our own,
and constitute with some of them, indeed, their
principal means of payment for the productions of our
soil and industry. To burthen them, then with du-
ties beyond certain point would be to dcrange the