Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-03-12
IN SENATE.

After the usual business OF the morning hour, the
presentation of petitions and reports from committees
Mr.. BERRlEN, on leave, introduced bill TO pro-
vide for the report Of the decisions the Supreme Court
Of the t. s. which read twice, and referred TO the
Committee on the Judiciary.
DISTRICT BANK BILL.
The bill from the House, which, as amended on yes
,erday, aud ordered to be engrossed, authorizes The
banks the District of Columbia TO receive and pay out
depreca,'d hank paper for year, until the banks
Of Baltimore Richmond specie payments,
taken up read the third time, and passed BY the
following vote,
las-M essrs. Barrow Bates, Bayard, Choate, Clay,
Clayton, Evans, Graham, Huntington, Mangum, Miller,
Morehead, Phelps, Porter, Prentiss Simmons, Smith
Of Indiana, Southland, Sprague, Talmadge and Wood
Bridget.
.Nays-Nessrs Allen, Benton, Buchanan, Calhoun,
Fulton, King, Linn, McRoberts, Sewer, Smith Of
Connecticut, Sturgeon, 1appan, Walker, Wilcox,
Williams, Woodbury., Wright and foung-ls.
The Senate then proceeded to the consideration OF
the orders IF the day, which brought up the bill 10
amend the act entitled act 10 appropriate the pro.
cecds Of the sales OF the public lands and TO grant pre-
emption rights, approved September4 ISL. The I'M
mediate question pending the following amend
meni submitted by Mr.. McRobefs yesterday, viz
"Tha Of HE entitled An act appropriate the
proceeds Of The -ae Of The public lands and :" gran, pre-
ioy"ne. excludes from The r c p,s mlion those who
settled upon public lands before they we snrveye and so
much of the said excludes from the right f rem,icn
those hundred and twenty o land else
the public lands and much Of said act enesa pre- emton
all persons who citizens oi The United States, who
had filed their application 10 become citizens before they set,
upon tie land he, and the same hereby repealed and mo-
ed, /" allow enl"n 10 all persons who are emit
persons shalt heco citizens of the tinted States or
ho shall u their cc ration IN the proper court of record
any zine before the pnhic sale Of the land
upon which they reside and who shall have made the settle.
and Improvements required by SAID act shall he entitled to
presumption under tile san'."
Mr. McROBERTS observed that he had offered his
amendment with the view of eifecting change in
the provisions of the act of September last by
inr the restrictions which operated unustly and
iuriously upon settlers The public lands. He did
this under the hope that the change proposed TO be
effected would remain permanent provision OF Nv
the statute book governing the subject OF pre- emp
ton This could be the with regard TO the
provisions of the act of last session. 1t could
become the settled policy of the Government ii was
an act which had already met the condemnation of the
people and If it was not changed now, the question
would be agated from time 10 time till 1t repealed
e pointed out how inuriousy affected the citizens
OF nine States and those too, who were least able to
hear it-poor men who had immigrated from the old
States with their families and settled small tracts Of
lands and expended all their means in buildings and
other improvements TO provide permanent home He
denounced the nracion OF their possessions unjust
and odous in the extreme, and contended that CO.
yernmcnt could have moral right 10 treat such citi-
gems i'm the they treated under the provi.
sons of the act. He maintained that ii was the duty
of the Government when il found lis legislation opera
ting unustly, to retrace IFS steps Such the ope
ration of this law, and II had now become the patriotic
duty of Senators who had voted for enactment to
Weld their preudces and make a,onement by repeal
ing the &c restrictions of the law. There not
one of tho restrictions that had met the unquali-
fed condos NATION Of the people He contrasted these
restrictions with the established policy Of this Govern.
meu heretofore, and showed that more Ubiquitous and
injurious restrictions could not be transformations
more at war with sound principles of political economy
Avarce, in lis widest freaks, conceived the po.
Icy of selling from these settlers their improved lands
fiji the Golfers of the public Treasury, till the of
the last session, which lis origin to distribution
and the dominant party. Let it be remembered who il
passed tina, act The story has been told in thou