The Arkansas banner., 1844-10-30
settlers on the public lands were enabled to secure titles to their homes.

l from the Journal of Congress as follows, viz:
 s.The House resumed the consideration of the bill from the Senate No 19) entitled sau act to revive the act to grant pre-emplion rights to settlers on the public lands,approved, May 29, lS30,' when motion was made by MT. Vlnton, that the enactng words of the said bill be stricken out.
 ''And after debate,
 "Ihe previous question was moved by Mir oPelght, and being demanded by majority oi the members present,
 he said previous question was put, viz shall the main question be now putf
 And passed in the affirmative.
 he man question was then put, VIE shall the bill pass?
 And passed in the affirmative.
 JAMES K. PoLK VOTED FOR THIS BILL ALSO, as is proved by its being recorded on the Journal, lS23-4, pages 75l-2.
 Under this law hundreds of other honest and industrious settlers on the public domain obtained patents for their lands, and secured the sacred spots on which wefe placed all their household goods, and on which they hoped to rear their families. Hundreds of them are noic wealthy citizens, owning large estates of their own, which have been earned I t-'tt HbstaHdtd Vf who, but for this law for which Gov. Polk voted, would, in all probability, be the de- pendant tenants of their more wealthy neigh bers.
 James K Polk was not only the advocate oi granting pre-empton rights to settlers on the public lands, but also of graduating and reducing fhe priceof such of the public lands as had been offered in the market at governs ment prices, and had not been sold.
 In proof of this, we quote from the Jour nal Of lS29-30, as follows
 "The House proceeded to the consideration of the bill from the Senate No. 5) entitled an act to reduce the price ol portion of the public lands, heretofore in market, and to grant preference to actual settlers.
 And, after debate thereon,
 "A motion was made bv AIr Erwin, of Ohio, that the said bill do lie on the table,
 And, the question being put, ii passed in the aflirmaive.n
 James K. Polk voted against the motion to lay this bill on the table as r corded in the Journals of Congress for 1e59- -39, fages 778e .I ]. The motion prevailed and lle EFFECT
 @as the seecsion of the bill. ln 1854 biz was before Congress to rs-z dnee and graduate the price oI the public
 lands. We quote from the Journal of Con gfess as follows, to wit: s.Mr Clay, of Alabama, from the committee oil the public lands, reported the following resolution, viz:
 "Resoiced, That the committee of the : whole House on tie state of the Union be discha ged from further discussion ofsthe said 7 bill (No. 921 to. reduce and graduate the price of the public lands, and that the said , b Il b. made the special order of the day for Fiid,y the 20ih inst. "A motion was made by Mr. Horace Eve retl, that the said resolution do lie on the ta- ble.
 "And the question being put, ii passed in he aflimative--veas S2. nays 79 y JAMES K. POLK VOTED AGAINST THE MOTION TO LAY THE RESoLU- TON ON THE TABLE See Jouruai of 1854, pages 751-2.] It was laid on the table, and the effect was, the bill was never ; reached and did not pass. Governor Folks opinions and votes In . . Congress and om of Congress have been Wim fofniiy and consistently in favor of granting pre-emption rights. and of graduating and re- ducing the price of the pubic lands. In his address to the people of Tennessee, in 1911. amongst the objections assigned by r him to tie policy of distributing the proceeds oi the public lands among the States, he said, "lhe public lands will, in effect, be mort
 gagged to the several States, In proportions , equal to their federal representation ill Con- gress, and they will have an interest in hav-
 ing them sold at the highest possible rates; : they will have an interest in opposing the
 graduation or reduction Qf price, and ill op- / posing the grants of pre-emptions low rates
 to that hardy and enterprsing race of pioneer
 occupants who have gone with their families
 10 the West, built their log cabins,' opened
 their little farms, and sealed upon them be-
 cause they would apprehend that the amount : ofther respective dividends in the distribution
 would be thereby diminished.n i JAMES K. FOLK HAS BEEN THE CONSTANT FRIEND sDF THE WEST 1 ERN SETTLERS, who have emigrated in order to produce new homes forstheir iami- ] lies, and to better their condition.
 Himself the son of pioneer, he erperien-
 ced the privaton and hardships which he has
 so uniformly labored, as a public man, 10 al
 leviate in others.
 How great and striking the contrast between l JAMES K. POLK and HENRY CLAY on a this subjectl The former regards them as a e ''hardy and enterprizlng race" deserving the
 care and protection of government, while the T latter denonnces and re-denounces them as a t .'lawless rabbe"-himself maxi ,g motion n in the Senate to have them driven from the e public lands
 HAPPY OLD FARMER.-Said venerable
 farmer of eighty years to relative on visit
 to him: s.I have lived on this farm more
 than half century. l have no desire to
 change my residence as long as 1 live on earth. have no wish to be any richerthan . l now am.--l have worshipped the God of
 my larthers for forty years. During that pe- riod ] have scarcely ever been absent from the sanctuary on the Sabbath, and have never