Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1844-06-14

question, was willing to allow pre.emp>
lions properly guarded. Accordingly. you
will find in the Senate Journal, 1910 aud
al, pages l55 and Sc, voted for reso-
luton of Mr.. Cri,,endon, to allow pre-
emptions TO the poor settler, to the exclu
sion of the rich and the SPECTATOR
l voted at the Extra session of lS41,
for the Distribution Bill, in which pro
vision incorporated pre- emp,ions.'
The third letter dated 25th of Septem-
Der, ls43, and addressed to Mr.. J. ii. G.
Mudd of Iowa. Il is of similar tenor with
his letter to Arkansas.
Thfts are sundry points on which these
letters are worthy Of consideration
l. Mr..CIay says, on general settles
ment of IRE land question, was willing TO
allow preemp,ons properly guarded, and
he alludess to his votes to connect pre-.
emp,ion Nth distribution in 1910 and Al.
Blu, it was in January, 1898, two or three
years before these votes, that he voted a.
gains, the re-emption law, denounced the
system as abominably corrupt and the
settlers on the public lands as lawless
rabble and plunderers of the public prop
erty. Moreover, he had before that time
brough! before the Senate no less than five
bills to distribute the proceeds of the pub
lie lands among the States, in not one of
which was there any provisions to grant
presumption rights !
1t was not until after 1898. therefore,
that Mr.. Clay was willing to grant pres
emp,ion rights on any terms.
2. Mr.. Clay denies using the express
sion in relation 10 pre-emptioners which
he says, had been grossly misrepresented
by the reports in the Globe. He admits,
however, that he was reported correctly in
the National In,elligencer.
Well. passing over the report of the
Globe, let us take that of the Intelligent
Ger where he admits that what passed is
correctly published In that paper of
the 29th January, 1888, the proceedings
of the Goth of that month, are reported,
and there we find the following, viz:
MIR. Clay OF Kentucky said, that in no
shape which could be given TO this bill,
could lie give it his vote. In any aspect,
it was to be considered as bounty or
gran, of the property Of the whole people
to a small part of the people. often the
Spectator, and Mr.. C. would like to know
by what authority such a bill could be pas
sed He regarded 1t as reward for the
violation of the law as direct encourage,
ment to in,ruding lawlessly on the lands
of the United Lta,es, and for selecting and
taking what the trespasser pleased of the
property of the whole people: and he was
not to be Deferred from the most strenuous
opposition to such measures by any de-
nuncalion come from what quarter 1t
might, let these measures be asserted by
whom they might
THE document was 2ll of the session
of 1896. The whole of it was well wor'
thy of deliberate peyusal, and j. was re.
pete with fraud, abominable execrated
fraud, scandalous to the country, scandal
Gus to the government and scandalous to
the perpetrators. In saying this Mr.. L.
would not denounce any whole class. but
he would say, that the pre-empllon system
was a scheme of heartless and boundless
speculation.
I'm this way, lawless men had often
combined not only without but against
the positive authority of law i; and here
while vindcating the rights and guarding
the property of the whole people. Mr.. G.
would not be awed nor deferred from per
forming his duty by any personal consld-
erations.
n
sMr. c. did not intend at present to go
so far into the subject as he had done, ho
ping for another occasion on which ne
designed, should God spare his life and
health, to speak more fully on the subject,
and endeavor to expose this system OF 'n>
iquity.' :.
In the National Intelligencer of the 9Th
February, 1888, the proceedings on the
9Th January are published, and in them
we find the following. viz:
MIR. Upton. will repeat as nearly as
I can what was said yesterday. and if 60
wrong, be Mr.. Clay) can correct me. l
understand that he denounced the settlers
on the lands as lawless banditti of land
robbers, unjus,ly grasping at the public
treasure.
(.Here Mr.. Clay rose and said that he
would repeat what he did say on the oc-
casion referred to by the honorable Sena'
tor from Indiana. r He did say that
the souat.ers on the public lands were
lawless rabble that they might as well
seize upon our forts, our arsenals' or on
the public treasure, as to rush out and
seize OIL the public lands
Mr.. Upton resumed. The Senator