Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1844-06-01
BURLINGTON, IOWA: SATURDAY, JUNE i, 1874
ION motion Of Mr.: CLAY OF KEN
TUCKY to commit the Bill with instruc-

aOn motion Of Mr.: CLAY OF KEN
lucky to commit the Bill with instruc-
tons:
dist. To restrict the right of pre-emp-
ton to citizens of the United States, native
or naturalized. q
ss2d. To strike out tie section, recop.
nizins the principle that the public lands,
prior to the grant Of prc-emption, or any
other grant, can be the sabject Of creating
the relation of lessor and lessee"
3d., To strike out the section, reviyink
the right to floats"
It was rejected BY Yeas 8, Mars 25,
HENRY CLAY being q course one Of the
Yeas. sF -
The Bill was then passed, Yeas 26, Nays
8; HENRY CLAY being one Of the Nays.
Page 334, HENRY CLAY voted in .
minority of II, against . Hill pro, iding for
the reduction and graddntion Of the price
of public lands.
At the Session Of 1901, a bill was
introduced into the Senate ssto establish a
permaiient, prospective pre-cmption sys-
tenn in favor Of settlers a the public lands
who shall inhabit and Eultisate the same
and raise log cabin thereon
Page 70, Of the Ser,aA Joi!tnal Of that
Session, il is thus recorded: viz.
"On molten of Mr.. Mangum ID amend
the Bill by inserting, section l, line A, az
ter the word man. theswords being cit
izen of the United State - @aes
It was rejected; ea4l2, Nays sb.
Yeas, Messrs. CLAY Of Kentucky,
Clayton, Crittenden, Di@ bn, Graham, Hunt
ington, Kni lit; Mang,an, Merrick, Prem
tiss, Preston, Ruggles, every man wing.
Many other amendments tending to rem
der the Eli less favorable to settlers were
proposed, for all Of Which Henry Clay
voted.
Page l56, the Bill was passed BY d vote
Of Yeas 81 to Nays l9
Nays, "Messrs. Bayatd, Calhoun, CLAY
OF KENTUCKY, Clayton, Crit,cnten,
Dixon, Grayham, H,mtington, Kcrrick,
Phelps, Prentiss, Prcston, Rivcs, Roane,
Ruggles, Southard," an Wings but two.
These extracts show what Henry Clay
DID. Letus now see what he SAID.
We have before US copies Of three let
ters written BY Henry Clay, explaining his
course upon the prescription laws, and de
nying the harsh expressions in reference to
the settlers, which had been imputed TO | i'm,
The first is dated lst June, 1889, and is
addressed TO Aston B. Estes, Of Tonnes
see. In this letter he says:
''The extracts from the Globe are entire
pervcrsions Of what passed in the Senate
on the occasions to which il refers-per.
versions which are habilual with that prin,
whenever / am concerned.
81 never used the expressions agains,
pre-emptioners, which were attributed t.
me, although was opposcdt to the passage
of presumption laws. AT the last sess ior
Of the Senate, an explanation was made O
what / really did say al the previous ses.
sion; on which occasion Senator from n.
linuis acknowledged that he had inferred
the exceptionable expressions from the
tenor of my speech, and that had not uscd
them. What passed was correctly pub
lished in the National 1ntelligencer, but
regret that have not copy Of it BY me t
transmit to you.''
| In this letter there is not word excus.
ing himself for his votes or pretending thai
he was in favor Of presumption rights il
any shape,
| His second letter was dated 9th Sent
1872, addressed to some person in Arkan
sas. In this letter he says:
"My speeches on the presumption sys
tenn were never regularly reported. They
were delivered, from time to time, in !;
sort Of running debate, and l was shock
ingly caricatured in the Globe. When j
was stated think BY Mr.. Young Of hin
ois, in the Senate, that had applied de-
grading epithets to the pre-emptioners,
denied it positively, and my correction wa
published in the Intelligencer, but l rcgre
that have no copy by me-"
II was opposed to the presumption b,
itself. l thought il unequal to the public
was an irregular mode Of acquiring tn,
public lands, and led to disputes and con
troversies among the settlers. When pub
lie land was taken possession Of, withou
the authority Of law, 1 considered it tres
pass, and characterized it as such. So dit
Mr.. Van Buren,, who used that identica
word in one Of his messages Tin 1897 o
8 to Congress.
s'On a general settlement Of the Ian,
question, l was willing to allow pre-emp
tons properly guarded: Accordingly, 20,
will find in the Senate Journal, 1910 an
Al, pages l55 and IS, voted for res
olution of Mr.. Crittefiden, to allow pre-
emptions to the poor settler, to the exclu
sion Of the rich and the specnlator:''
81 voted at the Extra session of 184l
for the Distribution Bill, in which pro
vision incorporated pre-emptiohs."
The third Letter dated 18th Of Septsm
Der, l843, and addressed to Mr.. ]. H
Clay Mudd Of Iowa. 1t is Of similar ten
or with his letter to Arkansas.
There are sundry points on which thes
.eetttters are verify Of consideration:
! l. Mr.. Clay says, "on general settle
ment of the land question, was willin.
to allow pre- .emptions properly guarded
and he alludes to his votes to connect pre-
emptions with distribution in 1910 an
1871. But It was in January; 1888, tw
or three years before these votes, that h
votedagainst the presumption law, denounc
ed the system as abominably corrupt an