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

c,;m;na, az those that would seize upon the
nnhl;c shins. or stores, or arsenals, why was
mt All this announced in 1884, when the act
was passed without opposition in the Senate,
n lecalize and sanction all these proceed
ings! And if it indeed be just, as the Seua-
tor frcm Kentucky proclaims, that these set
Tiers should be driven by force from the public
lands. hope that the Senator from Kentucky
will he permitted to lead the army which Is
10 perform the work of expulsion and dessola-
tion that he will lead the forces which are to
drive from their homes and consume the dwell
lings of these hardy pioneers, whose only
cline il this that they wish to secure, at the
Government price, the farms they have select
ed. and cleared, and cultivated, against the O.
verbidding of capitalists and SPECTATORS
And when the Senator from Kentucky, unfurls
his banner, and calls for recruits for such
purpose, can he obtain one even, in the State
of kentucky, for service SO odious and de-
testable?' %
App. to Cong. Globe, Page l42.
Mr.. Clay followed Mr.. Walker, but denied
nothing he said.
A portion of what he did say, is thus report
ed viz.
Mr.. Clay said We have been told Of the
extent of the evil, of the number OF squatters
who have got on the public lands, and the
difficulty Of removing them; and, that there
fore there was necessity for passing this law,
to give them the lands they have unjustly
seized on. Do we, said Mr.. c. live in conn
try of laws or not ~
"How was it with that White House, now
so amply furnished-with that famous east
room. and the little man who occupies so
small part of it Suppose pre-emptloner
was to 20 there and say. Mr.. President, this
room is too large for you /; am an industrious
cultivator, one Of the bone-and-slnew men, and
claim pre-emption TO part OF this house.
Would he not have as much right as TO squat
down on the public lands :"
App. to Cong. Globe, Page l43.
What can be more contemptuous 'han 'hese
expressions relative to the settlers
But says Mr.. Clay in one of his letters an
explanation took place in the next session OF
the Senate I" on which occasion Senator from
Illinois. TMr. Young] acknowledged that ne
had inferred the exceptionable expressions
from the tenor of my speech, and that had
not used Them" :.
Now. here is the explanation" which Mr..
Young made as reported at the time: viz.
SENATE. Jan. 8, 1889. Mr.. Young of ILL
nois. "Tbe Senator (Mr. Crittendon,) asks
whv it is that his colleague Mr.. Clay) has,
alone of all others, been singled out as the OBJ
iect of v.uperation by the friends Of this meas
ure: whv the whole fountain of their bitter
waters has been poured out on his devoted
head and why is it that he alone should sbe
offered up as a sacrifice upon the altar OF west
ern interests, for having done what he consid-
cred to be his duty in respect to the interest
Of the whole Union. Sir if the Senator from
Kentucky (Mr. Clay) stands conspicuous as
tha object Of attack il tflis debate, would ask
his honorable colleague, Mr.. Crittendon)
who placed him in this condition! Has he
NOT. above all others, at all times, and upon
all occasions, when the subject of public lands
has been the topic of discussion, taken the
lead in deuouncing these lawless intrusons
upon the public domain, as he is pleased to
term them? Has he not in fact, TO use his
own expression, battled it for days together,
SOLITARY if not alone against our presumption
and graduation bills, when scarcely man Of
his party would venture to the rescue! These
things considered, Mr.. President, and how
can !, be matter of wonder or surprise to the
Senator, (Mr. Cri,tendon,) that his colleague
should be met by the Senators from the new
States, upon the ground he himself has seen
fit 10 occupy, SO far in advance of his associ-
ates az TO have left them almost out of sight
behind him! Mr.. President, during the pro-
qress of the debate on the pre-emption bill, at
the last session Of Congress, the honorable
Senator from Kentucky, (Mr. Clay INDUCED
in expressions towards the settlers of the new
States who had gone upon the public lands
for the purpose Of procuring homes for them
selves aud families, which, in ny opinion,
tdev did not deaerve and as they were repeat
ed on more than one occasion during that pro-
tracted debate, with the utmost deilberation,
took uoto of some of them at the time they
were uttered, in the precise terms employed
by the speaker as / understood him (; and as
wish to recur to these expressions. for the pur-
pose of showing how far the honorable Sena-
tor (Mr. Clay) may or may not have been mis-
represented, as is supposed by his honorable
colleague (Mr. Crittenden) will refer to them
as l took them down, and leave the Senate to
Judge whether we Of the new Statee, or the
honorable Senator's colleague, have had the
most cause to complain of Misrepresentation.
~ The honorable Senator (Mr. Clay said,
when discussing the merits of the exemption
bill. and of those that were to be benefited by
its provisions, in the debate of the 9th of Jan.
last, according to my memorandum, that he
knew of no law or principle of propriety,
which authorized US to give away the public
lands as bounty to the poor as bounty for
the violation of the law that he viewed it (the
pre-emption billy as licence to set Of law
less murders to 60 upon the public domain
and prevent its sale in the manner prescribed
by law that he looked upon the whole system
Of prescriptions as system Of boundless,
heartless, scandalous, fraudulent speculation !;
that it was full Of fraud, abominable execrable
fraud, system that tainted, corrupted and pu-
tri6ed every one who touched it; t. that
these men (the settlers upon the public lands