Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-05-13

after paying the aforesaid the purchase Of said stock
their market value provided no more than par shall be pa
Now suppose that s 0oo 900 was received annually from
the sales Of the lands would take only about million
pay the interest," and then under this section the remaining
1000, 900 were required to be put utbyor what To pay
the principals whenever the stock could be bought h
market at par that money be taken and The
to be bought Now did not every man see that the socl
could not go below par in the market while the Govehmen
kept this fund
That was the true character Of the pledge and the position
Of the gentleman from Mississippi that the Government wou
be good enough to pay finally would not do the promise
dsnc, promise from ihist that at all times while
Of this fund remained after paying the interest," this stock
should be kept at par in the market Now, what i'm
piled in that pedgel Why that the Government would moi
intentionally do any thing essentially diminish the sales
the public lands He did not consider that would prevent
making donation of lands to college or other institution
learning OF alternate sections to railroads through the public
lands, 10 any ordinary purposes OF legislation but they
clearly liberty they had soemnly bound the faith
of this Government such proposition this
aproposon which would essentially diminish the from
the public lands How, then, could any man, having any
regard for the public ah for propositions of this charac-
ter II old and just maxim, that should be Just
before generous surely would not be just thus
dry up for long series Of years this source Of revenue which
had expressly pledged to the public creditor to keep
| stock at par.
He referred the frequent of the term bounty au
calculated convey impression aud said that
in instance had this Government voted lands
gatuy but that these bounty lands part Of the pay
TO the soldiers serving in the with Mexico,
much their money and clothng stipulated before they
entered the service except in the Of small proportion
who had entered the army before the law passed. and
who were placed the footing as all the rest OF the
| army.
In relation the Indian under Wayne, Harmar st.
Clair and Others this subject of grants of land had been dis
cussed and considered from time to time by who knew
all about H. thirty years ago. and been refused And here he
kol
then land in proportion to the number Of inhabitants
than have now.
With regard to the computation made by Mr.. Baows, Of
Mississippi Of the profits made by the Government from the
sales of lands and above their cost he said should
be remembered that received large proportion Of them
from Virginia and when she gave her quit claim it
the express condition that their proceeds should go first TO
tnguish the debt of the Revolution Now, this debt had
been paid in money! but take every dollar had ever rce
ed from the lands and would pay than two thirds
Of that debt Therefore, that had such
lands and above their cost We had such lands.
He referred gentlemen House document No. 90 I'd
oath Congress- for the real number of who served in
the last war; and who covered by the amendment The
gentleman from Illinois Mr. McCLERSAsD had estimated
them at about 70,0 900.
Mr. McCLERNAND said the whole number Of troops be-
ing six and twelve months contemplated by the amendment
Of the gentleman from Mississippi, (Mr THOMPSON
s97 and the whole quantity OF land to be granted boun
ties to these troops was 6, l3s, $40 acres.
Mr. COLLAMER said that the official returns showed that
the whole number of militia in the last 3S2 1885, OF
non-commissioned officers $1,000, and Of - $1,000,
making All 632 in all and these in addition 2s 900
which had been issued TO the regular army of that
for bounty lands.
But where the proprety the gentleman from Missi
spp stopping with the six months men Were those
who had served three MONTHS for instance equally deserving
And how did the gentleman draw the line of distinction
Why stop here He had doubt that the men who
from Kentucky Tennessee and other Staes with Gen.
Jackson New Oeans served six months and yet they had
NJ
races too, perhaps for six months How that
be knew not, had he any Of knowing But this
he knew, that many Of those who out for whom pro-
vision was to be made in garrscns, holding hem
absence of the troops in active Those doing
duty enjoyed easy times. Such the six months
He had little knowledge the subject for he
among them, though of those who few days short
Of six months service, Of they would get nothing
He repeated there Propreiy in giving these boun
ties proposed and shutting the soldiers the war Of
the Revolution. Such distinction could not be justified to
his satisfaction For that and when the
British Horse Neck and burnt New London they
subject be daughted every month of the year. But Oh he
tod they had had pensions This he denied The PEN
sion law passed in 1882 granting pensions militia men,
and then only such that time living. From fifty
TO sixty years passed from the time the service
deed to the passage Of that law and thousands Of them had
sunk into the grave without having received any pension
This Distinction then, assumed the shape Of gross injustice
But again, had they given dollar the seamen and
who fought the battles Of the country on the
and on the lakes Those had met the enemy the
element which he had assumed regn they had bearded
the lion in his den. And why, then, should they be
cluded There also the Seminole in Florida and
the Greek This bill could not be psde acceptable
to him unless the soldiers Of those included II
this amendment pass he presumed would be mod
fed as to meet these
But there another point which he wished to call the
attention Of gentlemen for few moments II was impossible
disguise the fact that this bill with the proposed amend
should pass would destroy the income from the public
lands for many years. With these warrants in the market
they could sell the public lands He knew the
the soldiers of the Mexican kept up because they
had the alternative Of taking scrip for 500 and therefore
below that the would fall But what
would be the fact this proposition should be passed Why
they would be thrown into the market n time when fifty
thousand already ssued and fifty thousand more were
to be issued. Why these came home from
Mexico and found these warrants n the market they would
fall back upon the alternative and take Government scrip
Every instead Of taking his warrant would his 500
scrip. And how much would il amount TO, Why to five
millions Of dollars II simple question Of mathematics
These Mexican soldiers would take land warrants for
with these additional warrants the market they would not
be able 10 sell them they would prefer the scrip and thus
five million dollars would be added the public debt which
would be increased by that amount Now, did gentlemen
desire that Some gentlemen might for the purpose Of OBJ
tanning higher tariff but TO such gentlemen he would say
stake that you do not get direct taxes What
income Of the public land We have been receiving about
three millions per annum For the year Mr.. Walker
anticipates the receipt Of three millions and half He cal
culates that sum- which he bases the pre- empton rights
and he may realize it. Already more has been received than
of hufi