Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-05-13
SOLDIERS BOUNTY LANDS.
HOUSE OF REPREsENrArIvEs-MAr 8. ls4s

HOUSE OF REPREsENTATIvEs-M 8, ls4s
The House being in Committee of the Whole, and having
,nder consideration the following bill
BL to amend entitled San act to raise for limited
time AN additional military force aud for other purposes
approved February ilth, lS47.
Re enacted sc. That every officer
private musician OF the army OF the United States who
has been who may hereafter during the continuance ii
the present with Mexico, be promoted the rank OF
msoned officer, and who such promotion had not taken
place. would have been may hereafter be- entitled to
eeye the War Department certificate warrant for
public land Treasury scrip in lieu thereof under the ninth
section the act of which this amendment SHALL
whstandng such promotion, be entitled To receive said
rant or certificate or Treasury scrip in lieu thereof IN the
e That all the requisites Of the ninth section OF the
approved February Iih, 1s47 shall have been faithfully
piled with Ind provided, further That the provision Of
the ninth section shall be applicable land
or certificates issued under this those that might be
Issued in of said ninth section. Pr0rled further That
they shall have been elected promoted after reaching the
seat Of war.
To which bill there was pending the following amendment
proposed by Mr.. THoMrsos, Of Mississippi
and be IL further enacted That the benefits and rights
conferred by the Of the above upon
the soldiers engaged in the present with Mexico be and
the hereby extended that each
officer musician and private of the regular army, of
company volunteers militia who served in the
Indian the Northwest Territory, prior the treaty of
Grenye in 1885, who served during the late with
Great Britain twelve months more and honoraby
discharged and who has received bounty of land by v
tue Of any law heretofore passed. shall be entitled TO and
ceye warrant for hundred and sixty of land and
such officer musician, and private Of any
company of volunteers militia who actually served for six
months the said Indian the said with Great
Britain and honoraby discharged shall be entitled and
receive for eighty OF land the bounes OF
land granted shall be subject TO the rules Of de-
scent be located in the and with the
srcons provided in the said above recied act
Mr.. yINTON, who entitled to the floor from pre-
ceding day. said the amendment to the bill now under
sdeaon proposes in the rs, place TO give land bounties to
the officers and soldiers who served In the campaigns Of 92
and 93 or in what commonly called the Indian
paigns in the Western country and also TO give bounty
all the militia called the public service during the last
with Great Britain for periods OF six and twelve months This
aside from the establishment Of principle, he
thought proposition of vastly importance than at the
first view would seem TO belong TO it.
Permit him remark in the outset that be regarded this
proposition together with two others which have been
presented to this House during the last days weeks
equivalent proposition surrender up the whole of the
public domain of this country TO the hands OF those who may
think proper speculate in the public lands They will
que satisfy them quantity of land great nearly
great the land that has been sold by this Government
every part the country from the foundation of the Govern
down this day. He inclined to think this House
did know what asked TO do this subject When
they remembered that the public domain Of this country
worth this least thousand millions Of dollars
Of consequences at least that before they gated
upon subject this importance they should weigh well what
they about TO do There was no gentleman in this
House willing than he to do whatever proper
be done by way of compensang those who had exposed
themselves in defence Of their country; but still he thought
that in such there should be rule, prn
cipe time somewhere xcd that the door
might be closed against such legislation No gentleman that
he had heard speak the proposition before the committee
had undertaken say that this Government under any
obligation grant these bounes. No gentleman had under
taken that they had been promised by the country
those soldiers who enlisted but had been shown by the
gentleman from Mississippi who addressed the House the other
day that proposed give bounes to the soldiers n the
late the subject considered the time the bill
passed, but il repealed again in single week.
Well, what this proposition 1t proposition to
give boun,es armies raised sixty years ago. nearly
and armies raised quarter OF century ago, and half
quarter Of century The subject Of rewardng those
up matter Of for consideration, when
they called into the public service. The Government
had the land that tme which could have been given
them if had been thought proper and yet with full view
Of and proper consideration Of the that e the
Government thought proper withhold IT, And when laws
were passed full consideration, for the employment Of
in the public service any form shape, unless there
great and important to the contraryuness j,
could be shown that mistake had been made by those
who had gone before public policy seemed require that
they should pause before they this late day engaged in such
legislation proposed TO them. We have The
Mexican on hands, and we have made provi
sion after full debate Of the consequences grow Of it,
for the soldiers serving in Mexico. WELL suppose that
years hence gentleman should get up and
to the Congress then sitting in this hall, the Congress
ting here sixty did not do its duty 10 those Mexican
soldiers and therefore il duty order that money and
lands something else shall be given them that survive
and them only but their children and descendants
Congress doubtless thought competent when had all
the before and possessed knowledge Of all the circum-
Of the case decide correctly what ought be DONE
well certainly any gentleman sixty or forty or
thirty years hence He held that the business Of legislation
well Of adjudication. and every thing else for gener-
son should be done by hst generation. Every generation
egislate for ITSELF II do It's own work. Pubic
policy required that every generation should do lis work
il goes along There evident mprcprieiy when
generation has passed away, and succeeding gen
eaons from Of benevoence thus 10 give away
the public easure-for property money. He desired to
call the particular attention Of the committee the that
during the Of the American Revolution which fought
chiefly by the militia that then called into the service nor
during the last war; any time prior this present Mex
can war; had there been land bounty granted those
who have served their country militia. Congress should
pass this b and thereby should say that they would grant
bounies 10 those who served during the Indian Of 1872
and l792 and who served during the last twelve
six months, there any gentleman there who could tell
him why they should go back the Of the American
Revolution when the militia served long longer thar
either Of these periods when their services valuable
and when every body knew they paid for the
try not hea able opay Yea, that the distinguish
ing feature Of those who served during the Of the reyou
ton, whereas all those embraced in the proposition before th
committee have been paid.
Mr. THOMPSON, Of Mississippi, inteposed 10 explain
The Why he bad gone back the period Of hs
revolution that all the revolutionary soldiers had beer
provided for by PENSIONS and he had desire interfere with
the pension syster..
Mr. VINTON. Did the gentleman rom Mississippi near