The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-05-09
In CONGRESS OF THE U. STATES.
Thirtieth Congress----Fi.st se..aon
MONDAY, MAY s, 1s4s.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE.
The journal having been read


| l THE MACEDONIAN .
I Mr.. CABELL moved suspension of the rules 10 en-
able him to introduce resolution making the Joint
ouhon authorizing the accounting officers of the Treas
ufy charged with the settlement OF the accounts of the
navy TO settle and pay the expenses of the United States
ship Macedonian, on her recent voyage to Ireland and
Scotland the special order for Tuesday week, and every
day thereafter until disposed OF which motion neg
| atived.
! Mr. BRODHEAD, having obtained suspension of the
rules, submitted resolution resembling the resolution
adopted on former day, IN relation to the distribution OF
documents to the governors and the county clerks OF the
| several States and Territories
| Mr.. j. A. ROCKWELL moved the previous question,
which seconded and, under its operation the reso
luton was adopted,
Mr.. A. G. BROWN moved reconsideration of the
by which the resolution lust adopted had been
agreed to. Obtaining the floor upon this moton-for
which he made unsuccessful effort before the question
| was taken upon the resolution
Mr. b. said il was known to the House that the
luton rescnded by this vote introduced by himself
1t was not introduced for the purpose of doing injustice
to any portion of the Union; it introduced with
out consideration, as gentlemen have seemed TO imagine
He proceeded to show that its operation could work
injustice to any portion of the country These documents
published at the public EXPENSE and designed for the
public convenience and benefit He affirmed, them that
they ought to be placed in situation where the people
can reach them and consult them 1t was the proximity
81 these documents to the people that made their value
said that copy OF public document deposited in
| a public library, accessible TO all the people, would
DO OF greater public utility than many documents IN
|
lance that they should be distributed and deposited where
the people could find them than that they should be dis
rbuted IN exact proportion to the strength OF population
The resolution directed that these documents should be
deposited at the county court houses because these were
the centres of public business, and the places of public
gatherings all over the country; ana with the county
clerks because they most likely to be best acqnant-
ed with the people Ii you rescnd this resolution, what
disposition is to be made Oh the ninety thousand extra
copies OF the Patent Office report They are to be DIS
rbuted by members of Congress. a.a ided amongst
their friends He examined the reasonab eness OF this
proceeding. and condemned upon the consideration that
Congress would not vote an appropriation q the public
printing to favor particular class OF men IN the abstract
HIS proposition was to give to the people only about one
out OF every fifty of those extra copies OF the Patent Office
report; But his friend from Pennsylvania MI. bRoD.
HEAD]-democra though he is, and jus, and generous
as he is known to besays he must oppose IT. because
it does injustice by making unequal distribution to his
location In introducing the resolution, Mr. 3 sad bis
object not to confer peculiar benefit upon his
constituents They were not in his mind particu-
afly in connexion with this proposition. He was
men have supposed that it would take some ten or
fifteen thousand copies to supply our governors and
county clerks He corrected this estimate, and show
ed that twenty-five hundred copies would be sufli-
cent TO fulfil the distribution provided for by the resolu
ton This great object he said, would cost nothing in
the comparison Whereas, under the present system of
making all the documents private property 1t sometimes
happened that they wholly lost. Only the winter
past he had 10 resort to retail shop for valuable docu
ment, which he unable to obtain elsewhere, even in
this city. This would not have been the case had his
resolution been in force Who would not often be will
ing to give five times cost for public document that
might be deposited somewhere in his district! ne dd
himself for the credit of sending documents to his
constituents as individuals. He would rather send one
copy of this Patent Office report when il would prove a
public benefit than to send the whole four hundred and
fifty copies which might fall to his share where they
would become the property OF private ndiv duas His
proposition asked only that small portion OF the great
Of extra printed documents be given to the people
He had introduced and defended this proposition, SIMPLY
because he believed it was right
Mr. BRODHEAD contcndcd that any just operation of
| hp resolution lmDraCtlcable
other documents to the Patent Office reports and when
insufficient number is ordered, II will be difficult for
the Clerk to decide what counties shall be left out He
objected that the Clerks offices above all others,
the proper places send public documents and contend
ed if they were, that members who were manesy the
best Judges where they ought to CO. should send them
there The people pay for the documents and they were
entitled to receive them at the hands OF their representa-
| tives
was then laid on the table
| Mr. T. B. KING moved suspension Of the rules, to
enable him to introduce resolution making the bill
granting the Alabama, Florida, and Georgia Railroad
Company the alternate sections of the public lands along
the route OF their contemplated roads on certain cond
TONS be made the special order for the first day after the
special orders pending shall have been disposed OF
which motion was rejected
BOUNTY LAND BILL.
Mr.. G. s. HOUSTON moved that the House resolve
itself into Committee of the Whole on the state OF
the Union for the purpose Of resumng the considea
ton of the special oderthe bounty land bthe debate
upon which to terminate at o'clock, p m this
day; upon which mOuOn tne yeas ana nays were de-
manded and ordered; and, being taken the yeas were
lit, nays SO.
So the motion agreed to; and the House resolved
itself into Committee Of the Whole the state of the
Union, Mr. HILLIARD in the chair, and resumed the
consideration of the bill to amend the act to raise for
limited time an additional military force and for other
purposes, approved February II, lS47 the said bill hav
ing for its object the granting of bounty lands to officers
in the volunteer corps who have become such by promo
ton.
Mr. VINTON having the floor, said the amend
ment proposes to give land bounties to the officers
and soldiers who participated in the Indian campaign of
1890 ALSO to all the militia called into service in the late
with Great Britain, for any period of time from
to twelve months He regarded this proposition, with
one or two others that had been preached here within
ten or twelve days. equivalent TO proposition give
require great quantity of land to fulfil them has
been sold from the foundation of the government down
to this hour. 1t proper, then, to weigh well what
we about. No man was more willing than he to
compensate those who had exposed their lives for the
defence of their country One proposition was, to give
bountes to armies raised sixty years ago. and another
to give bountes to armies raised quarter of century
ago. When laws were passed here on full consld.
eration policy would TO require that they should
stand and not be the subject of perpetual amendment.
We have granted bounties to soldiers in the Mexican
war Suppose that sixty years hence members should
rise here and say that did not adequately pay those
troops and propose give pensions TO the heirs of those
soldiers; could ii not be said that of this day were
competent Judge OF the proprety of the measure OF
be some period to the agitation of such claims All had
been paid to soldiers of the late war and of the revou
tonary that the government had contracted to pay
For the first half century after the revolution the sol
ders and officers received pensions and no lands.
Mr. McCLERNAND.. Does the gentleman affirm that