The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-01-16

nority report should he referred to them. For tha'
reason, be would vote for the printing. ,,bo ,o,,
Mr.. FOOTE | somewhat suipr isei ~, n, N 49,,
which the gentleman from Massaehuse'sr W w, ii
takes oi thus matter. am certain ma h1 n =, ~
evnresson Of the views OF the minority OF the committee
is no report am certain that he usage OF ihe oea'g
shows the contrary minority Reports ha'e Uee"
Mr. DAVIS can recollect very distinctly that they
were called the us OF the minority OF the committee
Mr. EOOTE. (resumng recoect very well Mr. Pres
;deni that the report of the minority OF the committee
upon the national bank question was received as re-
mort was published SUCH and had very material ell
feet upon the mind OF the country The present GER
tanly congressional report and entitled 10 oe eaeu ~
such in every respect If do not greatly err i is IN
accordance with the universal usage Of the senate
10 denomnate the embodied views OF a minority
of a committee in such form IA has Deen
adopted in the before us-a report y Is en,'iel 20
be read and printed for the OF thus body anu TOT e
information OF the public for precisely similar reasons 10
those which claim the reading and printing OF majority
report 1t is only IN this way 'ha he views wnlcn ~
contains the statements of fact embodied in IT, ana ITS
general augmentation, be fairly appreciated here
and elsewhere II is report even IN inc gralnmaleil
senseif gentlemen wish TO oe nypercloa "h SuS Of
two well known Latin terms, which imply ormg,,
ing, or carrying back and in this sense the word
report simply bringing back into lee sa'ive
assembly the subject referred TO committee with The
views OF such committee thereupOn hope that, upon
so grave subiectat perilous crisis such report
as that just offered TO may receive the most liberal
treatment at our hands and that may have the intend
ed sauiary effect in every way.
But rose Mr. President. chiefly for the purpose OF
calling for the reading of the report hope, IN con,
sideraton of the magnitude OF the subject that VIII
be read at the present time; and IT. alter SHAH nave
been read the Senate not disposed to have printed
Mr. BERRTEN suppose this discussion has arisen
not from any objection made TO the PAPER but from
simple inquiry whether IN noS ,s w e
Tectly to the Senate without having submitted IL TO the
committee.
Mr. DAVIS Of Massachusetts, expressed the hope that
the senator from Mississippi [AIr.. FoorEl would not
insist on the reading of the report OF the minority
paper Of considerable length, and would undoubt-
Mr. BUTLER preferred that the report should be read
Mr.. FOOTE said that the senator from Louisiana Mr.
DowNs] had kindly consented to- dispense with the read
ing of the report and that under these circumstances
he (Mr F. was not disposed to press his call for the
reading.
The question being then taken upon the motion TO
On motion BY Mr. HUNTER. the Senate proceeded TO
the consideration OF motion Submitted some days since
by his colleague, Mr. MAsoN) to print 10000 cope. Of
the report of the Committee the Judiciary the bull
for the admission of California into the Union as State
The motion, after being modified as to embrace also
the views of the minority OF the committee, was agreed
TO-
LAND CLAIMS IN CALIFORNIA
Mr.. BENTON called for the unfinished business OF
Friday; and
The Senate proceeded to the consideration of the bl
for ascertaining land claims within the territory of Cali
forna and New Mexico TO grant donation rights and to
provide for the survey Of lands therein
Mr.. BENTON. As | stated TO the Senate on Friday.
am opposed to the whole scheme or plan contained IN
the bill which is before The Senate; and propose
TO substitute for it plan founded entirely different
principle The principle of the bill now before the Sen;
ate is found in the frs, section OF the bill which will
read to the Senate:
"Sse. I. Ana be further enacted That for tie purpose
ofascertnng the claims and tries 10 lands within the Ter
ritoy OF Cali forna New Mexico, required by the
treaty Of second of February eighteen handled and forty
he by
aud OF the Senate, surveyor general register of
Claims
They shall proceed to hold their cessions commits
sioncrs soon practicable at such points as may
be directed by the President, giving subtle notice IN
some newspaper printed each place, or If there
be newspl per, the most public places at those
points. respectively, Of the time which their sessions
their claims with evidence necessary support them
rheir last session shall terminate on the sirtieh OF Sep
tember, thousand eight hundred aud lty one when
said commits shall forward to the Secretary OF the
Inent all they have done; and deliver tho
veyor general all the archives and papers that
be in their possession
The first objection have ia this bill is that il couples
California and New Mexico in one single general land
surveying district. The two countries are put together
in one land district and all the business which belongs
both is be transacted Office, which office
only be in OF the two countries. Now, California
and New Mexico have been always, politically totally
distinct, and geographically widely separated from
each other Each consists Of mere string of settle
ments, one upon the Rio Grande del Norte, a river
falling into the Atlantic the other, string OF
settlements along the coast Of the Pacific. Between
them il wilderness country OF about thousand
miles in extent, the whole of it the undisputed do
mnion OF savages, over which no man travels except
with force sufficient to protect his life and proper
ty, moving miliiarly and encamping every night un
der the guard of sentines while travelling between
the two countries. These two Countries have never
bad any political connection whatsoever Few OF the in
habants OF either have been in the other. And TO
require the people of either of these strips to traverse
this wilderness and go to the other for the purpose Of
tapsactng their business is to impose them hardship
which is inolerabe-to impose on them task which
be performed. There is total disability OF per-
forming it, and when the surveyor generals office shall be
the people of New Mexico may give up all thought
pecaton of having their business done by this Board of
Commissioners That is objection to uniting these
Two countries in one land district But there another
which must suggest itself at to the mind of every
Senator-New Mexico is country of indefinite boun
dares it is a country about the boundary of which a
serious question Is mpendng-whlch question: sooner
or later, must receive its solutOn-and when it
comes up, il will be large enough to occupy eXclu-
slvely the authorities who may have charge of the
settlement of it, The bill before does undertake
and improper for to undertake to do 80. There are
questions enough in the bill without mixing them up
with the question OF boundary between Texas and New
Mexico The bill does not undertake to fix the bound
airy, and it il right in making such attempt.
But IT is equally wrong in undertaking to join
together New Mexico and California, when one of
those countries has boundaries by which the pract
cal operation under this bill is TO be governed Treas
ury instructions must be sent out to the surveyors
defining the boundaries Their settlement will be-
come subject not OF law legislation, but of an Ex
knoyv he oofcn ch