The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-09-03

Mr. SHIELDS. Not at all. | will explain to the SEN
ator, and think | can do TO his satisfaction The
suggestion made BY The senator IRON Michigan was moi
exactly practicable The warrants cannot be located in
the General Land Office here. The warrants must be
located and the epies made in the local district. The
warrants be located by the warantee himself CT by
his agent and then Transmitted The General Land Office
here After consultation with gentleman VINO under
stands this matter perfectly, find we can lessen the ~
convenience 10 the in the western States by
perB,ling him to transmit The warrant to the General
Land Office He can send il TO the Department OF ~ In
terror and that officer transmit il TO the local district
where the entry is 10 be made BY the register Of the as
trict where the wanantee requires il to be done Then
the holder Of the warrant has the choice OF three modes
in which he secure patent He can enter The land
himself by his agent he can send his warrant 10
the Department OF The Interior and let the Department OF
the Interior transmit II to the local district and the regis
ter there will his agent for that purpose Thus will
obyiate objection the bill far as Inconvenience is
concerned II takes away right from The warfanee
and only makes the register OF the local Office an agent
for this purpose and let me say thai IN nine cases our OF
ten the register OF the county or district would make
better entry than the warrantee himself II ne was upon
Mi CASS. Mr. President will simply remark that
the statement Of the honorable senator from Illinois is
perfectly right He is correct in the assertion thai the
provisions Of this section do not touch the existing rights
locate for themselves The object Of this provision IS to
enable the holder OF the warrant, he lives in those por
tons OF the Union where he cannot attend 10 il HIMSELF
have il done through the General Land Office. al less
expense II through the system OF regulations Of the
Office Of the Secretary OF the Interior that this TO be et
feced They have TO prescribe the mode IN which n IL
be done and experience will determine how the object
will best be accomplished. The warrant be best To-
Gated under the directions of the Secretary OF the Interior
II be done vastly better in that way than If
undertake regulate the details ourselves in the law
Mr.. TURNEY. cannot conceive, MI. President,
that this amendment will much improve the bill II does
not avoid the objections to the bill as i now stands and
for in the proposed amendment be based upon
the supposilion that those old soldersfor they
now all old men-would be capable of selling the
eighty of land which had
but would be wholly incapable OF selling the warrant IL
self Now, sir, in my Judgment the warrant could be
the land. after the patent obtained For instance
take the Of some in Tennessee who has served
in the war He gets warrant for land He does not de-
sire locate in another situation TO settle upon the
public lands ;but his neighber does desire TO remove
and his neghbor therefore, would give money for
the warrant which would authorize him to go and locate
upon any spot he pleased-whiCh would enable him to
select his location in the richest and best situation
the Incorporated public lands He would give
for such warrant than he would for the patent Of tract
OF land selected BY the department here The only eject
therefore, would be, instead of benefng these soldiers
TO inure them They will be forced to part with their
land at less price than they could obtain for their war
rants. can conceive of beneficial result from mpo
sing this hardship the soldiers This idea OF prohibit
ing them from selling their warrants appears to to
be based upon the snpposton that they incapable OF
managing their concerns, and that they ought to
have guardians to take care of them appears to be
based the supposon that this class of fellow ci
incapable OF self-government believe that if
they have capacity enough for self government they
have also capacity enough to dispose OF land warrant
for eighty forty There is occasion for this
provision the bill but II the soldier dismissed at
distance from home and left return the best way he
could, without money and perhaps without health,
then | would be willing to protect the warrant until
he got home Alter he has reached home and can OBJ
tain relief, he will be capable OF managing these things
himself If il is safe 10 allow them to sell The land after
patent is obtained, il is equally safe 10 allow them to
sell the warrant for which they could as believe, OBJ
tain larger compensation than they could for the land
regret that the senator from Virginia lMr. MAsoSl
oppose this amendment when the bill is reported to the
Senate and shall endeavor obtain the passage of the
bill as il came from the House. allowing these to sell
their warrants, when they obtain them, for whatever
they consider them worth
The question then taken upon the amendment Of
ered by Mr. SHIELDS, and upon division it was agreed
MIR. SHIELDS. Mr.. President, | wish TO make two
or three very unimportant amendments, which hope
will meet with the concurrence of the Senate In the
nineteenth line OF the second section, after the word
" widow" wish TO insert the following:
Shall receive in all cases, 100 acres of land, where her
husband is killed in battle"
will state, very briefly, the object in inserting this
provision In many cases officers killed in battle be
fore they have served three months the army, and
sometimes before having served two months Some of
the most gallant officers have been killed before they
have been in the army three months My wish is, 10
give the widow leo OF land. where her husband has
been killed in battle AS the bill stands she would
receive only 40 acres unless her husband had served
twelve months. Where he was not killed before the
Twelve months expired, OF course she would receive the
full amount.
There is another amendment TO which beg the aen.
ton OF the Senate. My only object in offering il is 10
make the bill efiecual The bill gives one hundred and
sixty acres OF land to those who served twelve months in
the army Now, in my State and IN the States of lndi
ana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi the volun-
teers were all mustered ont OF service within twelve
months. In no case within my recollection, did they
serve quite twelve months-sometimes within a month
and sometimes within few weeks or days These
soldiers will not receive hundred and sixty acres al
though they may have served within a few days OF
twelve months. want an amendment which will give
10 those who have served from 10 twelve months one
hundred and sixty acres OF land
Another amendment relates the of three months
men. do not believe there any who will derive
benefit from three-months service provided for; be-
cause, far have been able ascertain those who
had been called out for specified time, three or twelve
months, have served precisely the full term Some
times they have served two months and twenty or
twenty hive days. Those who fought at the battle OF
New Orleans will be cut of unless we reduce the time
below three months There is case so far as can
| have made inquiries at the department.
where they have served exactly three months Those
who served The Florida and in the Creek war and
three months-served sometimes two months and twenty
one days have, therefore, 10 render the bill efec,ua
upon that point made i apply to those who have served
from two TO three months
The PRESIDENT Will the senator state his amend.
fnents separately
MI. SHIELDS The irstis to amend the sixteenth line
OF the first section by inserting from service exceeding
six months" in lieu OF twelve months
Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. President, rise for the pur-
pose OF suggesting to the gentleman before me Mr..
SHrELDs that perhaps his object could be better obtained
by changing, to extent, the phraseoogy OF his
amendment AS the ball stands II gives one hun
ded and sixty of land those who have ed
E.r,