New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-29
NETWORK TRlBUNE.l
FROM WASHINGTON.
p,se.edings I'm the senase on 1hursday-More
Sine QUA Non.


Correspondence Of The Tribune
WAsaIEsToS, Wednesday, JEas q.
To-day expectation was on tiP-toe to hear the
ii, os Mr. WEBSTER TO Mr.. SoULE. The reply Of
NJ DOUGLAS, by the way, came OF yesterday,
.nd wa, completely triumphant refataton Of the
,o.;ten s assumed by the Frenchman in relation to
tbs rsht Of property in the public lands in caiior.
MA The argument Of Mr.. SouLK was replete with
lsgsl lore-sufed full Of learned authorities upon
international law about the inherent and essential
nature Of sovereignty, the eminent domain. &c &c
and his point Was to show that California by virtue
ofber sovereignty, the moment that sovereignty
.hould be acknowledged to exist, would be the
owner Of all the uuappropristed lands within her
limits, unless there was compact to the contrary.
Mr. DOUGLAS admitted that all that was very good
law with reference to co1ntnesin which sovereign
~ resided in the government bat that we had
turned all the old theories topsyturvy in America
that property was never held among us by virtue
of any such rascay fiction sovereignty at all, bat
that il is held by government precisely as II
is BY an individusl-simply because II has been
bought aud paid for He then perfectly verwheln-
ed his Antagonist by bringing forward the "noie
bistory Of the admission OF all the ne" 9's'eS
showing conclusiyely that the title oil tne y. o "
the public lands 10 California, will rest without any
compsct AZ ALL upon precisely the same GROUNDS
an her title 10 the public lands ia al the o,her nsw
gtstes-and this without stopping for moment 70
INQUIRE into the specific ordinance Oh 'ne Sos .
ton Of California, or the recognition oy
Of the right Of the u . "nich Is e'''O " $50
Constitution itseiI - S.o r.
r0;oy with the Ststuary lag OF the U. 8 as Mr.
DOUGLAS After such reply as his, speech
from Mr. WEBSTER seemed almost sapefhdous
ard so he seemed to think, for he hnigaed Ia ssle
more than an hoor. Adyerung mercy 70 1ne iac'
that Mr. DOUGLAS had thrown his adversary clean
olT his feet. by showing that bis whole argument
had no application 10 American Affairs, he pro
oeeded fx.Qrdtia to pick him up for the sake
of knocking him down again. This he did BY
GRE ptne for the nOnce that his authorities were ap
pHcsble and then turning them all against MIN and
making bis own guns demosh his iortlhcations.-
lie shove that all that YATTEL and others had
ssid Of tho acquisition of the right OF the soil by
sovereienty applied solely TO the settlement OF
neope In a country for which there was no prior
ownership, and that the same authors abundanty
and expressly establish the principle that prior
ownership remains undistu bed by the rganiZ alton
of civil State, and that one sovereign may hold
lands within the limits Of the territories OF another
an well as an individual and may, for that matter,
own the whole OF them. He cited the ownership
of the State oMsssachusetts aud after ward of the
Holland Co. within the State Of New York ofthe
Board of Proprietors within the State of Nex-JeT-
sey and numerous other cases. He distinguished
betweea the municipal sovereignty aud the d0mia-
ievn Ntile and fairly whipped the Frenchman cat
en- his own platform OF technicRtles and legal lore.
In the next place he proceeded TO show that this
very mares nest had been discovered some 20
years ago, by the State Of Indiana, who set upa
claim to s the public lands in her BORDERS upoa
precisely the same grounds DOW assumed. The
question then underwent q thorough investigation,
and was settled adversely to- and yet to the COM
plete satisfaction OF the claimant, and he, Mr..
WEBSTER, had supposed was laid aside forever.
He finally ended by showing that the same ques
ton had been before the judiciary of the Courts
ard had been settled by it in precisely the same
way. DO not recoiect ever to have heard an ar.
gunner Mt 30 imposing in lts appearance as that Of
Mr.. SoULE's 80 completely scattered to the winds.
No reply as been, and l presume none will be
attempted.
On the question Of the limits of California, the
argument ef Mr.. WEBSTER was simply reitera-
ton Of the obvious considerations that large part
OF the soil is useless-th that field for the susten-
sace Of man it is not third part as large as the
State OF Illinois. &c. &c.
Alter Mr.. WEBSTER, the remainder of the day
was consumed by an amusing contest between the
Senators from Mississippi. Mr. JEFFERSON DAVIS
pronounced his sane qua non, which IS, like that OF
Mr. SOULE, the division Of California and the Con-
sttution Of a Territorial Government for the South
efn portion, and speech from each OF the Senators
from South Carolina upon the same subject. Mic.
BARKwELL OF 8. &. made his M alden speech. His
roitcs are Of the South. Carolina streak. His tai
len Ia are not Of character to shine very brilliantly
as the successor Of Mr.. CALHOUN and indeed with
the reverence amounting almost to idolatry, with
which Mr. CALHOUN is regarded by one-half the
Senate, it would be a trying position for any man
to be brought into the comparison My space will
no. allow me now to make analysis of his speech
though should like to do So lmay advert to it
again. IL was friendly, frank aud funny attempt
20 show that Slavery is a nice and coy institution,
fitted 10 make gentlemen and ladies, and pretty
much the only machinery for doing so. By the |
way, Mir FoorE got through this morning without |
debate. a call ON the President for Information |
about New Mexico aud her affairs. SPA.