Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-06-28

Judge Young could prosecute, with Wig
orous haste, the sale of river lands, in
silent disregard of the claims of Iowa,
and still excite the tenderest sympathy
and warmest admiration Of Iowa Loco
focoism; while the 5itrerest and foulest
epithets of abuse and indignation are
hurled against Mr.. Ewing, for express
ing the opinion that they are subject to
sale by the United States, but should be
withheld from market till the action OF
Congress is had on the subject.
But there is Secretary Walkers opin-
ion. Yes. After the silent disregard
with which the Iowa authorities were
treated for near f,co years, Secretary
Walker kindly drops few lines 10 Dodge
& Co. just one day before he retires
from office, stating that he concurred
with them in their views sand am oil
opinion that the Grant in question ex.
tends as therein stated, on both sides oil
the river from its source TO its mouth"
Here then, are three opinions of prom
inent men. each giving different con-
struction to this plain statute. Mr.. Ew-
ing's construction restricts the Grant to
the Forks, the accompanying papers and
tile report of the committee which rec
ommended the Grant, influenced his
opinion. Judge Young extended the
Grant TO the western boundary of the
State in his letter, but restric ted it to the
Forks in his sales. Mr.. Walker very
courteously concurs with the distinguish
ed delegation from Iowa, and extends
the Grant to the source of the river, in
a polite note of half dozen lines.
Now, if political capital can be made
out of this state Of facts, from Mr.. Ew-
ing's decision, it will be made By knaUes
out Of f'ols.
Judge Young, the Commissioner of
the General Land Office, persisted in
selling the lands, and, according to the
statement of Charles Cookery, sold 49,
900 acres belonging to the State, "nor
did he desist when appealed from. -
When his successor, Bntterield came
into office, up pops the claim of the
Board for the refunding of some thirty
thousand dollars, which had been re-
ceived on sales of River Lands durii g
the last administration. Buuerfield re-
fers the plafs and the entire subject to
the Secretary who, although he believed
the law was against the claim Of Iowa,
signified his intention to withhold the
lands from sale. Who then has acted in
the more friendly spirit towards the I'm.
provement, the last or the present admin
istration?
Governor Clark, and the Iowa Legis-
lature, it appears, originally took the
same view that Mr.. Ewing now takes;
and leading Locofoco politicians Of the
State have been industriously scheming
for the past year to secure such a decis-
ion, and cast the odium Of it upon the
Wing party.
Charles Cookery bears testimony to
this fact, in communication to the Des
Moines Courier, dated August "a, ls49.
"The conduct Of the cautious but toiiy
Capital Reporter" says he. ''has left no
doubt on my mind for the last year, that
some intrigue of this character was on
foot, but was ignorant of the extent or
'nodus operandi." Bearing this intrigue
in mind, we can account for the fact that
Jesse Williams, of Iowa City, was NOM
mated, and that, as Secretary of the
Board, he applied 10 the Department to
refund the money received by the United
States for the River Land. No person
of common discretion, who wished well
to the Improvement, would have made
this application at the time, and under
the circumstances, thus to create addi-
tional difficulty and objection. This ac.
counts too, for the vindictive personal
abuse of the Locofoco newspapers, and
the sveH MOB uproar Of the Conven-
tons, against Mr.. Ewing. An effort is
thus made to excite the opposition of
Mr.. Ewing and his Wings friends at
Washington, and to make capital at home.
This accounts too, for the fact that moth
ing has been done on the subject in Con-
gress by our delegation. But on the
contrary, they have been trying to insult
Mr.. Ewing, who, as the head Of the De-
partment, must possess some influence
upon The subject. Is it not sheer knave-
ry or folly, for our delegation to excite
universal attention to the defective phra-
seology of this law, with the weight of
Mr.. Ewing's opinion against them, in
stead of proceeding at once to get bill
through Congress under the guise of an
explanatory act. Should they fail in
that, the Executive Department and Ju-
dietary are still open to them, to decide
upon the construction of the law as it
now stands. But should these Depart
ments decide against us, the time will
have passed for obtaining an explanatory
act from Congress.
The whole course of our State author
ilies, our members of Congress, the
Locofoco Conventions and the Locofoco
Newspapers, is calculated, and we be-
lieve intended, 10 defeat the claim of the
S,ate.-Whig f. Register.
FROM NEW MExIco.-Our advices
from New Mexico, by the recent arrival
at Independence, are not Of very pleas
IL