Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-01-11
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The journal of Saturday having been reed
Mr. HOLMES asked the unanimous consent OF the House
made-though he did not suppose there would be any-he
would move suspension OF the rules.
Mr. JOHNSON, of Tennessee wished to inquire whether
this was not resolution day 81.
The SPEAKER replied that the regular order OF business
was the call of the States for resolutions.
Mr. JOHNSON then called for the regular order OF
business.
The SPEAKER stated that motion to suspend the rules
had been made ensbe the gentleman from South Carona
TO introduce resolution, and that motion was IN ordef
The resolution of Nj HOLMES then read, and is as
follows:
Resolved That it be referred the Committee on Military
Affairs to report biconferrng the rank OF
raj upon WINFIELD ScoTT Tor his gallant ser
vices in the late war with Mexico.
Mr. HOLMES inquired il it would be in order to submit
any remarks on the resolution.
The SPEAKER replied in the negative
Mr.. HOLMES then demanded the yeas and nays on the
motion suspend which ordered and, being taken,
were follows Yeas79, nays 7s.
So the motion suspend (equirng two-thds voe) was
not agreed to.
BoCNTY LAND ACT.
Mr.. ROBINSON, by unanimous consent from the Select
Committee appointed make inquiries into the propety Of
further Legislation to carry into effect the bounty land act with
expedite the issue Of the warrants reported bill to
the prompt execution Of the act approved september
49, $780, granting bounty lands to certain officers and sol
ders who have been engaged IN the may service OF tne
United States; which read twice.
Mr. R. asked that this bill be put upon its final PASSAGE
and begged leave to read the report of the committee.
Mr. KAUFMAN said that the bill seemed to be lengthy
and important one and he trusted the report and bill would
be printed before the Mouse would be compelled to act upon
it. II would only delay Of few days he hoped
the gentleman from INDIANA instead Of reading the report and
pressing the House immediate action upon the DILL would
make the special order Of the day for "Wednesday
next then the members of the House could read the
port and bill privately and understand it better.
Mr. ROBINSON said that he would like to accommo-
date the gentleman but the prompt execution OF this act mad
been put off too long already, and further delay would only
afford pretext officers of the Departments for not gong
on with their business He called upon the friends OF the
measure to sustain him. and read from the Clerks desk the re-
port Of the committee to the House, which stated tnat he
execution of the bounty land devolved on The Secretary
OF the INTERIOR without providing any means 10. ma'
Additional legislation would therefore be necessary, and this
should be without delay, render the law efficient An ad-
dona clerical force was recommended for the prompt carry
ing out of the law.
Mr.. R. said that it not his purpose to detaln the
House with speech after reading the report iurther than
to make brief aluson the bill He thought that after
the reading of the report bill the House would be satisfied
to vote without discussion. The report was unanimous
one, having been agreed by all the members OF ,he COM
mttee The bill itself proposed to do nothing more than to
legalze the appointments Of the Secretary Of the Inferior a
ready made, organizing them, however, separate from The
pension bureau He thought Congress should &C. wsout
delay and pass this bill once and thus leave the Executive
Department without any excuse for delay There was no
valid or sufficient excuse now why warrants should not be
Issued at the rate Of five hundred per day. II the Sec
reta Of the Interior had authority BY law to aPPen addl.
tonal clerks why did he set them at work What had
be been doing with them Why had not warrants been
ssued To saw that the engraving required four months
ridiculous for every knew that could be procured
IA much less time. II seemed to him-hough he did not
charge that sohat there wish to embsrrass the
execution Of this law much possible, and to throw
mpedimen's in the way, so that Congress might sup
pose that the law could not be executed, and thus turn
ound and repeal it. He desired the responsibility to be left
where is Let them pass the bill, and then what
would be given for the delay in the execution Of the law
Mr. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, inquired if he understood
hat by this bill the object eeaze what the Secretary
the Interior had sufficient number of clerks already
ploycd carry the law into ec and this bill merely legal
zSd what bad been done. He thought this very important
bill, and that its consideration should be postponed to
lay in order that might be printed that tine House could
lct und-rsrandingly upon it.
Mr. ROBINSON stated that the bill merely proposed to
egsze the number already employed in the pension Office
md organize them under chefce whose salary should
600 per He moved the previous question on
he passage of the bill.
nand for the previous question, he would like be heard
few moments
Mr.. ROBINSON declined to accede to the request.
Mr.. ylNTON hoped they would not have the previous
question until the bill read He called for the aiding
II the bill
Mt KAUFMAN objected to it's reading, and desired to
have il printed.
The bill was then ordered be read by the House. It
provides for dtonsl clerical force and establishes
rules Of evidence
Mr.. ROBINSON then, a. the request Of Mr.. MILLER,
withdrew the demand for the previous question.
Mr. MILLER stated that the gep,lsmsn from Indiana was
in error when be said that the committee reported the
He did no, IN the report and did not
believe that the bill on the table ought TO pass II was in
evidence before the committee .ha, than twenty