Arkansas democratic banner., 1851-03-25

[ slelght and harness, or eiheR. while such proper. 1 ty was m the military service of the United States either by impreSSmens oDntFact and fur the luSs Of horse CT hoFscsg and equigsse. of eiiheg fur niShed volunteers, whether minors os of Tuu age, ny any guardian or other person. and for the ises { of military arms and aceoatemcn,s or necessary clothing furnished ky the claimant himself oY re eeiyed by hun from the URied States by the terms l of bis enlistment x .sssssss saSs~ zs Sec. a,t-49 Es if faztker~ sras4e3. That iss tAs adluticatlon and settlement of any all claims under this act or the act to which It IS aHemAstury where Il IS mpracties hle to obtain the evidence of the witness or witnesses required by the rules In- scribed by the Secretary of War under the act k, which this act IS aTneHiatory, by reason of such witness or witnesses not being present at the place Of residence of the claimant, the evidence of any other officer, of any two privaies of the cunl- pany to which the claimant belonged, shall be con Niered, add be sufficient to establish the claim and authorize its allowance, and that the omission, erasure obiiteraton of any loss or losses any remark or remarks made on the muster rolls. shall not 6c considered, be contradictory of of pre- vent the allowance of any loss or losses when the same shall have been testified to under oath
 Sec. i. 1ndbe it fr-fher enncte3, That the audit ing and settling the claims provided for in this act and the act 10 whIch 1t Is ameadatory, an appeal may be taken and prosecuted from the decision of the Auditor whether heretofore or hereafter made rejecting the claim, to the Second Comptroller of the Treasury, whose decision shall he conclusive, The amendments proposed by the committee were then read as follows:
 Amend iSt section: ist In line l6 strike out the word ''sold;" also, in same line, strike out Tor otherwise disposed of" 2d. In iine 9 strike out the word ''fatlguing," and insert in lieu thereof extraordinary" :. Amend 3d section:
 lst. In line 8 strike out the word e'evldence,1 and inser. the word affidavit nheu thereof.
 2d. After the word "other." in 9th line, insert credible and respectabie;' and also insert same words after the word ''two," in same line.
 Sd. Strike out in the t4th line, after the word mot
 4th. And at the end of the section the words '.in the manner hereinhefore prescribed"
 Sec. 6, And be it turtser eraeAed. That the pro- visions of the second section of the act entitled ''An act to provide for the payne of horses aud other property lost destroyed the military service of the United States" approved March 3 lS49, be constructed to extend to officers and soldiers who have been in the military service of the United States, whether mounted m1itiaman, volunteer. ranger, CT cayalry- ra
 The bill was passed,
 RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.
 On motion of Mir McLane the House resolved itself into committee of the whole on the state of the Union oR the river and haTbor bill, (Mr Meade in the chaIr.)
 The Chairman stated that the pending question was the substitute offered by the gentleman from AaEslaqd ME. Mel .anssl ta the orlginai btil
 The following clause n the substitute was r sad,
 For the improvement of the MisSissippi riyer be- lowth Rapids, the Ohio rver below the Falls al Louisville and the Missouri Illinois, Tennessee, and Arkansas rivers, S240, ,000.
 Mir. JOHNSON, of Arkansas, moved so to amend the above clause as to read as follows:
 For the improvement of the Mississippi river, the Ohio river below the Falls at Louisville, and the Missouri and Arkansas rivers, s2i0,0OO; and for the Illinois and Tennessee rivers, s500,0 0O0 each"
 Mir J. sad: The friends of these two rivers lthe Tennessee and Illinois, will receive by ths amend ment that propose to give to these rivers by this arrangement just as large an appropriation as they will or get out of the appropriation of S20 000 they choose tO place these two rivers In the same section with that containing this app Opratlon for the MlsslSsippl, Arkansas and Ohio ryers. Now l every gentleman in this House must allow that an appropriation of S2i0, 600 for the Mississippi Ohio and Arkansas is altogether inadequate ana insuf- l fcient. 1 perceived that theTe Is general con ] viction in the committee, that this appropriation of 240, oe0 for these ryerS IS al best but small; and that to place two other rivers with them, to dimn- ish the amount of appropriation that would be ap- l plicabie to the improvement Of each, Is very little short of sacrificing and treading upon the rights of the whole valley of the ohlo and MiSsissippi.
 Mr. Williams. Might suggest Uo the gentle man frora Arkansas to enlarge his motonl
 Mir JOHNSON. 1 have reflected upon propos-
 
 if my present motion carries, the gentleman can ! afterward move to enlarge the amount. If were [ to consult my own eonyetionS as to what con | sidered would De proper amount, should have proposed an appropriation Of at least ,Un to ! each IT, as I have already said, the committee | should afterwards conclude that large amount | would be preferable, 1t can be so voted.
 Now Ii must bc remembered, that upon the bo- 1 som of the Mississippi alone, commerce 10 the ! amount of al feast $200 00. .000 is annually borne On the Ono. very neaEly si0o, ,000.GO0. Certainly on these myers together, the amount of commerce must be over $500 o00, 600. I would ask, gentle | men, 0 remember the fact that these are sll rivers Of the first magnitude and elass. l know It IS sand that Ii come to auslyze the amount of commerce that is actually borne on the bosom of the Arkan- l sas ryef, that that rlEef cannot make so great show. But allow ances should he made, IA view of { what will be the fact after q seres of years. We know not the changes tha. forty or fifty ycap may effect in the amount of commerce on this pa.ticu lar TIyer.
 The Arkansas Is, believe tn point of length the second tiyer in the United States, If not on the whole continent of America. know that the ex- tent to which il IS uaygab.e has never bee ascer- tained. IL has been proved 10 be nayigabe seven hundred miles from it's mouth. and under ordinary circumstances can be navigated, have every req to suppose, distance of one thousand miles. No vessel, il IS true, has ever penetrated so far, nom the simple taei that there are no settlements at 50 gIS1 u4StanSS iIu Lac Hf0utHt that CiVfii %atinn has not yet penetfated so far. --This Arkansas nyer takes Us rise in the Rocky Mountains, and. as have safd I x river of the very best magnitude, and trust that the friends of d far and general system of n'eTEal improve ments will noi overlook il. merely wish 10 add that aIn friend ol internal lnDfosensents, and that offer thls amendment ln good faith.
 Mr. Fitch opposed the amendment. He sand; am sorry to be fosnd in opposition to any amend TneHl which my frlead from Arkansas may think proper; but am opposed not only to hs amend ment, but also to the substitute, winch embraces the Illinois and Tennessee riyers. l find neither in the estimates of the Last of the present year any estimate for these streams 0fthe Tennessee nVer have no personal knowledge. + may be very large and important fIver, and may deasand the fostering care of the Federal Goyetmnent-- The illinos river know to Dc no sseh thing. grant that It n beautiful. navigshie stream, but q s conhned exclusively within tae lanlis Of one Siste, aid ikeEe is Eo Eeason whsteveE why there should be discrimination made in favor of II and against the Wabash. T0u may aAex% that ths