The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-03-06
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
ERInAX March & 1852

Mr.. HOUSTON, Of Alabama, moved that the
House go into Committee Of the Whole on the
state Of the Union and take up the special order,
being the bill granting 100 acres of land to every
man who is the head of a family, and citizen Of
the United States, upon condition of occupancy
and cultivation Of the same for definite period.
Mr. HOUSTON'S motion was agreed to, after
an Intellectual attempt made by Mr.. DANIEL, of
North Carolina, to take up the private calendar.
THE PRESIDENCY, COMPROMISE, &c.
Mr.. CAMPBELL, of Ohio, resumed his re-
marks commenced yesterday. He believed that
the opinions of Presidential aspirants should be
known on the subject of dispensing of the public
domains as well the question Of slavery. He
was in favor of making donations Of land for the
benefit of the INDECENT insane, the establishment
of institutions Of learning, and commended that
Congress has the constitutional power to make
ment.
Mr. CEASTAIN, of Georgia. spoke in defence
of the platform assumed by the Union party in
that State, and in support Of the compromise mea-
sures, reading his remarks from written manu-
script The position Of that party, he said, had
been greatly misunderstood and grossly misrepre-
scented, and his present object was to set it right
before the country. The compromise question in
Georgia, as was well known, had produced an en-
tireIy new organization of political parties there
Without intending any disparagement to those
Wings who had supported it, he would contend
that the compromise was a Democratic measure,
conceived by Democratic men and passed by DEM
ocratic votes. lift operated unjustly on any Sec
ton of the country, the responsibility must rest
upon the Democratic party, as 1t was only a con-
summation of its principles. In the late Georgia
elections, it had been made paramount question.
lie appealed, not to the Freesoilers nor the Seces
sionists but to the national Democracy, to answer
whether those Democrats in Georgia who had
supported the compromise had done right Had
they acted right in refusing to JOIN IN Southern
lon., -, ~ Snr annn
cratic leaders as DOUGLAS, CAss, BUCHANAN, and
other prominent men who had supported those
measures. He referred to the Washington Union,
the organ Of the Democratic party, for articles
approving the course of the Union Democrats IN
Georgia, and also to that able advocate of Demo-
cratic principles the Philadelphia Pennsylranan,
which had approved the course of Mr.. CoBB. If
the Democracy of the country intends to keep
company with the Southern-rights party, or Free
sellers, in their denuncations of the compromise,
it was time that every national Democrat should
know the fact. Upon the action of their next ma
tional convention, in relation to this subject, he
believed that not only the fate of the Democratic
party, but of the Union itself depended.
Mr.. BROWN, of Mississippi, said that the
gentleman seemed disposed to hold the State
Rights party of the South responsible for the
Nashville convention and all that was said at it.
He asked, had it escaped the geneman's recollec-
ton that the convention was got up by men
(Whigs and Democrats) who are not State Rights
menu
If any harm came from that convention, it should
be confined to it's original leaders.
MIR. CHASTAIN admitted that such was the
fact, but said that the Union Democracy left as
the convention showed its hand
Mr.. BROWN said that he himself had nothing
to do with the Nashville convention, and had no
responsibility for its action. He would ask the
gentleman whether he could say much' Was
he not a member of the Georgia legislature, and
instrumental in getting up the Nashville conyen-
ton
Mr. CHASTAIN said that he was not. He
gloried in being member, however, of the Geor-
ga cow ention which repudiated its action.
Mr. BROWN. Did you not vote to send dele
gates TO the Nashville convention
Mr. CHASTAIN. | did not.
Mr.. OLDS, Of Ohio, hoped that the Democratic
members would abstain from speaking against
any of the prominent Democratic candidates for
the Presidency who did not meet their preference.
The official organ of the administration in this
city, Che Repubiic,) had already grown bold in
sight Of Democratic dissenslons--in spite OF the
official corruption of the administration, and not
withstanding had been running riot With the ma
tional treasury. lnasmuch as some prominent
Democrats had been found here to defend its cor
rupton this was not much TO be wondered at. Ii
was not surprising that the official organ had
grown so bold. There WAS no man among the list
of names which had been presented to the Demo
cracy, whom he (Kr. o. would not rather see