The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-04-28

nth'ucky, lMr. UNDERWOOD, j appears tn me
could do 81 with very great justice. We ara
both members Of the Committee on Public
Lands, and, as have already stat. d, nv col
league introduced this bill on the second day If
Inc SESSION, and it is number one upon the cal.
ehdar Inc bill was detained several weeks in
committee expressly to allow that senator T.,
mould and shape IL to suit his own vi-vs mr..
other member of the committee having o,v oh
jsctions t. the form in which it was sent IN no
To this willingly acqnisccd, because nnd.r.
stood him TO be a friend "f the BILL and | was
anxious to harmonize with him, cxpec,in, "a
he had dotted every a. and crossed every 90,
in it, that we should have his powerful aid in
carrying the bill through the Senate. Judge,
,hen, SIR, what was my surprise and regret when
ne moved his 'omnibus amendment to the
iowa oil, part and parcel Of his own work;
ana 'nat, too, after sitting in his seat and allow
ing Dili precisely similar IN all it's features to
De passed without its ever having been examin-
"a or reported upon by any committee, as an
act OF courtesy to retiring Senator, mir.
roote,J BOW ID" longer member of this body.
MT Underwood When that Mississippi
bill passed had not my amendment prenared.
had n It then made the calculations u,on wt;cI,
my amendment is based. | wanted ,o make
the distribution according to the federal popul.1
ton OF the d ,ferent States. had not. at that
time, prepared it | have already stated that II
was my intention to support these bills. have
done 50 in committee. But the other day. after
hearing the speech Of my friend from Georgia,
MIR. Dawson l minated that perhaps I had
gone too far in pedgng myself To support these
measures, if the old States were excluded l
would further say, that have not yet fully
made up my mind how shall vote, and cannot
do $" until see how this amendment of mine
Is disposed of. make this statement now, to
show that had no partality in favor Of one
Dill over the other. | did not care whether my
amendment was offered to the Mississippi bill
or The Iowa bill have regarded them all in
the same favorable aspect; but still want my
anne ndment attached to some of them and /
can assure my friend that it was no motive of
par'iality which induced me 10 act "a | have
done
Mr. Dodge, of Iowa | did not intend to
charge the senator with any designed partiality;
but | do intend to charge HIM, face to face, with
having most extraordinary manner of mani
Testing his friendship for this measure. He has
declared in emphatic language, and upon sever
al occasions, that he Is friend to this bill and
would vote for it. From such friends as the
senator from Kentucky has shown himself to
be, God save the BILL and we will endeavor to
guard it against its enemies.
tnr. Underwood do not know but that
will take the senator at his word
Mr.. Dodge have no doubt that the sena-
tor will take me at my word | had no doubt of
that some tine ago; and certainly if had had
any doubts, t:'s congratulations which he offer.
ed to the sc,ator from Georgia mr. Dawsonl
on the dalribe which he delivered against
the new State would have removed them all.
| am constrained to say something of the
evils and unfairness OF killing a measure by
amendments. They are familiar to every one
acquainted with legislative proceedings, and we
were recently entertained, il not instructed, by
most able dissertation on that subject between
the late senator from Missouri MIR Benton1
and the senator from Kentucky, [Mr. Clayl
Mr.. President, internal improvements, ;State
rights, tariff, distribution, ana almost every other
topic OF interest, have been discussed in con-
nexlon with this Iowa land bill, especially by
the s'ntors from Tennessee and Virginia.
Messrs. Bell and Hunter ] do not propose
t" follow the learned senator's in the wide range
of their remarks upon these topics but wish.
by reference to one subject which they have
introduced, to prove, if can, the unfairness
and nJnstceof lacking on amendments to bills
deemed to be proper in themselves.
The senator from Kentucky and myself hail
from the West, and both are understood to be
friendly t. appropriations for western rivers
For my self can speak and solemnly declare
that am determined. in my votes and in nv
action here, to make this government treat our
western waters as it has treated and does treat
the eastern waters The measure which above
all others wish to be instrumental in accom-.
plishing is the Improvement of the navigation
of the Upper Mississippi am not only will.
ing to vote liberal appropriations for that great
river, but also for such harbors on the lakes as
are necessary to protect human life and the com.
merce of the country
But what, ask, has been the greatest object.
ion TO river and harbor bills What is IL that
has caused opposition SO determined and deadly
to them? Does not every member of this
body know that it is mainly on account of the
'somnibus' character of the bills making ap-
preparations for these Objects
Sir, it is So You begin with proper and
strong bill, but amendment after amendment is
made to it, until that which had strength, and
would have passed on lis merits by large ma.
jority, a is crushed beneath the weights piled
upon it.
The application of these remarks is, that the
senator from Kentucky, himself member of
the Committee on Public Lands, with a bill be-
fore us, the work of himself and associates,
rises and offers an amendment to embrace
seventeen additional States, and appropriating
nearly ten times as much more land as was
proposed in the original bill ; an amendment
which, if adopted, will effect radical and fun.
damenta' change in our land sys'em-a change
which, in my humble judgement, is contrary to
the spirit and genius four institutions, because
it introduces State sovereignty within an
other; measure which is 10 90 on accumula-
ting evils, cd infnitum, and which assert, from
my poor knowledge of our land system, is one
of the most lkdigested propositions which has
ever been submitted to the Senate in connexion
with that system; submitted, too, without
having been referred to or considered by a COM
mttee.
Sir, for some reasons given have averred
that the amendment is an extraordinary and ill.,
digested one; | wish to add that, in my poor
judgment, one of the most deadly, hostile char
ac'er 10 the region of country from which hail.
This do not say in any spirit of resentment
towards the senator from Kentucky for having
interposed obstacles to the passage Of a bill
which my State has been so long and anxiously
expecting. He is descendant Of that illustri-
ons man, George Rogers Clarke, who, with
few destitute and worn out soldiers, conquered
the Northwest, and planted the victorious ban
ner Of Virginia on the banks of the then dis
tant Mississippi winning. by his genius and
valor, for himself the s0ubriguet of the Hanni-
bal of the West, and for his native State an
empire. But, strange to say, the senator from
Kentucky has been uniform and consistent in
his hostility to those who have performed the
great work of settling and subduing the vast
wilderness region which his ancestor brought
under dominion. In that dearest and most
vital Of all human considerations, the procure
ment of homestead, the senator has ever been
their indefatigable and untiring foe. I have
said that my State was born ont Of that Indian
war known as the ssBlack Hawk war" 1t was
settled without law, and against law; as the
Boones, and Ken:ons, and others had settled
Kentucky; as the SEWERS and others, who
crossed the mountain barriers of North Carroll
ma, and descended INTO the valley of the Cum
berland, established their future homes, while
threatened with State and federal halters and
one Of them, John Sewer, was arreigned and
tried for treason against the laws Of North Car
Dina During all the time that the senator has
held seat in Congress, and whenever any of
those measures were depending in which we
felt the deepest interest, We have found him
opposed TO us.
Mr. Underwood. Will the gentleman be
kind enough to point out the particular meas
ures to which he refers, in reference to my past
course? ~
TO BE CONTINUED. r