The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-01-22
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WEDNESDAY,, January 81, 1852.

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WEDNESDAY,, January 81, 1859.
BOUNTY LAND BILL.
The first business before the House " ! ne bill
authorizing the assignment Of bounty land war
rants.
MIR. FIrcH, of Indiana who had the floor, took
exception TO various clauses of the bill. With
reference to the first section, he said he considered
It highly Objectionable, and he considered its pas
sage unnecessary, as a similar bill had already
passed, and was before the other branch of the
legislature, and by which bounty land warrants
would be made assignable. The second section,
which he considered the most important of the
bill, provides compensation to CERTAIN extent, to
those officers in the land offices, who make the
locations, and who, it was admitted, had done du-
~ for which they had not been remunerated, and
whose demand for pronunciation woud;properly
come up in the nature ofprivate claims The sum
Of fifty cents, which the bill provides for register
ing each warrant, he considered as totally made
quate The fourth section, he said has another
Objectionable provision, and which he considered
as the worst feature in the bill. On referring to
the bill of l650,it would be foundthat persons who
have been wounded, and have been discharged in
consequence of Wounds shall receive in full in the
same manner, as If they had served their time out
The present bill, however, limits the time of SER
vice to the period at which they were discharged;
thus cutting off meritorious class OF volunteers,
who had been wounded in the service of heir coun
try. He also objected to the sixth section,
which authorizes the location under bounty
land warrants, on all lands which are subject to
the right OF private entry, on the ground that it
other objections to the bill, but as they probably,
in some cases, arose from misprint, he should
not, he said, detain the committee.
Mr.. CLARKE, of Iowa, was opposed to the
bill, because 1t would operate injuriously on the
citizens of the State which he represents. The
first section, to which reference had been made,
provides thlrty-one different modes OF locating
land warrants, which would materially affect
their marketable value; it being impossible for a
purchaser to ascertain what was the law in the
State IN which the land might be selected. An
amendment had been submitted by the chairman of
the select committee authorizing the Secretary of
the Interior to prescribe one uniform rule Of which
he highly approved With reference to the mad
equacy OF the remuneration which is proposed in
the bill, to officers in the land Office he perfectly
conceded with the last speaker; many of whom
had not received compensation for the services
they had performed; and which is not provided
for in the act of 1850. He approved or the third
section winch provides for the location OF lands
subject TO private entry, as being good one.
Mr.. COBB, of Alabama, CONSIDERED that the
Secretary of the Interior had misconstrued the
law, by prohibiting the transfer of bounty land
warrants; and as the sense OF Congress had been
ascertaned upon the subject he trusted III would
be no recurrence of such misconcepton. and was
glad to learn from the chairman of the select com.
mlttss, the third section of the bill weSh remedy
the difficulty as it was a subject in 4ch he had
always taken great interest.
MIR. CLARK, in reply to some remarks Of Mr..
Tuck, ofNew Hampshire, on a former dav. said
that ninety-nine hundredths of the settlers OF
Northern Iowa were those who have actually pur-
chased lands; and was proceeding to make some
furtner remarks, when the morning hour having
| eynIred Mr. Ra 81
ton OF the SPEAKER to the fact; and the business
on the Speakers table was taken up.
MEXICAN INDEMNITY BILL.
The House having resolved itself into Com
mttee of the Whole on the State Of the Union; on
motion of Mr.. BArLr, the bill was taken up pro
yldIng for the payment of the Mexican indie unity
due in Nav next
Mr.. BAYLY, of Virginia, said after the action
that had taken place in previo House, when
the bill passed by majority of S6 . %, after a
full discussion, he did not expect That bill of
similar nature, which had been reported by a Sc
lect committee during the present session, would
meet with the opposition that had been offered
He then recapituated what had taken plsce, with
reference to paying the different instruments an.
der the treaty Of Hidalgo; the negotiations subse-
quently effected with British bankers, and also
through Corcoran e. Riggs,in which he contended
that Mr.. Webster had made an agreement not
only advantageous TO Mexico, but also 10 the
United States and concluded speech of an
hours duration, with a personal attack on Duff
Green.
Mr.. GREY, Of Kentucky, referred to a Letter
from Mr. Green, that had appeared in the Balt
more Sun, which was read at the Clerk 8 desk, in
relation TO the action Of Benjamin z. Green, in
which Mr.. BArLY said th@e was not word o
truth. BY this time, members were crowdine
round the speakers, and il was difficult to ascer
tain what was going on between the parties.
AT length Mr.. JOHNSON, of Tennessee, OBJ
tained the floor, who considered the attack on ar
individual who was not represented in the House
as being unstatesmanlike and improper. With tn,
controversy between the member Of Virginia anC
Mr.. Green, he had nothing TO do. But he called
the attention Of members TO the fact, that Will
under General Taylor's administration, there wa
a desire to avoid all respons bity on the subjec
Of the Mexican Indemnity; since then, there wa
an evident desire to have the management Of tn
transaction. He said he felt that there was
great principle involved in the bill.--Under TIM
Constitution, no money could be appropriated ant
paid out Of the treasury, without the sanction o
the House and members owed il to themselves
their constituents and the country, 10 provide IL
the bill how the Mexican Indemnity shonld b,
paid.
The House then resumed, without coming Ia
any decision; when
Mr.. HOUSTON gave notice Of motion "a
terminate the debate till tomorrow at o'clock.
The House then adjourned,
SCARCITY OF VEeETABLEs.--The Leonard