The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-15

| From the C0n1reSSt0n1t USoOe w 8so s"o
inal proceedings in 10 House on the home.
stead bill:
The question then required upon the motion
of Mr.. MASON, that the committee rise and re-
port the BILL and it was agreed to.
/ The committee accordingly rose, and the
Speaker having resumed the chair, the chairman
mr. HIBBARpl reported that the Committee OF
the Whole on the state OF the Union had, &C.
cordinQ to order, had under consideration the
state Of the Union generally, and particularly
House bill No 7, being a bill to encourage agri-
culture, commerce, &C.. and had directed him to
report the said bill, with an amendment, to the
House.
Mr. JOHNSON, of Tennessee. | have an
amendment which wish to offer in lieu OF the
amendment adopted by the Committee OF the
Whole on the state of the Union. will send
it to the Clerks desk to be read, and upon it |
ask for the previous question.
That any person who is the head OF family,
and citizen of the United States, or any person
who is the head of family, and had become a
citizen prior to the first day of January, eighteen
hundred and ffty-two, as required by the natu-
ralization laws of the United States, shall, from
and after the passage of this act, be entitled to
enter, free Of cost, quarter section OF vacant
and Incorporated lands, or u quantity equal
| IT, ,eto, to be located in body in conformity
win the legal subdivisions of the public lands,
and after the same shall have been surveyed.
SEC. 9. And be il further enacted That the
person applying for the benefit of thil act shall,
upon application to the register of the land
| office in which he or she is about to make such
entry, make affidavit before the said register,
that he or she is the head of family, and is not
| the owner of any estate in land, at the time of
such application, and has not disposed of any
estate in land, to obtain the benefits of this act ;
| and upon making the affidavit as above required
and filing the affidavit with the register, he or
she shall thereupon be permitted to enter the
quantity of land already specified Propided
ho,oerer, That no certificate shall be given or
patent issued therefor until the expiration of
| five years from the date of such entry; and it,
at the expiration of such time, the person making
such entry, or if he be dead, his widow, or in
case of her death, his heirs or devisee or in case
of widow making such entry, her heirs or de-
visee in case Of her death, shall prove by two
credible witnesses, that he, she, or they have
continued to reside upon and cultivate said land,
and still reside upon the same aud have not
alienal ed the same, or any part thereof, then in
such case, he she, or they shall be- entitled to
patent as in other cases provided for by law:
And, provided further, In case Of the death of
both father and mother, leaving an infant child
or children, under fourteen years Of age, the
right and the fee shall inure to the benefit of
said infant child or children, and the executor,
ad Illustrator, or guardian may at any time
within two years after the death of the surviving
parent, sell said land for the benefit of said in
fants, but for no other purpose, and the pur-
chaser shall acquire the absolute title by the
purchase, and DO entitled to patent from the
United States.
Sec. 3. And be il further enacted That the
register of the land office shall note all such ap-
plications on the tract books end plats of his
office, and keep register of all such entries,
and make return thereof to the General Land
Office, together with the proof upon which they
have been founded.
land acquired under the provisions of this act
ton of any debt or debts contracted prior to the
is9ung the patent therefor.
Sec. 5. And be IL further endcted, That if, at
any time after filing the affidavit. as required in
the second section of this act, and before the
expiration Of the five years aforesaid, it shall be
proven by two or more respectable witnesses
upon oath to the satisfaction of the register Of
the land Office, that the person having filed such
affidavit shall have actually changed his or her
residence or abandoned the said entry for more
than six months at any one time, then and in
that event the land so entered shall revert back
70 the government, and be disposed of as other
| public lands are now by law.
SEC And be IL further enacted, That If
any individual now resident of any one of the
States or Territories, and not citizen Of the
| United States, but at the time of making such
application for the benefit of this act, shall have
filed a declaration of intention, as required by
the naturalization laws Of the United States,
and shall become n citizen of the same before
the issuance Of the patent, as made and provided
for in this act, shall be placed upon an equal
footing with the native born citizens of the
United States.
4 SEC. 7. And be IL further enacted, That no in
dividual shall be permitted to make more than
! one entry under the provisions of this act; and
that the commissioners of the general land of
fee is hereby required to prepare and issue such
rules and regulations consistent with this act
as shall be necessary and proper to carry its
provisions into effect; and that the registers and
receivers of the several land offices shall be en-
titled to receive the same compensation for any
! lands patented under the provisions of this act
thai they are now entitled to receive when the
}, same quantity of land is entered with money
to be paid by the party to whom the patent
shall be issued Prorided, h0weper, That al
fpersons entering land under the provisions O
this act, shall, near AS may be practicable, il
making such entries be confined to each alter
nate quarter section, and to land subject to pr
vate entry: And provided further, That no
thing in this act shall be 80 construed as to i'm
q pair or interfere in any manner whatever will
existing presumption rights.
a The previous question was seconded, and thu
main question ordered to be put.
Mr.. BROWN, of Mississippi. Iwish to as
4 certain in what way the gentleman from Ten
n nessee Mr.. JoHssoN offers his amendment
. Is it in lieu of the entire amendment adopted b,
the Committee of the Whole on the state of tn
Union?
Mr.. JOHNSON. offer 1t in lieu Of the en-
tire amendment
n The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Ten
e nessee, Mr. Johnson, proposes to strike on
all of tho amendment adopted by the COMMITTEES
FROM the word "hat" in the first line and inser
what has been read
Mr. BROWN | ask the yeas and nays.
Is Mr. JONES, of Tennessee. ] wish for m,