The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1852-03-19
FROM WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, March 8.

i
WASHINGTON, March 8.
For some time past, the House and Senate
have been occupied in part by discussions of
the various projects in relation TO the public
lands, First, we have thirty-one projects for
the grant of public lands to the States in
which they lie, for internal improvements.
These are the new State projects the object
of which is to cngross for the new States the
exclusive benefit of the public domain. The
arguments in their favor are, that the COM
mercial and moral Improvement of the new
States will, in the end, aid the public revenue,
increase the population and strength of the
country, and give the old States employment
as the carriers of their produce and rs manu-
facturers of many of the articles of their con-
sumption.
The old State projects for the disposition
of the public lands are also under discussion
in one form and another. These projects are
also numerous and important. First, is Mr..
Undcrwoods, for a distribution among the old
States of large portion Of the surveyed
lands, in acres, not in proceeds of sale, for
their use. Next is the general bill granting
to each State lands for the support Of insane
asylums. Then comes Mr.. Andrew John
sons important bill for granting $50 acres of
land to every head of family in the United
States, upon condition ofoccupation. Another
project, which will distribute lands among the
inhabitants of the old States, is one to grant
l6O acres of land to all the soldiers of the
war of 1912, to whom, by the existing act,
only forty or eighty acres were granted.
As the Missouri land bill has been defeated
in the House. there will be little chance for
the other thirty new State projects, and it is
evident that the old State party has MAORI
| ty in the House. How it will be in the Senate
we cannot tell until Mr.. Undcrwoods amend
ment to the Iowa bill, by which he distributes
land among all the old States, shall be voted
on. There has been some talk of Il compro-
mise between the old State and the new State
parties, by which the measures of both will
be adopted
WASHINGTON, March IL.
The Committee on the Judiciary of the
Senate have reported bill directing the ap-
portionment of representatives,, under the
seventh census, to be made at once, by the
Secretary of the Interior, and assuming the
population of California to have been $4,000
at the time when the census was taken. This
gives California but one representative, and
leaves for South Carolina the benefit of her
fraction of $1,000, giving her six representa-
tives, as at present; Whereas she would have
been entitled to but five, had California been
allowed two. But minority of the Com
mittee, dissenting from the report, consider
that California was entitled by her population
to two representatives They estimate her
present population at 100000, and at the time
| when the census was taken at near 100000
But as there is doubt about the matter, they
concede a representative to South C"~oina
for her fraction, and allow two reprec @.tatives
| to California, proposing TO amend the censns
act so as to fix the whole number of repre-
sentatves at 234, instead of 233.
The Committee also report that, according
to the Constitution and laws, the Presidential
election must take place under the new ap-
pOrtionmcnt and that no further legislation
is necessary on that subject.
Thus is decided a question which, plain as
it is, seems to have puzzled Congress and the
press for a long time. The report of the
Committee fully confirms the views which l
gave you year ago, when the question was
first mootcd.
! The next Congress must be elected under
the new apportionment, and the States which
gain or lose a representative must in due time
be distrctcd accordingly. The number of
electoral votes of each State for President
and Vice President must be equal to the
number of senators and representatives to
which it is entitled in the Congress whose
| legal existence commences on the 4th March,
1853,
IL VIII happen, tncIcioTe, tidb "ni'c 'Ho
election of President is governed by the new
apportionment, the Congress which is to
make the choice of President, should the
election fail before the people, is elected under
another apportionment. But the same thing
happened in 1893, in 1918 and 1S33.-Cor.
Char. COur.
THINKING OF THOSE AT HoaE.-In looking
over a long list of drafts from Sacramento
city, advices of which were received by the
last California mail, the editor of the New
York Journal of Commerce was struck with
large number made payable to females.
Out of one list of ninety-four names, thirty
four were of the class noticed; and no doubt
many of the rest made payable TO the other
sex were intended likewise for women. This
shows that fathers, husbands, and brothers,
| Al