Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-02-25

red to the Committee Commerce and ordered - -
printed. =
i Also, communication from the same I,snar,n....
transmitting statement showing what contracts have
been made under the authority Of that Department dur
ing the 1853 Laid the table and ordered to be
printed
f Also, communication from the Navy Department.
transmitting for the use of the House. three hundred
copies of the Navy Register for the year 1854 Laid
the table and ordered to be printed.
PRIVATE BILLS
This being private bill day. the following bills of the
were taken from the Speakers table, twice.
and appropriately referred:
bill for the relief Of the heirat-law of Lieut. c. A.
II Wcklfe.
bill for the benefit Of citizens and occupants of the
town of Council Bluffs, in Iowa.
bill for the relief Of Passed Midshpmen George P.
a Welsh and Clark H. Wells
bill TO renqush the reversonary interest of the Uni
ted States TO certain reservation therein mentioned and
to confirm the title of Charles G. Gunter thereto
bill for the relief of Joseph Campan.
i bill for the relief of John P McEdery
II bill for the relief of John Deylin.
PUBLIC LANDS
4 Mr. DISNEY from the Committee on Public Lands
made adverse reports the petitions of Christopher
Thompson and others for relief in the matter of certain
locations Of land in Oregon and also upon the petition of
y. A. Lapham for compensation for services
1 Messrs Foster and Whitney.
Also, from the committee to which was referred
mouse OIL conhrmatory OF certain school selections re-
ported the same back with the recommendation that
/ pass.
Mr. D. explained that the object of the bill was to Sc
cure 10 certain States land in lieu of the 18th school Sec
tons OF which they had been deprived by various
There were altogether sixteen twenty Of these cases
and this bill was to provide remedy The whole amount
OF land involved would not exceed two thousand acres
and he had been instructed by the Committee on the
Public Lands to move to put the bill upon its passage
Mr.. LETCHER said that the Committee on the Public
Lands were now pursuing precisely the policy they
at the rst session of the last Congress which
then damned the business of the House and
the other committees from making their reports He
trusted the House would not tolerate such proceeding
now nor give the reports from the Committee on the
uohc Lands preference the reports of the other
committees He moved that the bill be referred to the
Committee of the Whole the of the Union where
all could have an opportunity of examining provisions
Dir DEAN said that he understood that the bill only
involved some two thousand acres of land which were to
be given to the States exclusively for school
but STILL as the Committee the Public Lands had here
Deen the means Of retarding the business of the
House, he thought that in defence this bill should be
referred to the Committee Of the Whole
MT. DISNEY said that the gentleman from Virginia
mad asked the House not to tolerate this kind Of pro-
ceedng on the part OF the Committee the Public Lands
was the attention to business the part of that commit
tee 80 utterly in violation of the general usage of the
house and SO great departure from the gentlemans
own practice that he must object to the re pors hv
that committee in obedience to the orders and
Of the House, Was the furnished by the atten
ton to business Of this committee which pnched the
toes OF the gentleman?
The gentleman from New York MIR DEAN had taken |
up the song and re-echoed the strain He had talked
about no business being done because the Committee on
the Public Lands had occupied the attention of the House.
what did the gentleman call business? discussion be-
tween the lizards" and Softs of New York Was that
business! The Committee the Public Lands had en-
deavored and would continue endeavor nreigently
10 discharge the duties entrusted to them.
The facts in the before the House were few and
simple How long did it take the gentleman from Vir
gina 10 understand plain matter! What time did he
ask Tor consideration Was there fact simple enough
Tor the gentlemans comprehension without having it
postponed for weeks and months for his investigation?
lie repeated the bill only related fractional townships
and involved but two thousand of land If it should
not be passed the costs of litigation would to more
than all the land was worth.
Mr.. LETCHER replied to Mr.. DISNEY. He took it for
granted that his attention to business in the House and
upon the committees Of which he was member would
compare very favoraby to say the least Of it. with that
the gentleman from Ohio, and he believed that such
would be the judgment Of the House He would refer TO
the matter as it occurred at the first session of the last
congress- to see whether the Committee Public Lands
were really entitled to all the compliments that the gentle
man had bestowed them The House had been
LOT months In considering matters of this Sort and now
as then at the latter end of February this committee
we're reporting bills with view to urge them upon the
consideration of the House the moment they were pre-
before there had been any opportunity to have
them printed to examine them, become familiar with
the principles they involved Why were not these hills
In before Why had these reports been pre-
sented and placed upon the calendar as other reports
mad been the House would go back to the first SEES
sion OF the last Congress they would find that the
now pursued was precisely similar to the one then car
red out and which resulted in the passage Of the Ar
kansas and Missouri bills If this course was to be car
red out where would it end? Yesterday the gentleman
from Ohio reported bill donating lands to the State of
Wisconsin for railroad purposes, and moved its immed
ate consideration. The whole morning was spent in s
discussion and now laid until Tuesday when it
would no doubt be further discussed To day. the same
gentleman came forward with the bill now before the
House, and hour had already been consumed in its
consideration. BY the time the gentleman from Ohio
should finish his reports, the gentleman from Alabama
{ Mr. CoBB,) who was prolific, would come in with an
armfu OF similar measures and thus morning after morn
would be CONSUMED to the exclusion of all other business
Mr. COBB said that if the gentleman would examine
the calendar he would find that more bills had been re-
ported from the Committee Public Lands than from
any other committee of the House.
Mr. LETCHER said that inquiry he found that there
were one hundred and applications for grants of
land for railroad purposes the docket Suppose one
OF tnese os should come in every morning in the name
VI 1ou When would this matter ever end liz
Voices {" Never" never" !
Mr.. HEM explained that q great many of the apnli
cations to which the gentleman had alluded were for the
same road He himself had presented twenty for one
road ~ q
Mr. LEICHER, resuming, urged that all the commit
tees should be placed upon equal footing and con-
cusion demanded the previous question which was Sc
,onded and under its operation the bill was referred to
the Committee of the Whole the state Of the Union
PRIVATE CALENDAR Y
The House then into Committee of the Whole mr.
of Pennsylvania in the chair and pro-
seeded to consider the private calendar.
Inc Following bills, to which objection was made
we're laid aside tobe reported House. with the re-
concentration that they pass:
senate bill for the relief Of Allen G. Johnson