New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-07-28
NUMBER l24

tle price OF the puDllc land5, Win tHe III IZ1tlOf
the States to take it at any time, upon paying
therefor the graduated price. He debated it at
length.
At 6 o'clock, Mr.. Clayton appealed to the
Senate to adjourn. He said the passage Of the
bill Tonight would be victory Of physical en-
durance, but not one Of reason. He would be
willing to vote on it tomorrow. II the oppo-
nents Of the bill withdrew, there would be no
quorum.
Mr.. Badger proposed the Senate should vote
on the pending amendments, and report the bill
to the Senate and adjourn. \
Mr.. Bright said he would agree if the bill was
ordered to be engrossed to night. There was q
quorum of the Senatsin favor of the bill.
Mr. Clayton. object to that That would
cut off all further propositions to amend
Mr.. Bright. That is just what We want
to do.
Mr.. Jones said he had little sympathy for the
enemies of the Homestead He would not leave
if the thermometer was few degrees higher
He was honestly in favor of the Homestead, and
they had warrsd on that bill until they had de-
stroyed it, and called into existence the bill Of
the Senator from Virginia This last bill was.
the very worst one that could be devised, yet it
was to be passed There was fixed majority
of the Senate in its favor. The opponents of the
Homestead should therefore die gracefully and
let the bill pass tonight; why prolong the
suffering another day, 1t was too late to cry
out for adjournment and complain of the war
| fare. He advised them to die at once manfnlly
| at their posts The fact of Mr.. Hunters bill
passing was registered decree.
Mr.. Dawson opposed the substitute. He said
| it transferred the whole power over the public
| lands from Congress to the States.
| Mr.. Butler said the objection almost recon-
| cilliated him to the measure. s a.
| Mr.. Brown followed, saying he had great
doubts as to the propriety Of the measure, but
hoping it would turn out well he would vote
for it.
Mr.. Butler moved for an adjournment. Lost.
4 Yeas 13, Nays 27.
| Mr. Toombs said that for some time the ten
dency had been to give away the public lands,
He regarded it as well established fact, that
! Congress was the very worst trustee in whose
| hands could be placed the administration of the
public land. He was for the substitute.
Mr. Pratt replied.
| Mr. Bayards amendment was then rejected
| Yeas4, Nays SO.
Mr. Sebastian offered two amendments, one
reserving the indian lands, and the other ex-
tending the bill to prevent presumption settlers.
Both agreed to. ~
Mr. Chase moved to add to the bill that when
ever unsold public lands in any State shall be
reduced below three hundred thousand acres,
/ they shall be ceded absolutely to such State.
Rejected yeas 8, nays 81.
Mr. BENJAMIN moved to amend the ninth Sec
ton by striking out the words fixing the price
4 of land to actual settlers at % cents an acre,
or if lands have been in market 20 years, at 12l
cents, and insert at the graduated price fixed
by the first section of the bill. After debate
this was rejected. Yeas 8. nays 20.
Mr.. Bayard moved to strike out the SAINT
words and insert one cent. He said 25 cents al
acre was a sham consideration. He would
make it purely formal. Hesaid the determine
tion to pass this almost unheard of bill of thu
Senator from Virginia looked like as if tht
measures of legislation were arranged outside
of the Senate, and that it was to be forced
through here by some combination to cut off all
amendment and discussion. 1t looked as if al
legislation was not to be agreed upon after dis
cussion in the Senate, but in caucus and out
side, with the view, perhaps, of promoting th
) interests of some presidential aspirants.
Nv. Dodge, of Iowa, called the Senator t
} order.
II Mr.. Bayard submitted to the Chair whethe
he was in order or not.
, The Chairman, Mr.. Stuart, said the Senate
was not in order ~.-'
Mr.. Bayard appealed. The reading of tn
rule requiring that the words be reduced
writing, was had.
Mr.. Clayton to the Chair. What right ha
you to decide my colleague out of order befor
the words were written down.
| MT. AUCl1S0l. call U0e EeuttOE 1TUHl DeId
} ware to order.
The Chair decided that the Senator frol
Delaware having waived the right to have th
words reduced to writing, he could not no
= | insist upon them.
Mr.. Dodge Withdrew his objections to th
Senator's proceeding.
Mr.. Bsyard resumed and finished his II
| marks
e Mr.. Gwin denied that there had been IN
G 4 lad
Mr.. Bayard said he had heard it rumored.
Mr.. Bright said meeting had been he
some time since by the friends of the House bi
= | to know when to take tup.
: Mr.. Houston thought it did not seem qui
consistent for the Senator to complain of
| caucus after the active part which rum
: assigned to the gentleman in the caucusse {
e the Nebraska bill. If caucuses strike bio
- at the liberty of discussion he thought that
! | the Nebraska case the Senator struck th
y liberty s' Billy Patterson lick. Laughter
MIR. Hunter denied that there had been al
e caucus
Mr.. Bayard responded.
/ Mr.. Douglas said that no caucus had be-
held on this bill. The only suspicion of such
/ caucus existed in the brain of the Senator fro
!. Delaware.
n Mr. Bayard's amendment was then rejecte
G Yeas 2, nays 40.
n MIR. Hunter moulne0 MS SUBSTITUTE by e.
d cepting from its operations the lands resery
=, along railroads, and the price of which has be-
i fixed at - SO.
Mr.. Brown moved to fix the price Of these I
q served sections at double the graduated pric
r fixed by the bill.
After a long debate, continuing until half -ps
d 8 o'clock, the amendment was rejected.
Mr.. Chase moved to amend by striking Q
a. the word white in the declaration of perso
r entitled to the benefits Of the act. Lost. Ye
s., nays 33.
be The question was then taken on Mr.. Hunte
p substitute, and agreed to. Yeas 34 nays Is.
r The bill was then reported 10 the Senate, t
,e amendments made in the Committee of t
/, Whole concurred in, and the bill ordered to
l. engrossed for a third reading.
Ill The Senate then adjourned at o'clock.
Mr. Hunters bill was published in the Uni
lie some day ago. The following areits Homeste
3 provisions:
w SEC. 8. That any free white person, who is
( the head of family, who has arrived at
age of twenty -one years, and is capable of hol
ID ing lands under the laws of the State in viii
:, the lands lie, shall, from and after the passa
of this act, be entitled to enter one quarter S,
co tion of vacant and unappropriated public Ian
II and no more, which may. at the time the apr
i. cation is made, be subject to private entry, o
quantity equal thereto, to be located in boz
n. in conforming with the legal subdivisions of
public lands,
n .aG -. I.