Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-04-08

certain extent lands for tho benefit Of railroads. bus
while he admitted this he insisted that there should be-
some fairness in the distribution Of the public domain;
that the old States should have their share of it, and
should derive some benefit from its disposition In tho
last Congress he presented bill looking this object
was passed by the House, but not acted upon
the Senate That bill proposed to grant lands to each
of the old States the Of 600 acres for each OF
their Senators and Representatives in Congress- and to
give to the new States equal ts that granted
to Illinois, which received the largest donation made
to any State in the Union The bill he had just reported
contained the same principles 1t proposed to apporon
among the old States, according to their federal repre-
senation, land warrants which be disposed Of
by them to actual settlers the proceeds to the
State instead of to the general Treasury, as they
now do. .I......
The new States had expressed wish to obtain grants
OF land for the construction Of roads, they already had
their school grants and desired the roads specified for
fear the State Legislature would rt the land away by
giving it to each county which would be no practical
advantage to them For this the bill was confined
to the old States leaving separate bills to be brought in
for each of the States, limiting the grant each
State to the amount donated to Illinois.
Mr.. u. then proceeded to show that tho public lands
never have been of the Government,
and never have paid their cost by large amount Be-
fore he concluded the morning hour expired when he
moved to recommt the BILL for the purpose of preventing
it from going to the Speakers table.
CIVIL AND DIPLOMATIC BILL.
On motion, the House then went into Committee Of the
Whole the state of the Unon (Mr ORR, of South Ca
roina in the char) and resumed the consideration Of
the bill making appropriations for the civil and diploma
80, 1856
Mr.. CLINGMAN made an hours speech in support OF
the Nebraska-Kansas bill of the Senate He declared
that he should for the bill, with motion to strike
out the Clayton amendment not that he deemed it wrong
but hecuuec il would lead to practical result and was
inserted by the enemies of the bill purpose Of
barrassng its passage. He did not think the Badger
amendment affected the bill at ALL 1t simply provided
that the people of the Territory should prohibited
by any existing law from egisatng the Constitution
of the United States permitted them to do He denied
that the Missouri compromise advantageous to the
South, declaring that by it the North had obtained FIVE
times much the South lie reviewed the history Of
the compromise of 1885, and in the of his remarks
said that in the last Presidential election the Wings
tanned in the North only the States of Massachusetts, and
Vermont and worse beaten than they had been at
any time during the ten preceding years This he
garded evidence Of the progress Of equtyhat tho
South should have equal participation with the North
in Government, in spite of the Wings. The question
at issue (he said) stands upon the great republican
right Of every community to legsate for itself know
there individuals who deny that 1t is impossible
to conceal the fact that there is large party-I do
not know whether ought to call it party clique
in this country who have denied that right 1t is the
feeling that prompted the old sediton act is the
feeling which has thrown the influence Of certain
men against all popular movements
Mr. WRIGHT of Pennsylvania, also advocated the Ne
bill of the Senate. He could not vote for
it. he said with the Clayton clause in it, but he had the
pledge of the chairman of the Committee on Territories
Mr. RIcEARDsoN that that clause far he was con-
|
the bill, he ready to sustain it by his vote in the
House and before the country because it involved great
an important, and mighty questionable question Of
State rights and popular sovereignty and upon that foun
dation he willing to stand fall He would say in
his place in the American Congress- that he would rather
be stricken down advocate of popular sovereignty
than be again returned to the House for having sustained
position against it. Therefore, far regarded his
return to the House, it matter about which he cared
nothing, and cast it from him as one Of no earthly
Importance at ALL
He then proceeded to show that there had been
inch of territory acquired by this Government but
through the severes opposition he might almost say at
the point of the bayonet that there had been
Territory organized under the Government but what had
met with the strongest opposition in this House, and so
also in regard to States applying for admission into the
Union. Tomorrow Spain to give deed of
sion to the island of Cuba and her Britannia Majesty
similar deed to the Canadas, he believed there would be
party in this House who would agninst accepting
them. He did not know why there should be in this
country respectable party opposed to the acquisitions
Of territory, but that such party existed unde
| niable fact.
He then advocated the repeal Of the Missouri
mise, which he said had remained dead letter
for the last thirty years. and earnestly
spoke in favor of the principle Of popular sovereignty
Mr.. MATTESON followed and spoke in opposition to
the Nebraska Kansas BILL He declared that the feeling
of the North far his knowledge and his let
ters showed, almost Of civil nsurrecon this
suhec and be sincerely deprecated this renewal Of
agitation upon the subject of slavery.
The committee then and the House adjourned.