New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-03-14
WASHINGTON, March Z. 1854.

WASHINGTON, March I. 1854
The Senate did not sit yesterday (Nonday)
nor were all the members in their places
to-day. not having fully recovered, perhaps,
from the Nebraska night-work.
A few bills were passed to-day and among
them one. reported by Mr. Dawson, for the re
lief of the West Feliciana Railroad and Georgia
Railroad and Banking Company. This bill
directs the return of moneys obtained by suit
for duties upon railroad iron.
Mr.. Bsyard, of Delaware, made some resist
ance, for time, to so much of the bill as relates
to the iron lost in the steamer Choctaw on its
way to Bayou Sara, but finally the subject was
explained to him and he withdrew his motion to
amend.
Quite sharp debate was gotten up on the
occasion of receiving and referring the Home
stead bill, which the House passed yesterday.
Mr.. Cass congratulated the Senate and the
country Che has been profuse of congratulations
lately) that the time had at length ceased for
looking to the public lands as source of reve-
nue. In this bill the Government no longer ap.
pears in the odious character of a tax -gatherer,
but, for the first time, in the grateful atti-
tude Of o distributor of bounties.
Mr., johnson, of Arkansas, rejoiced to hear
such language from so distinguished a source,
and denounced the past policy of the Govern
ment in the severest style. He ayerred that his
State was poor, and had been made so by the
action of the Federal Government; although
Arkansas had but little more than 100000 in
habitants, yet she had contributed millions to
the national trsasury-her land had been sold
and the money taken out of the State
MIR. Mason, of Virginia, suggested to Mr.
Cass whether he would not add to this an
nunciation that the Government had ceased to
derive revenue from the public lands, that it
had also ceased TO be purchaser of lands y or
did he mean that we should 60 on buying land
with the money of all the people for the purpose
Of giving it away to a part ef Them
This pertinent question the Senator from
Michigan did not answer, but as he has con-
graduated the Senate upon the triumph of
squatter sovereignty lin the Nebraska billy he
no doubt will find some good reason, when the
bill comes up, for making the squatter an abso-
lutte monarch of all (the government) he sur
Veys. The debate upon the reference of the bill
was sufficiently extended to indicate its passage
by the Senate; and what with this and Miss
Dix's bill the country will no longer be embar-
rasses des richesses in tho matter of and
The House has been occupied to-day, con-
structively, with territorial business but really
in discussing grant of land for railroad in
Minnesota. These railroad grants are the un-
fortunate subjects of private rivalry-at least
this is the fact with regard to the first bills
passed by the Senate-and thus much genera
good is embarrassed by local obstacles adhere
to my opinion, already expressed, that thes.
grants will be very generally made When
left the House, Gerrit Smith, of New York, wa
upon the floor. This gentleman contends tha
the land belongs to the landless, not to the Gov
ernment; but if it did belong to the latter the,
might as we'll build school-houses and black
| smith shops as railroads. CHR6NICLER.