Washington sentinel., 1854-04-05

/ IerTcu 10 Inc Somnlltlee on fost OnceS ana Post
Roads.
4 And then, on motion by Mr. MASON,
The Senate proceeded TO the consideration of
executive business, and afterwards
Adjourned. .~.
House of Representatives.
/ Mr.. COBB moved that the special order, the
bill TO graduate and reduce the price Of the public
lands, be postponed until this day one week and
| the motion was agreed TO.
| PUBLIC LANDS.
Mr.. BENNETT, from the Committee on Public
| Lands, reported bill 10 equalize the grants Of
land TO the several States for certain public pur
poses. He stated that, though the majority directed
the bill 10 be reported, they were not in favor Of
| its passage. They were, however, willing that
the sense of the House should be taken upon the
subject. The minority recommended the passage
/ of the bill.
| Mr.. JONES, Of Tennessee, rose TO question
OF order; that this was not the bill which had been
referred by the House TO the committee and he
submitted 10 the Chair whether they had a right
| 10 report back substitute for 1t.
| Mr.. BENNETT replied that the committee had
| made single amendment TO the original BILL
He, however, had the original bill in his pos
| session. .G -...
| The SPEAKER said that the gentleman might
report, by order of the committee, an amendment
TO substitute for the original bill but the
gentleman could not do that, and yet retain The
! Mr.. BENNETT remarked, the majority Of the
committee recommended an alteration, but did
not mean 10 commit themselves in the aggregate
TO any particular bill. He then sent to the Clerks
| table the original bill
! Mr.. JONES, of Tennessee, inquired whether
| the gentleman had the authority 10 report it?
Mr.. BENNETT replied he had, but that the
majority of the committee preferred the bill as
| amended He then proceeded TO explain its pro-
Visions saying the public lands belong to all States
/ Iircha Sa1 f,r fba ban IF llnf
| them. If you give lands 10 Illinois, there was no
/ reason for Withholding them from Iowa; if to
Missouri, why not 10 Illinois He was for doing
| justice 10 the old States, as well TO the new.
If you give lands only 10 the land States, you will
soon exhaust the lands. There should be some
! principle of equality and justice, and the old
States should have their share in the least objec
tionable form. Instead OF giving lands, as in the
former bill introduced by him, TO the old States in
| the proportion of one hundred and fifty thousand
acres TO the federal representation, this bill pro-
posed 10 grant land-warrants TO the States, which
they might sell out as they pleased. He moved
TO recommit the bill, with view, as he said, 10
| keep 1t from going to the table.
| NEBRASKA.
The House resolved itself into Committee of
| the Whole on the state of the Union, Mr. ORR in
| the chair, and took up the bill making appropra-
lions for the civil and diplomatic expenses Of the
| government for the year ending June 80, 1855.
| Mr.. CLlNGMAN said that in former Con-
4 STeSS, Wnlle Dill 10 organize territorial
ment for Nebraska was under consideration, he
offered an amendment relative 10 the Indian tribes;
and in the bill which had been sent 10 the House
from the Senate there is provision in the identi-
| cal words at that time used by him. From the
very fact that more than two-thirds of that Con-
gress thought territorial organization necessary,
| was suftcient argument in point noW- He
should vote for the Senate bill, with the CLAYTON
amendment stricken out Of ii; not because il was
wrong, but because it would lead to no practical
| tlfs md ,I,, ID
gers amendment he conceived, does not change
the character Of the bill As il stands il does
not prohibit the people from legslang as the Con-
sttulion permits II does not say there shall be no
law on the subject of slavery, but merely says that
there shall be revived no law prohibiting or estab-
fishing it, The bill leaves the territory as though
/ there were no law whatever upon the subject.
| This is the best species Of non-ntervention. We
say that the people of the Territories maylegislate
as the Constitution permits, without the interven-
ton of Congress, or the French Mexican, or In
| dian law. Therefore, il was better bill than the
| bills for the establishment of territorial govern
| ments for New Mexico and Utah in 1850 because
those bills left the Mexican law in force II was
! better than the Clayton compromise, because the
| latter lett the Mexican law in force.
In 1850 certain persons professed 10 be for non-
| intervention, when they were not for il. The
! true friends who sustained General Cass were no
| doubt willing to carry it out. The main opposi-
ton arose from another quarter, and the question
| was fought under a sort of mask. He then pro-
| ceeded TO unmask the character of the opposition
Every member of the old whig party from the free
! States, he said was opposed TO this blk He un-
| derstood those gentlemen making earnest ap-
peas to certain southern wings not TO press the
| question and break up the party but these ap-
| peas were not made TO him, because, for the last
four years, he had regarded himself as disconnect-
| ed from those gentlemen in party organization
| He pretty much against all such organfza.
| tions, and was rather independent.
He then proceeded 10 show how things stand
| giving history of the northern wings from 1916
| when the Wilmot proviso was brought forward
and when they all voted for it, saying they claimed
merely TO make use oft TO stop the Mexican war
| and break down the democratic party in New
| York and in Wilmot's district The war having
terminated, the first attempt made TO settle the
| questions which had risen was by the Clayton
| compromise That, however. was not satisfactory
! TO southern gentlemen; but il is a singular fact
| that every northern whig vehementy opposed it,
| The northern wings beat down Cass and the dem
ocrats everywhere. Iftheir policy had been car
| ried out in practice, this government would moi
now be in existence. The men who were pledged
TO that policy begged others TO keep il away
Alter the death OF General Taylor, Mr.. Fillmore
succeeded him in favor of more liberal policy
and hence a better state of affairs
/ After further remarks he, said thai in The last
| presidential elections the wings obtained in the
| north only the States Of Massachusetts and Yer
mont, aud were worse beaten than they had been
| at any time during the ten preceding years This
ho ieeaiaeu as an eViuence OF the progress OF
equity--that the south shall have an equal partic
patton with the north in government in spite OF
the wings He remembered very well that during
the agitation Of 1850, the National I,teHipeucsT
never came out for the Missouri compromise line
as now, while the south were struggling for il
nor did il advocate equal rights. He never al
tributed TO " love OF liberty; on the contrary in
every struggle between liberty and despotsnl. il
takes the side OF despotism. In every struggle
between the United States and foreign countries,
II takes the side of despoiism on the ground, he
supposed, tlat the United States, being the frees
country on earth, is always in the wrong.
Towards the conclusion Of his remarks he said |
because the clergymen Of New England have de.
serted their holy calling the people were becoming
inhdels, and he should not be surprised if mis-. |
sionarles were 10 be sent among them.
| Mr. WRIGHT, of PENNSYLVANIA, said he had |
i made his n 11iel llar MI.