Washington telegraph., 1855-01-31
IF,ogr the Little ROos Ga-ei:e & Den.ocrat.ii
Protest.

this honorable body. respectfully. but sol
emnIv to place some OF the reasons, by
which they were Influenced. in opposing the
passage Of House bill No, 129. entitled IAN
act to repeal the 14th sec. OF an act entitled
an act 10 provide for the retaining of tie
Swamp and Oyerfowed lands. donated to
this State by the United States, approved
January 6;l. 1851, and for other purposes.
upon the Journal OF the Senate, with the
view and hope that the motives which actu-
ated them nlay al least be kn0gCu By their
fellow-citizens, even should the policy gf
their course be condemned at the bar of
public opinion And, in thus presenting
themselves before the Senate, they desire
to be distinctly understood. as disclaiming
all purpose. on their part. to arraign the ma
jority Of this body who, in the progress of
this bill before this branch of the General
Assembly, saw fit to act counter to the views
of the undersigned; for whilst they are dis
posed to claim for themselves honesty of
purpose, integrity Of motive, and purity of
design, in all of their legislative conduct,
they are equally willing to ascrihe to their
brother Senators, the same high naotires. in
clusion, that whatever Of difference may
have unfortunately existed between them
and the undersigned. upon the important
questions OF p0licy and constitutional Tar
and right involved in this bill, may be
traced to natural causes. resulting from the
moral differences between men, and the pc
cuIiar organization Of the human intellect
that mysterious and inc0mpTehensible prop
erty, in man, which We are taught, Is as va
rient in his species. as is the coaformat o.
of his body. o. the character. marks and
Ineaments Of his features
1t is net our purpose OF intention to dis
cuss the p0yicy of the measures proposed
to be accomplished by the bill in question,
for on this point there Is 10 issue between
the undersigned and the majority; for We
are willing 10 concede, as VIC now do, that
could we c0nscientiOusly have waived or
overcome The constitutional question, which
SO forcibIy and i.reSistibly presented itself
TO cur minds at every sage # the bill. ca'Is-
ing US to resist and oppose It's passage. we
should not and could no. have heSitaied to
have contributed our feeble influence to
promote its passace; fer, We are free TO
admit that should the c]ns:ltutiO1ality OF
the act be sustained by the judicial depart
mcnt of the State. rereHUe Will be added to
the Treasury, which would not have found
its way thither, that, by the act, if constitu-
tiOnal, and In the power Of the Legislature,
to pass it, the necessity for the present on
erous rates OF taxation upon the people, will
be removed. and the the policy OF their re-
duction by the present General Assembly,
be made manifest; provided the present
minimum valuation upon lands be retained!
IN the revenue act now IN force for, in this
way, some eight millions Of dollars in lands,
will be added to the taxable property Of the
State, making the amount Of revenue to be
derived from this source alone, ct the pres
ent rates OF taxatiOnl about $4,000 fer
State. and near the same amount for coun-
ty purposes This, We say. Is view of the
subject which Is calculated to influence the
mind uncousciOusly, when contemplating
the measure, as 1t is a melancholy fact.
known to every one, that whether we view
man IN his public. pirate, or social rcla-
ttOns, we find him more or less Influenced
by that ever prevailing proclivity Of his ma
ture, denominated in ordinary language-seL-
5isis71esS, and by Il, his acts and conduct arc
lrreslstlbly Influenced Whether the friends
of this measure were CT were I'd; controlled
by this prIGcip pie in our nature, to which we
have just adveFted, is question we will not
presume to discuss. leaving It's solution to
them and their cOnscieDces when they shall
have returned, (from the scenes Of their
present labors) 10 the bosom Of their fsrni-
lies and friends. and the quiet of home,
where the mind viii naturally recur to the
past for approval or disapp-ovai. as their
hearts shall direct
With this preface we propose to consider
the bill. whose title we have stated above.
and point out In as brief and concise a man
ner as may be, our objections TO it, promis-
ing to occupy no more space on the Journal
than the scope Of the subject absolutely de-
mands.
In order to the better understandings Of
the questions at issue between the majority
of the Senate. and the undersigned resnIt-
ing from the bill at hand we take occasion
to copy the 14th section OF the act of the
of the 9th Of January. 1851. designed to
be repealed by this BILL which is in these
words:
SEC. IL Be it further enacted, That
to encourage by all just means the progress
and completion Of the reclamation, by offer
ing inducements to purchasers or contract
ors to take up said lands; that the swamp
and overfoVed lands shall be exempt from
taxation for the term OF ten years, or until
said lands are reclaimed
Which being repealed, will make it in
cumbent on the Collectors of the revenue
throughout the State, when furnished with
abstracts and list of entries made under the
several swamp land acts, to assess all such
lands at once fo- taxation. as other lands in