Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-06-30
TUESDAY MORNING. JUNE 80, lss7.
Mr. gELL OPPOSED no DISTRIBUTION.

that the d1strouCJu nODDy ID a NN-..74S' -
to withdraw public attention from Know Nothlng-
lam Or ,Der, than Mr.. Bell himself 8 Let the reader
mark the brief summary of facts We shall furnish
and then call upon Mr.. Bells friends to answer them
# they can
In is4s, when Gen. Taylor, (substantislly no
marty man, was taken up by The whigsas their can
ddste in place Of Mr.. Clay, it gave serious offence
to many Of the friends of that distinguished states
man who freely declared that their principles we-e
of " paramount consequence, and that they had
rather sink with Clay than swim with Taylor"
Mr. Bell, in very lengthy speech delivered at Muir
freesboro' on the 2lst Of September Of that year,
took the opposite ground, and declared that the
old issues Of bank, distribution, &C, not Of
paramount consequence" and argued this point by
wsy Of convincing such wings as had rather " sink
with Clay than swim with Taylor" He said:
In the very nature Of things the questions Of
the Tariff, United States Bank, the Sub-Treasury,
Distribution &c. are eyanesCent, transtory, and IN
q generation or less time viii pass away. DlsIkl-
BUTTON, FOR INSTANCE, HAS CEASED TO BE
A QUESTION. The lands may Rolg be considered as
edgsd for the payment Of The national debt and under
the continued emigration Of millions from Europe
and from other causes they will soon cease 70 exist
as national domain"
This speech vs. published, and may be found in
the Nashville Bonner Of Sept, %, 1848. Many Of
the people were deceived by the nOParty speeches
Of the time, and Gen. Taylor was elected.
About eighteen months afterwards, April, so, the
rest Illinois Central Railroad Bill proposing to give
away some fifteen mil ons of the public lands to Hi
nois Mississippi and Alabama, for its ructiOn,
the first proposition of the kind that passed Con
rrsss, came Up in the Senate for debate. Mr. Bell
became its warm advocate and friend. He said:
ssThe bill before the Senate, if adopted as it
stands must 1t to me, be adopted on the pTiHcl-
PIE not only Of the power Of Congress to make ap-
preparation Of lands for improvements OF this de-
Scorpions, our o. money atso.
Mr. Bell then argued that while Congress, how
ever, had the same power to appropriate the money
from the treasury that it had appropriate lands
the judgment of the National Congress had been
against the policy Of 50 doing. But with regard to
the policy Of appropriating the public lands to such
purposes, he says:
90 have when a member Of the House, given ny
support TO such measures, and am ready nov 10
give my support t. such measures when the work
projected appears to me to be one Of great public
utility; AID on that ground l intend to give my
support to the bill now pending before the senate.
81 think it is a liberal policy, and I would be
willing, when lands Of this description have been IN
the market thirty or forty years, 10 act on the policy
Of enabling the States in which they lie to make any
munifcent use Of them that may be thought proper
or conceived to be advisable"
Mr.. Bell having committed himself so warmly in
favor of the bill, moved to recomEit it for amend
ment so as to secure portion of the public land to
he construction Of that part Of the road that should
run through Tennessee Mr.. Bells proposition
however failed but it did not lessen his zeal in sup
port of the bill.
Mr. Dayton of y. J., followed Mr. Bell in de-
bate, and, making the same argument that Know
Eothings are now making in Tennessee, in favor OF
doing equal justice to the States proposed to revive
Mr. Claws distribution act of 1871 and thus divide
out the proceeds of the public lands between the
several States. He thereupon offered the following
amendment:
Provided, tuTtRas That after the appropriation of
the lands herenbefore referred to the States herein
before named the nett proceeds Of the sale Of the
residue Of the public lands, from ana after the DIST
day Of December next shall be divided between the
several States Of the Union and the territories there
Of as they now exist, Rgreeably TO the provisions
Of an act entitled An act to appropriate the pro
ceeds OF the sales of the public lands and to grant
pre-emption rights passed Sept, 4, 1871; the pro-
Uo1s Of ubieh Gc far the same can be properly
applied IN he distribution Of The proceeds Of said sdieS
are hereby rs-snactsd and rs-Gtf7rved."
The question being taken o1 Mr.. Dayton's amend
ment it was decided in the negative Mr. Bell r0tiRg
lgiti The Derloe-at AGAINST IT. See Congressional
Globe part lst, first session 8lst Congress, page
900 On the final passage of the bill ITSELF Mr. Bell,
as the public have been informed, voted in the afr
native.
Now what an attitude does this place Mr.. Bellin
In ls4s he is foru5 making the admission that the
old exploded issue Of Distribution had ceased TO be
a 0B1s,ioH" Erhtoen monks sftss.a AIDS be IS foapd
advocating, upyr The 5oor of Congress the inaugu-
ration Of that system, lrhe giving away Of the pub
lands nov 90 much complained of by the opPo-
sition. Al the same time, when a proposition was
uadc BY ore CT bis own party Mr.. Dayton, 20 re-
vvs Nr Clays distribution bill of 1871, and enact
a>lS law. w. Rel !L,ras to the position he as
..,. -, N,urfreessoro, sa2t st had ceased to be
60 - gith the democracy 10 defest it.
Asrrylr.---. zaa.Alg. Bell continued Of
thai (, u..g ur fa sod Hr.usa --. ~
canvas 90 hs HsIs ua s..Hf.H8 ra fu, Ion
policy. a o. ", so avaTr af. Boz aav of Lls sf---
II be had Thought b. Trsr.i-sHls gusrf.au lLeu.
sby did he not introduce t .-rr -auvass ar ias,
summer That CANVASS was uaHoHH. aHI nrrassa.
rily involved al Federal questions.
Mr.. Y, never disc ,yercd afcr his Nurfres-bor.
speech Of as. that there Was any PruFuety In re-
viviug such q question until he began TO look for
ward TO are slate canvass We are now Engaged 10.
The complexion cf the next Legislature would deter
mine Ae well knew, whether OF not he should con-
tinus IN the L. s. Senate longer than his present
tern he we'll knew that Know NotEing,sm was
odioya With the people and that there was no hope
ar tho opposition except on new basis Hence
the introduction Of his Distribution bill into the last
Congress, after having voted against and opposed
Il from As up to that time, impracticqble
MEASURE that had ceased to be question with the
reopls. Such is the shallownes- Of the disguise un
der which that gentleman is moving. Though adroit
in the game Of deception, which he has so long
practiced. we predict for him most signal failure
this time.
Rev Dr. KIRK. in a letter from Manchester, Eng
land says: 81 had in the oldest factory Oh the Town
1.s.s., -,efb vail