The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1860-11-01
Mr.. Lincoln and the Mexican War
BOuutics.

Mr.. Lincoln and the Mexican War
Bounties.
CoLUMBUs, Ind, Aug, 1850.
EDS GIN. GAZETTE: Seeing in one
Of your late issues a reference to the.
stale falsehoods porpetually repeated by
his Tx Reverence, William NJ Daily
that Mr.. Lincoln, when in Congress, vo-
ted against bounty lands for our soldiers
in the war with Mexico, I ask you to
publish an extract from the Congress.
sioual Globe Of the First Session Of the
Thirtieth Congress, page $50, showing
exactly what Mr.. Lincoln did do in ref
erenco to that subject. The PROPOSE
ton was made by Mr.. Lincoln when the
House was considering o bill reported
by Mr. French, from the Committee on
the judiciary, to amend the Bounty
Land Law Of 1817. It is as follows
Mr. Lincoln said if there was a gen
eral desire on the part Of the House to
pass the bill now, he should be glad to
have it dOne-concurring, as he had
generally, with the gentleman from Ar
kansas, (Mr Johnson,) that the post
ponement might jeopardize the safety
Of the proposition. IT, however, how
ever q reference was to be made, he
wished to make a very few remarks in
relation to the several subjects desired
by gentlemen to be embraced in amend
meuts to the ninth section Of the act Of
the last session of Congress. The first
amendment desired by members Of this
House had for its only object to give
bounty lands to such persons as had
served for a time as privates, but had
never been discharged as such, because
promoted to office That subject, and
no other, was embraced in this BILL
There were some others who desired,
while they were legislating on this sub
icct, that they should also give lands
to the volunteers of the War of 1872
His friend from Maryland said there
were no such men. He (Mr. b. did
not say there we're many but he was
very confident there were some His
friend from Kentucky, near him, (Mr
| Gaines told him he himself was one.
There was still another proposition
touching this matter; that was, that per
sons entitled to bounty land should by
law be entitled to locate these lands in
parcels, and not be required to locate
them in one body, as was provided by
the existing law.
Now, he had carefully drawn up q
| bill embracing these three seperatC
propositions, which he intended to pro
pose as a substitute for all these bills in
the House, or in Committee of the
| Whole on the state Of the Union, al
some suitable time. IF there was a dis
position on the part of the House to ac
at once on this separate proposition, he
repeated that with the gentleman frou
Arkansas, he should prefer it, lest they
should lose ALL But if there was to b,
a reference, he desired to introduce hi
bill embracing the three propositions
thus enabling the committee and the
House to act at the same time, whethe
favorably or unlavorably, upon all. II,
inquired whether an amendment wa
now in order?
The speaker replied in the negative
Thus not only is this shallow, bare
faced falsehood exploded, but its circu
lation has developed the fact, which 9th
erwiso probably no one would ever hav
troubled themselves to hunt up, tha
Mr.. Lincoln was ever watchful of the in
terests of the soldiers who fought ou
battles in Mexico, Notwithstanding he be
lieved in common with Clay and man
others of great eminence at that time an
since, and indeed with majority of tn
House, Of which he was a member, tina
the war was unnecessarily and uncon
stitutionally begun by the President,
and that he had an equal regard for tn
interests of those whom no one will den
to have been equally deserying-th
volunteers Of 1912.
ask pardon for occupying so muc
of your attention, but your paper is ex
tensively circulated here, and | desire
to see this bounty land falsehood, a reit
Grafton of which is the whole burdo
of the speeches of Douglas Squatter Sow
ereignty advocates, exposed.
TIE DEFAULTING New YoRK Pos1