Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1860-06-01
lCOAAUSICATED.


In the Alexandria Gazette, of the Oath &C
May, there was copied an article from thu
Richmond Wing, headed "Plain Talking !,
the Senate" in which comments are mad
upon, and extracts given FROM the speech of
Senator Green, in the U. S. Senate, in tho
discussion preceding the passage Of the
Homestead bill, in which his severity of
language is dilated upon, towards "tbe
friends of the bill in question, and especially
upon Senators johnson, of Tennessee, and
johnson, of Arkansas, who seemed to have
been the leading advocates Of the bill. and
chiefly concerned in eng ineering it through
the Senute."
The structures of the Wing, and Mempb.
Enquirer, to which the former refers are in.
correct, as far as the action Of Senator John.
son, of Ark, was involved, as that gentle.
man was opposed, IN toto, to the original
Homestead bill, and denounced the Home.
stead passed by the House of Representa-.
tives, No. $50, as an abolition scheme lin.
tended to populate the Territories. so as n
become States, and it was hat bill, and ts
friends, that Senator Green denounced in such
caustic terms, and against that BILL and the
Senate Homestead bill, No. |, Senator John.
son, of Ark, as Chairman of the Committe.
on Public Lands, in the Senate, to whom both
were referred, voted in Committee but as a
majority of the Committee were In favor of
the measure. of course it was reported favor.
ably to the Senate But at that stage, al.
: oh ha had I,tb ~
mittee, and opposed to both, he moved, in the
Senate, that both Homestead bills and all
the amendments thereto, be referred again
to the Committee, which was done, and
whole day spent THE Senate not being in
SESSION. in an earnest effort to construct .
bill, having all the advantages and none of
the defects, Of the two original bills and
this action of the Committee produced Sen.
ate bill No. 4l6, which ultimately passed the
Senate and was 'indignantly rejected" by
the House of Representative, and their own
original bill substituted in its place. In
this form it was returned to the Senate. and,
on the Goth of May, "Mr johnson, OF Ark,
moved that the Senate disagree 10 the amend
ment of the House." which was done BY
decided vote Senator j., Of Ark, has the
credit, and justly too, of being the construc-
tor of this bill, and its ablest sur porter in
the Senate: and for this bill Senator Green
voted, among forty-three others-only eight
votes having been cast against it. And in
advocating it, Mr.. Green said, in discussion.
81 am strongly inclined to think | shall sup
port the bill now, for instead Of Il Home
stead bill, as was originally announced, it
has dwindled down, and become simply
measure proposing to reduce the price Of the
public lands, on certain conditions. was
opposed to the Homestead bill first, because
Congress could not create a homestead"
And further on in his speech, he said
Hence, | say, am prepared to vote for your
bill, | think but in voting for it, | want TO
disabuse the public mind, and let them know
that the original cheat, fraud, and trick, has
been eviserated; its bowels have been taken
out. 1t is different proposition"
Senator johnson, of Ark, following Sena
tor Green, in the same discussion, began by
saying: Gas to the construction which the
Senator from Missouri has put on the pro-
visions of the original bill before the Senate.
granting homestead, will say that con-
cur with him very fully, and certainly
never would have supported bill with such
provisions"
This discussion occurred on the 9th OF
May, but Senator Green's denunciatlon OF
the homestead, was in previous discussion.
on the same subject. But it will be appa-
rent, by reference to the Congressional pro-
ceedngs, that the Homestead bill denounced
by Senator Green, was not the bill that Sen
ator Johnson, of Ark, engineered through
the Senate" which was the bill manutac-
tured out of the materials. and constructed
upon both of the original bills. and support
ed and voted for by Senator Green; and is
simply Il pre-emption, graduation bill, re-
ducing the price Of public lands TO twenty
five cents per acre, to actual settlers.
And rs great Injustice has been done in-
advertenty, it is believed, in the paragraph
above referred to, in the Richmond Wing,
to two of the most talented, bold, fearless.
and independent Senators Green and John
son. of Ark, in the U. S. Senate, it is res
pectfully suggested, and hoped, that the
Wing, and the Memphis Enquirer to which
the former refers, will both be pleased to
publish this article. \lNDEA.