Gazette and sentinel., 1860-04-28
FroU the National lnieI!igenoer, April 10.
THE HOElIAS LAND CLiLH

Senate proceedings OF Monday = sub
staHtial statement Of what passed On
;h-t day between Mr. Toombs and the
honorable senator f Louisiana respect
ing the Uyum4s Land Grant; but thc
personal bearing which has been given
to tins long ag;;ated case in Louisiana,
and in = portion of tie public press,
makes il proper Tor us, as an act Il jus
tee 10 those honorable Senators. togivt
=. fCl! statement q what was said ON
the occasion; and We therefore copy
from the official report Of the debates il
Senate, April Is, tie following
Mr Benjamin. Before the bill IS con-
sidereI. l desire - trouble the senate
for q moment N = question personal 10
myself. | have waited before saying
anything until | should see the Lonora-
hle Senator from Georgia lNr. ToumbsJ
back amongst Us. Tie Senate is aW&r.
that some time ago = Special Committee
was raised for the purpose If taking
int consideration "a petition iur tie re-
peal Of certain Legislation which / had
recommended in 3 report to the Senate
some two years Gro, and which passed
IN my Recommendation. That Commit
tee has reported, recommending the re-
peal =: that Legislation. With that
report. for the present, l have nothing .
10 do. i~retain my own Teilconsidef,L
opinion that the legislation which it is
proposed 70 repeal was wise, Just, and
proper Legislation, and that the repeal
would be- unwise and mischievOus. The |,
reasons for that | shall give at some fu-
ture time. | should not trouble the
Senate on this subject, but friends at
home have sent me u series of newspa- {
per reports, from which it appears that
somebody, for some cause which | am
unable TO divine, has taken the trouble. r
with great pains. to write to nearly ev- ,
cry paper in the State which is in the !
Opposition, a statement that, in COM :
menting upon the legislation previously +
had before the Senate, and in recon- I
mend:ng its repeal, my personal charac- i
ter was involved in some way. Now, f
cir, it is a matter which | should look r
upon with entire contempt were it not
that the honor Of my State is involved !
IN 1t somewhat; and it Processes to de- o
pend upon the action of a committee of :
the Senate. | have, therefore, waited I
for the return of the chairman of that il
in order TO put the question d
him, that it may be understood ex- &
III the Senate in my State, vine j
ther in the investigation touching this +,
Legislation before the cOmmittee-what &
investigation was | know not t;
there was anything i'll the slightest de /
gree i%mpugning the purity of my mo-
the rectitude of my conduct, or
the integrity of my character, as a man O
Or as Il legislator?
Mr.. Toombs. Mr.. President, it gives
great pleasure to respond to the i'll
Iuiry of the honorable Senator from f.
Louisiana. The question submitted to
The committee was solely upon the pro- al
oriety of repeating the legislation
which was adopted by a previous Con
yress. That question alone was sub
nitted to us; that question alone was
Weneither heard evidence,
lor was there any fact in any way
TO the attention of the commit
ee in the slightest degree affecting the
:haracter, or integrity, or motives Of the fl