Wabash express. [volume] (Terre-Haute, Vigo Co[unty], Ind.) 1841-186?, 1860-09-05
From tie Cincinnati Gazette.
MI. Lincoln and the Mexicun War


COLUMBUS. lad Aug, 1860.
EDs. GAzETrE: Seeing in one Of your
late issues reference to the stale false.
hoods perpetually repeated by his Elk Rev
erence William NJ. Daily. that Mr.. Lincoln
when iu Congrss, voted against bounty
lands for soldiers in the war with Mexico.
| ask you to publish an extract from the
Congressional Globe Of the First Session Of
the Thirtieth Congress. page $50. showing
exactly what Mr. Lincoln did do in refer
ence TO that subject. The proposition was
made by Mr.. Lincoln whom the House was
considering bill reported by Mr.. French.
from the Committee on the Judiciary, to
amend 20 the Bounty Land Law oflsl7. IL
is as follows:
Mr. Lincoln said il there was a general
desire on the part Of the House to pass the
bill now, he should be glad to have il done
-concnrring. as he did generally. with the
gentleman from Arkansas, Mr.. Johnson,
that the postponement might ieoparadize
the safety Of the proposition. IL, however
a reference was To be made, he wished To
make very few remarks in relation TO the !
several subjects desired by gentlemen To |
be embraced in amendments TO the ninth /
section Of the act Of the last session Of Con 4
gress. The first amendm. mt desired by 4
members Of this House. had for Its only 1
object to give bounty lands to such per-
sons as had never been discharged as such
because promoted TO Office. That subject,
and no other, was embraced in this BILL
There were some others W no desired. while
lhau lot THE cnhiarf hot
they should also give bounty lands 10 the
volunteers Of the War Of 1872. His friend
from Maryland said there were no tuch
men. He Mr.. l.. did not say there We're
many, but he was very confident there
were some. His friend from Kentucky,
near him, (Mr. Gains,) 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,
aud not be required to locate them in one
body, as was provided by the existing law.
Now, he had carefully drawn up bill
embracing these three separate PROPOSE
lions, which he iBtend to propose as a sub I
stitute for all these bills in the House, or
in Committee Of the whole on the state of 1
he Union, at some suitable time. lftherc l.
was disposition, on the part Of the House !
20 act at once on this separate proposition,
he repeated that with the gentleman from
Arkansas, he should prefer il, lest they q
should lose all. But il there was to be a
reference, he desired to introduce his bill
embracing the three propositions, thus en- q
bling the committee and tho House to act
It the same time, whether favorably or un-
avorably. upon all. He inquired whether c
IN amendment was now in orderf n
The Speaker replied in the negative, T
Thus not only is this shallow, .,barefaced
alsehood exploded. but its circulation has
developed the fact, which otherwise pro-
ably no one would ever have troubled
10 hunt up, that Mr.. Lincoln Z
vas ever watchful Of the interests of the
oldiers who fought our battles in Mexico,
he believed in common
With Clay and many others of great emin-
nee at that time and since, and indeed .
nth a majority of the House of which he
vas a member, that the war was "unnec- :
ssarily aud unconstitutionalIy begun
y the President" and that he had an e
quail regard for the interests of those whom &
o one will deny to have been equally de-
erying-the volunteers os 1912.
ask pardon for occupying SO much of n
our attention, but your paper is extern
lively circulated here. and desired TO see o
his silly bounty land here, and desired y
D see this silly bounty land falsehood, a u
alteration of which is the whole burden OF =,
ne speeches of Douglas Squalter Sovereign c,
: advocates, exposed. .,