Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-09-13
From the Cincinnati Gazette
yfr. Lincoln and the yIcxicnn
War Bounfies.
CoLussUs, Ind, Aug. 1860.

OoLUnsUS, IND, Aug. leoU.
EDS. GAZETTE Seeing in one Of
your late issues q refefeuce to the
stale falsehoods perpetually repeated
by his Elk Reverence William VI.
Daily. that Mr. Lincoln. when in Con-
greSs, voted against bounty lands tor
our soldiers in the war with Mexico. /
ask you to publish an extract from the
Congressional Globe of the First Ses-
sion of the Thirtieth Congress, page
$50. showing exactly what Mr. Lin
coin did do in reference to that subject.
The proposition was made by Mr..
Lincoln when the House was consider
ing a bill reported by Mr.. French,
from the Committee on the Judiciary.
to amend the Bounty Land Law of
1S47. Ii is as follows:
Mr.. Lincoln said if there was
general desire on the part of the House
to pass the bill now, he should be glad
to have it done-concurring. as he did
generally, with the gentleman from
Arkansas, (Mr. Johnson. that the
postponement might jeopardizc the
safety of the proposition. II, how
ever, reference was to be made. he
wished to make very few remarks
in relation to the several subjects de-
sired by gentlemen to he embraced in
amendments TO the ninth section OF
the act OF the last session of Congress |
The first amendment desired by mem
bers of this House, mad for its only
object to give bounty lands to such
persons as had served for time as
privates, but had never been dis
charged 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 legi>lating on this subject,
that they should also give bount
lands to the volunteers of the War of
1912 His friend from Maryland said |
there were no such men. He (Mr. L.
did not say there were 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
persons 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 wa,
provided by the existing law.
Now, he had carefully drawn up a |
bill embracing these three separate
propositions, which he intended to
propose as a substitute for all these
bills in the House, or in Committee
of the Whole on the state OF the
Union, at some suitable time. i
there was disposition ON the part OF
the House to act at once on this
separate proposition, he repeated that
with the gentleman from Arkansas.
he should prefer it, lest they should
lose all. Bat if there was to be q
reference, he desired to introduce his
bill embracing the three propositions.
thus enabling the committee and the
House to act at the same time, wheth-
er favorably or unfavorably, upon all
He inquired whether an amendment
was now in order?
The Speaker replied in the negative
Thus not only is this shallow,
barefaced falsehood exploded, but its
circulation has developed the fact.
which otherwise probably no one
would ever have troubled themselves
to hunt mp. that Mr.. Lircoln was
ever watchlul Of the interests of the
soldiers who fought our battles in
Mexico. Notwithstanding he believed
in common with Clay and many
others of great emincncc at that time
and since. and indeed with majority
of the House OF Which he was a mem
ber. that the war was unnecessarily
and unconstitutionally begun by the
President" and that he had m
equal regard for the interests of those
whom no one will deny to have been
equally deserving volunteers OF
1912.
l ask pardon for occupying so
much Of your attention, but your
paper is extensively circulated here.
and | desired to see this silly bounty
land falsehood, n rcitcration of which
is the whole burden OF the speeches OF
Douglas Squattcr Sovereignty advo-
Gates, exposed.