Rising Sun Times, Volume 4, Number 168, Rising Sun, Ohio County, 4 February 1837 — Page 2

CONGRESSIONAL.

liOU:E OF RKFRESXTATIVES, Thursday, Dec. 29. Mr. Williams of North Carolina moved to suspend the Rules to enable him to offer the following resolution: Resolved, That The Committee on Public Lands inquire into the expediency of prohibiting by law the purcha-c of lands, at auction, with a view to forfeit them, and afterwards to obtain them, at Government price of one dollar and twent-rive cents per acre. Mr. W. called for the yeas and nays on the motion to suspend the Rules for this purpose, which were ordered ; and, being taken, were, yeas 154. nays 33. So the House suspended the Rules. Mr. Lane, of Indiana, moved to ntnend the resolution by striking out the words ''Committee on Public Lands,"' tihI inserting the words, "a select com mittee;" and also by adding at the end of the resolution the following words; "and also to inquire into the expedien cy of confining all sales of the public lands to actual settlers. Mr. Lne said that, in offering the amendment, he had been actuate I by a desire to bring this proposition directly before the House. No question had ever arisen which was of greater importance to the various interests of the country. It was important as recarded the manufacturing interest ; it was important with reference to the surplus revenue;it was important in its reference to the currency and to mercantile transactions; and it was important as regarded the settlement cf the whole Western country . Any gentle

man who had ever attended the sales lied with the cause of general liberty: of the public lands at auction, must see Therefore, to do equal and exact jusihe necessity of putting a stop to the tice to all the States ; to aid in diffusing

practice which had prevailed for a fewyears. Mr. L. here alluded to the practice of the agents of speculating companies who attended these sales bidding a little higher than the labormg man who had traversed tne wilderness and settled down on these lands could afford, and thus depriving him of his purchase. By this process, the governmentmadeonly a few cents more and the hard earnings of the laboring man were thus rendered useless to him. He had to buy lands at second entry, whilst the speculator, who had purchased the numbers which the actual settler intended to purchase, was residing in a distant pail of the o miry, By adopting the course mono-. ! by the amendment, Mr. L. said tin: m oceeds of the sales of the public la.-d? .might be brought back to three millionper annum, being the amount ?olJ i. former years. He had great confidence in the Committee on Public Lands. This subject had received the notice of the President in his last annual message and had been referred to that committee; but he (Mr. L.) had understood that they were not able to agree on any detmite proposition, r or ibis reason, and in order that the final action of the House might be had du ring the present session, he had moved the change of reference from the. Com mittee on Public Lands to a select com miltee. Mr. Boov, of Indiana, said he wa not going to make a speech, but he rose to express his astonishment at tin proposition of the gentleman from Indi ana. He considered the amendment as a diiect and unqualified reflection on the Committee on Public Lands; and he repelled the r tlection with in dignatiui. The iu:stioa of confining the sales of the public lands to actual set'lcrs was made thesubject of a part of the annual message of the l resident, which part had been referred to the Committee on Public Lands. They had this veiy proposition under consid eration but whether they would be able to agree on a bill, he did not know. He was glad, however, that the proposition had been enlarged bv the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Willi ms.) If subject-matter of investigation properly belonging to th. eianamg coniuuuees oi me nou-e were 'bus to be wrested out of their hands, he hoped the Committee on Pua lie Lands would be stricken from the list altogether. iii. i jia r. .i-r-ureu uie gentleman ii I . i .i .i from Indiana, and also the chairman of the Committee on Public Lands, that he intended no reflection by his motion He had great confidence in the integ rity and talent of that committee; but he had understood, from a source not likely to be mistaken, that there was no probability of that committee agreeing on any proposition. If the chairman ol lac committee would assure him that the committee would bring thesubject forward in some definite shape, in time to be acted on by the House, he (Mr. L.) would withdraw his amendment, Mr. Di-.vl r opposed (he adoption of tne amendment, and expressed his aslonisnmeni inaiine gentleman liom InCian a (Mr. L,anf) should move the ref -

erence to a select committee, inasmuch as he (Mr. L.) had himself offered a resolution by which this very subject had

been referred to the Committee on Public Land. Mr. Lank said he had just under stood that a bill would be agreed upon by the cotr.mii tee of the Senate, emracing entirely his views. He, there fore, withdrew his amendment. And, thereupon, the original resolu tion of Mr. Williams was adopted. Saturday, Jan. 7. The House resumed the considera tion of the following preamble and resolutions, submitted on the 4ih instant, by Mr. C. Allen, as modified: Wherens, Congress has heretofore made donations of the public lands for the purposes of internal improvement and education: To the Stale of Ohio, 1,737,833 acres. 1,1 12,592 1,712,224 1,181,243 733,214 l,21G.450 920,053 599,973 996,333 947,724 Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, A i kansas, Floi ida, Ter. of In the aggregate amounting (o 1 1 ,057,uoj acre. And whereas, each of the United States has an equal right to participate in the benefit of the public lands, the common property of the Union; and every wise and good American having agreed in the opinion that the cause of general education is indissolubly identiamong the rising generation intelh gence enough to comprehend, and spirit enough to defend their rights, and tnus to elevate the national charac ter, and insure the perpetuity of our iree institutions. Beit resolved, That a select commit tee, to consist of one memberfrom each Slate, be appointed, whose duty it shall be to inquire inlo the justice and expe diency of making to each of the thir teen original American States, togeth er with each of the States of Maine, Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee, snch grant of public lands for the pur pose of education, as will correspond in a just proportion with those heretofore m uie in favor of the first named States ui ) Ten itoi ies, and that said commit tee have leave to report by bill or olh jrw ise. But, to avoid tbp nbjoriJon of ue State holding land in another, the committee is directed to insert a clause in the bill which (hey may report, providing that the grants to be made there hy shall be subject to sale under the laws of the General Government now in force, and that the proceeds arising (herefrom shall be paid over to the States entitled to the same. Resolved further, That the said inqui ry be extended to all the States. The following amendment was mo ved by Mr. Vinton: "That said committee he fuither in structed to inquire into the expediency of inserting a clause in said bill to paysaid new States the value of the improvements made by them to the pub lic lands, or to pay ia them the amount the public lands would have been asessed lor taxes, if they had been pri vate- ' l'he question pending was the amendment to the amendment moved by .Mr. Ci.aiborxe of Mississippi, providing that no grant should interfere with the land of any actual settler. Mr. C. Allen- said he wished to mod ify the pieamble, by substituting the word "gi ant for "donation and gave notice that he would do so when he could obtain the floor. Mr. Lane addressed the House at onie length in opposition to the resoluion. The resolution ("Mr. L.said pro ceeded upon the supposition that nine of the new States, tmmtlioi- .;ii, iK 1 v-hji M mi lilO territory, bad received upwards of eleven millions of acres of the nnhlir lauds as a donation. Thi ----- ...0 j yj j;u3L I Ull was either true or it was untrue. If it was true, he contended it was unequal and unjust, so far as it regarded the new Slates. If it was not true, it was an insult offered to those nine States, and the Fullering and bleeding Territory of Florida, as well as the members who re; resent those States on this floor. The resolution proposed to give a certain portion of the public hinds to the seventeen old Slates; and th IS Was ii ii. just, because hy this proposition, the land was to be meted out to the old States according to their population at the present time; and, when the new States had received their portion, they did not number one third their present population. Accordiiigtothisapportionment, Mary land, with a population of one halt a million, would receive more 1 of these lands than Indiana, with eight

hundred thousand citizens, and more than Ohio, with a million and a half. And Kentucky, with a much smaller population, would receive more than Indiana or Ohio. It would be unjust to carry this resolution into effect, because the lands granted to the new

States were not only received when the population of the States was small, but when the lands were an unbroken wilderness, when there were no roads, no mills, no meeting-houses, no schoolhouses; and were only inhabited bywild beasts, and the roving savages. But now, when all the comforts of life were to be found in the vicinity ol those lands, the old States were to come in for a portion of them, equal to those granted to the new States. Who rais ed the value of those lands? Those who remained at home in ease, comfort, and luxury, or those hardy pioneers who went inlo the wilderness, subdued the savage, and made it smile and blossom as the rose? The old States by this resolution were to come in for a share of these lands when they were not only easy of access, but when their value was raised by the enterprise and industry of (he citizens of the new States. This Mr. L. considered unjust. Was it true, cr was it untrue, that these lands were given to the new Stales as a donation? He always un derstood that a donation was a gift, and not founded upon any considera tions but those of kindred or affection. Every thing which was founded upon contracts, however trilling the consideration, was a valuable consideration, and was equally binding on the parties, regardless of the amount of the con sideration: (hen was the proposition true that the new Slates received these lands as a donation? He proceeded, then, to show that they had not re ceived an acre of land, except bycontract founded upon a bona fide con sideration, and read extracts from the ordinance admitting Ohio, &c. into the Union, in support of his position. Mr. L. said that by this ordinance it would be seen that the lands had been receivby the new States on the condition tlmt they would not tax the public lands while belonging to the Govern ment, and for five years after their sale and that the Government should re tain the salt springs, and all minerals found thereon. The remarks of Mr. Lvne were ar rested by a call by Mr. Whittlesey for the orders of the day. CONGRESS. We believe but two public acts have yet been passed by this body one to regulate the proceeds of lands ceded byIndian tribes to the United States, and one appropriating (wo millions of dol lars for (he suppression of Indian hos till ties- The bill to modify the tariff, or to reduce the duties, was committed to the committee of the Whole, on the slate of the Union (in the House) on the 13th, by a majority so decided, as to make an impression that the advocate of reduction will succeed. A strong effort was made to lay (he bill on (he (able, but (he motion was rejected by ; vote of 119 to 94. Ibis may be con sidered as a test vole. Wc are glad to perceive that the reduction of the reve nue is advocated by a portion of our political opponents. 1 tiat circum stance will not, by the way, insure its passage. Some of the friends of the administration from the coal regions and manufacturing districts oppose the measure; and its importance is such as lo cause us to doubt whether it can be carried through in the few remaining weeks of the session. Lou. Adv. Desperate affray. Wc learn that a most disastrous encounter occurred two or three day s ago, on Plumb creek Shelby county, Kv. Hie circumstan ces, as we are informed, are nearly as follows: there had been for some time a dispute between Mr. John Turnham and Mr. Greenfield Allen, two young gentlemen of wealth and respectability both just married, in regard to th boundarv line between a couple of plantations. On Tuesday or Wednesday, they met on or near the disputed line, each attended hy friends or relatives, and after some wrangling, Turnh;tm shot Allen through the brcasl with a rifle, w hereupon a cousin of Allen, with another rifle, shot Turham through the head. Roth died on the epot. We further learn, that John Allen, who shot John Turnham, was tried on Saturday at Shelbyville, before an examining court and acquitted. It appeared on the trial that both of the Turnh iims fired before a shot was made hy either of the Aliens. The acquittal of John Allen was hailed with loud applause. Josephus Turnham is lo he tried at Shelbyville tomorrow. Cmvtfordsville Record.

Legislative Summary.

Indianapolis, Jan. 20. During this week, the Legislature has made a decision upon most all the bills supplemental to the general improvement bill of last winter. These separate biils were all contained in the bill introduced in the early part of the session, and known as the "Calf.' That bill was lost, and al-o the bills subsequently introduced on the same subj ect. Kesolutions nave been mtroduced. pet id a declaring it inexpedient to cxmillii . and a half of dollars for -ion of the general system of n x! tenia! improvements, and also decid ing it inexpedient to extend the syst( m anv further, and lost. II any pinion can be formed, it would be, that Ihis Legislature will not make any idditional appropriations for works of internal improvement. A bill clarify ing the works, has been introduced in the Senate and lost by a considerable majority, and on yesterday the same hill was introduced in the House and rejected. The disposition of the sur plus revenue has been discussedin both louses. In (he Houe, the bill reor ganizing the militia system has passed. JJcmocrat. Indian woi.ts, Jan. 25 The bill from the House of Repre sentatives providing for the distribution of the surplus revenue, was taken up to day in the Senate. .Mr. Morg; moved to commit the bill to a select committee. 1 he motion (o commit was advocated bv Messrs. Morgan. Thompson of L., Mitchell, Liston, Du mont, Thompson of P., Colerick, and boon, and opposed by Messrs. Kennedy, Smith, Dunning and vawfer. I he

.i.w.nn lu uu i-'n-miiLu u - uhu ui uiormcs by wnicii Mr. uampoell sus33 lo 7. and the committee appointed (ained his positions, and concur with is Messrs. Morgan, Thompson of Perry, him in possessing "no unkind feelings

rilAl ion In vilr tini'-n ril Kit i- j- t Ihompson ofL., Colerick, Clark, and

Smith. The intention of this reference believe the principles of Romanism inis lo report a bill placing one-half of consistent with our free institutions."

the principal in the banks, the interest on which is lo be appropriated to the payment of the public debt; and the oilier half to be loaned out in the seve ral counties, the interest of which is to be appropriated to common schools. The bill from the House of Repre enlalives, providing for the election of Senator ol the United States and other officers viva rocc,came up this afternoon on the question of its passage. After some oenaie, ino nuesiioii was taken and determined in the affirmative yeas 24, nays 21. Journal. Iniuvxapolis, Jan. 27. in uie .-senate, tne bin trom Uie House providing for Ihe distribution of the surplus revenue was refered lo a select committee. The committee has not yet reported but it generally under stood that they will amend the bill so j l i i . i is to place one nail ot tne surplus revenue in the Banks tobe appropriated for internal improvements and llie other half in the counties to be appropriated (or common schools, and the Senate will probably concur in (he amendment. Ueviocrat. Indian-atoms, Jan. 28. iuesuons or a general nature are! now pretty well through. Many hills of a local nature remain tobe acted on. These, together with (he making and agreeing to amendments to bills be tween the two Houses will make the last, as usual, the most busy week of the session. ' 1. 1 . I :ll I r . i t i ue oin disposing oi tne surplus revenue win probably undergo some . II 111 l change in the Senate it must, as al most all important measures are, be the result of a compromise. I hose of our readers who have examined the proceedings of the Legislalure, a reported in our columns, cannot have failed to discover that the present has been a most active and interesting I session. Journal. ROMAN CATHOLIC Piscussiox. At a meeting of a large number of gentlemen who attended the recent debate between Mr. Campbell and Bishop Purcell, held at the Svcamore street Rnnli-il rhiirrh. nn Tnpsit iv i.tnnlniY l ' " ---"j .iiii., Jan. 21, for the purpose of expressing themselves w ith regard lo (ho merits of . I .11.... t ' l i y i , me ueoaie, ucii. iveese r,. nice was called to the r hair, mid W. T. Truman was apron ll wa d s cietary. On motion, Resolve, That Samuel Lewis, Esq Major Daniel Gano, Daniel Corwin, Rev. W. II. Raper, and Rev. Ileman Norton, be appointed a committee to report resolutions expressive of the sense of this meeting. Whereupon, the committee retired, and reported the follow ing, w hich were adopted unanimously: Whereas, in consequence of an attack made on the distinguishing principles of the Protestant religion, by Bishop Purcell, of this city, (opposing (he general use and study of the Bible,) during

the last session of the College of Teachers, both in reference to Dr. Wilson's lecture, and that of A. Campbell, of Virginia, (in affirming that the Protestant Reformation had been the cause of all the contention and infidelity in the world;) and whereas the latter gentleman, in a discourse delivered in defence of Protestant principles, in the Wesley chapel, in October last, offered

certain propositions, which led to a request from many of the citizens of Cin cinnati for a full discussion of these principles, to which Mi. Campbell subsequently acquiesced, and has now met Bishop Purcell in a full discussion of them; and inasmuch as efforts have been made, on the part of some of the political papers of this citv, to prepos sess and forestal public opinion on the real merits ana issues of that discussion, we feel that it is due to truth, to religion, (o ourselves, and to (he community at large, to stale and subscribe the following resolutions: 1. Resolved, That it is the unanimous opinion of this meeting that the cause of Protestantism has been fully sustain ed throughout Ihis Discussion. 2. Resolved, That in our opinion (he irguments m favor of Protestantism, and the objections to (he errors of Po pery, have not been met. Resolved, That we look forward to the publication of this Discussion, as a powerful antidote lo the sophistry and arrogance of all the advocates of Romanism; and that we have the full est confidence in submitting it to the mpartial decision of the American people. 1. Resolved, I hat wc approve of the spirit and temper, and were pleased with the power of arguments and auI .1 'i' I I I 1 r f t it or prejudices towards individuals, but 3. Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published in all the city papers, and that editors in other places who may have noticed the Discussion, be requested lo publish them. RKKS K. PRICE, Ct'n. W. T. Tkuman, See'y. The above was signed by upwards of eighty of the most respectable names of the city. J l.ross and Journal. FlIE Di:i! VTK ON Till: R()MN CTIIOi.if Religion-, between Air. Purcell and Mr. Campbell, taken down by a repor ter, and revised by the parties, is now in press in Cincinnati, bv J. A. .lamps & Co I he work will contain about 350 pages duodecimo, bound in leather and executed in good stylo. The price is 1,23 per copy, which will be very cheap, all things considered. A proper allowance will he given to wholesale purchasers. The books will be ready for delivery about the 20th of l ebruarv. Mr. James is prepared to receive orders (o any extent as the w ork is stereotyped. IWKAICO A NO TEXAS. The following intelligence is copied from the Baltimore American of Janu ary 23d, received in that city by the Southern Express Mnil: " Verbal information from the citv of Mexico, received at New Orleans. H"icnlions that great preparations were making by the government of Mexo, io open IPC snrimr ramnaitrn nuaitist 1 exas with vigor. It i also reported that Santa Anna had been declared an outlaw by the existing government of Mexico, and all citizens of any of the Mexican States WL'ro called on to shoot him should he again appear w ithin the limits ot any ot the States or Teiritory of Mexico. amente had been invited (o the head of a flairs there. Filasola had been tried, and would have been cont .... domned it the common people had not 5,iown a disposition to protect him at !UI lK,zards. 11 w;is rcP"cd that loans had alrea ... cl-y lern r:,lsi;(' lo support Uuslamente s government; that he would leave Mexico w ith an army amounting to 10,000; and that he had sworn extermination to all Texians." Later intelligence stales that thq American Charge, Mr. Lllis, has left Mexico, and has arrived at Pensacolo. The report is luat he demanded his passports from the Mexican governmei.t, and Ihey were refused. He accordingly took the responsibility of returning without (hem. The American Consul at Tobasco, has arrived at New Orleans, having taken his departure in consequence of (lie misunderstanding between Ihe government of Ihe United States and thaiof Mexico. This intelligence, Ihe New Orleans Bee thinks, is a prelude to difficulties of a more belligeranl character. Cincinna t i Rep uhlica .