

TIERS.
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Many Of our readers have doubtless fse
/ quenuy seen quotations from a speech pur
porting 70 have been made BY Mr.. Clay 10
/ which the settlers on the public lanGs are
denounced as Land pirates and 'squarers
\ This speecL was pronounced BY MIR. Clay,
when frs' published, base caficature; baI
the locoioco press with that FARM Ess
which Is 50 eminentlv characteristic, oil il,
sill persisted 10 presenting it before their
readers as an evidence Of Mr Ciay's hostiil-
ty to tbe West. The following letter. re-
ceived BY a gentleman OF Burlington, Iowa,
from Mr Clay, will have the effect to &isa
buse the public mind on this subject. and
relieve MIR. Clay from charge, from which
more ihaa any other. be has suffered in The
West. Read it:-GaEcaa Gazette.


ASHLAND. 25th Sept, 1843


DEAR SIR received your favor trans
hitting 4 number OF the Lee County Dem
ocras containing copy of what purports to
be speech of mine delivered on the pre-
emption bill! in the Senate on the 29th of
January, 1888. 1t Isl gross caricature OF
what said. ehd | so pronounced II in tue
Senate regret that | have no copy of the
correction by ne, but j: was published at
tIG tltttC IL tue LsdtIOu0l ADlEIkl 8tBGCi+


| was opposed to the pre-emption policy
by itself | believed it ffaught with inJus-
tice 10 the public, that it occasioned great
irreguiarity in the settlement of the public
lands, and engendered controversy aud dis
pute among the settlers. When, without
the AUTHORITY of law, the public lands were
settled, | considered and treated such settle
ments as trespasses on the public property
So did President Van Buren, in his message
to Congress. But | never used the epithets,
which were put 10 my mouta, against the
pre-enptoas.s .5cmselves, many OF whom |
knew to be respectable aud my friends
was willing, on a general adjustment of the
land question, to combine the preemplion
and distribution principles together And
accordingly you will fed in the Senate's
Journal Of 1910. l84l, (pages I55-6,) that
[ voted for such combination. Again: |
voted for the Distribution bill of the Extra
Session Of l84i, in which the pre- empton
principle is incorporated, and large and lib
eral grants OF iand are made to the new
States


Accept my best wishes for your health
and pfospsrlty.


Your frlcnd and obeGient servant


II. CLAY.


Mn. J. c. MuDD.