The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-02-20
THE NATIONAL ERA.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
SPEECH OF HON. GEORGE W. JULIAN,

stead OF one hundred ana SlIty acres out OF The
public domain, prOridsa he or she occupy and
cli,iuais The land for an uninterrupted period Of
fUe BsaTS
CONCLUDED.
Mr.. Speaker, there is one consideration per-
tanning to this bill which deserves more distinct
consideration than have given it, have already
said that the right to life implies Of necessity the
right to a home upon the soil Man cannot live
without this, and therefore he has the same right
TO il that he has to life itself This measure gives
a new sanction to this right, a new sacredncss to
home 1t throws the broad shield Of the Govern
ment over that greatest and most benefcent Of all
institutions, the family. Home is the great school
OF virtue the centre Of the hearts best affections
the birthplace Of every good impulse, Of every
sacred thought" The grand interests Of human
life belong to it. 1t has been said that just so far
as the family is improved, its duties performed,
and fssb'essngs prizel all artificial institutions
including Government itself are superseded The
most important part Of the education Of every
man and woman is received at hose. The germs
Of character are there moulded and developed by
the plastic power of the parent The Govern
ment therefore, by every legitimate means should
favor the improvements the security Of the family,
and the strength and purity Of the domestic rell-
tions; for by 30 doing it makes strong the most
enduring foundations Of our freedom. This should
be the first Object of it's care. 1T is idle"
says a leading Lon Ion newspaper, to talk of sec
ular ,dHcatiou-t i idle to talk Of religious in
struc,cn whilst the great mass Of the people have
no homsS How arc we to teach how are we to in
struct what Can the schoomss,er achieve what
the or, acher, when the intellecfs which the one
would elevate, and the hearts which the other
would T. ach are left to the cruel training Of the
streat,l Thousands and tens Of thous ,nds of our
children have no other education, no other Chris
tianity tn the education md Christianity of the
pavement They have been turned adrift when
sc'rcely able 10 walk unHided Another infant
has taken iys place at the mothers bresst and
the child Of two years has made acquintance
with the pavement. And 80 Commences the out
ofd00r educ .ion which fills our streets with prof
Hg4te women and thieves}'
Not less in point here as m illustration, less
truthful is the following sketch Of the education
of a paup,r child by Fl trriet Msr,ineau:
~ Yhe infant is reared III n6t IN the work house
in some uuwholesome room or cellar, amidst damp
and dirt and the noises and sights of vice folly.
He is badly nursed and fed and grows up feeble
or in state Of bodily une5sines' which worries
his temper, and makes his passions exctabe. lie
is not soothed by the constant tenderness OF a de-
cent mother, who feesit great duty TO make him
as good and happy rs she can, AMI contrives TO
find time aud thought for that object. lie tnm-
bles in the dust Of the road the mud OF the gut
ter, matches To- wherever he can get it, quar-
rels with any body who thwarts him if he be bold
boy, and sne AXIS and lies if he be naturally a cow
ard. He INDUCES every appetite, as matter of
course as it arises for he has no idea that be
should not. He hates everybody who interferes
with his license and has the best liking for those
who use the same license with himself He
knows nothing Of any place or people but those
he sees, and never dreams of any world beyond
that of his own eyes lie does not know what
society l., or law, or duty; and therefore, when
he Injuries society and comes under the infections
Of the law for gross violations Of duty, he under
stands 10 more Of what is done to him than if he
was carried through certain ceremonies conducted
in an unknown tongue. He has some dim notion
of glory ia dying boldly before the eyes of the
crowd so he goes to the gsllows in mocking
mood, as ignorant Of the true import of life and
human faculties as the day he was born Or, If
not laid hold of by the law, he goes on towards
his grave brawling and drinking, or half asleep in
mind and inert or diseased in body, till at last he
dies as the beast dies,'F
Here, sir, we have forcible exhibition Of the
evils Of land monopoly, and the Importance OF
homes for all. These evils can only be removed
by removing their cause. We must strike at the
root Of so much wretchedness. The country has
been flooded with discourses and essays on the
lshed in the United States in Great Britain, and
In other countries showing the proportion of the
population who are uneduc1te1, and tracing the
prevalence of crime to that source. This is all
we'll enough, and no effort certainly should be
spared by Governments to educIte the masses; but
their first and great want is homes and 6rtad
Without these education and temperance, and
preaching, and praying, will fail in their purpose
They will be palliatives at best. Land monopoly
.ln.t
lation whom it first deprives of their natural right
to the soil, and then prescribes the terms upon
which it will give them food and shelter The
price of labor, as of everything else depends upon
the supply and demand Land monopoly, by its
unholy exactOns makes sure Of a large supply
and then presents TO the furnishing laborer the al
ternatives of dea'h by starvation, or life such
terms as its own mrcy may dictate Government
should prevent this Ii is false TO ts trust, bls.
tard TO its true mission, II 1t will not. IL was
never designed that man should be wholly depend
ent upon his fellow for the breai and breath Of
life IL was never designed that he should be de.
,rived of homestead Tor himself and his family
as a defence against the cold blooded rapacity OF
avarice God never intended that the family bond
should be broken when most needed, and that
childhood should be turned naked upon the
world with no home but the street, and no moral
training bur the educ ,tion aud Christianity OF
the pavement In world teeming wi h abuud lnce,
and wrapped round with SWEET air, and blessed
by sunshine and Astounding with knOwledgr," all
his intelligent creatures should be- permitted to
share the pleasures and attain the purpose OF ex-
istence Ia the counri referred 70 in the extr
| have qIo'el, only about oae per-on in every
FIVE hundred in a landhol1er Starving millions,
ignorant of the pleasures and uumught in the
virtues of home, crowded INFO stalls aud markets,
or turned into the streets of their cities beggars
bear sad testimony 10 he horrors OF lan monopoly.
But Sc,tl md nd Ireland, su the countries Of the
Ola World generally, which are annually dis
gorging their paupers upon our shores are but a
type of what this country will INFINITELY be, II
the monopoly Of the soil is allowed TO have It's
way; for the same causes are here in operation
and will produce the same effects Fimine in
those countries is no, the res, of er-Dopuation
but OF their landed system. No country in Europe
has ss large population as the soil is capable
of supporting uUder wise system of culture, and
lust Distribution Of land among tho people IL is
for us now to say whether starvation, pauperism
and crime hill be trlnspanted from the Old
World to the yet uupeopled regions Of the West
IL is for us, If we please TO check the monopoly
of the sol and the exac ions of capital in the old
States by Withdrawing the landless aborers of thc
country from their crushing power, and at tn,
same time giving them homes and independence,
on the public lands We have it in our power t.
forsoriain the future lot of the millions who arr
TO draw their subsistence from our wide-spreat
public domain; and, repeat, We shall prove rec
reant to our high trust as the representatives o
the people, if we fail to exert it. Posterity will
Justly hold us answerable for the evils which oui
timely action might have avertei, but which in =
few years, may be beyond the reach of remedy
Let the Government, therefore, without delay
provide homes for the landess. Let il establish
the family in our uutamed forests, and let II
spread its parental wing over it, and guard II at
it would guar the life Of the Republic. The bill
before us makes the home which il secures to the
settler free from execution for debt for the period
of five years. | regret that il was not thought