The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-26


tween the new settlements OF our own country and
those Of the neighboring PROVINCES u,
Nov, SIR. am not unaware thal oisanecuon WIN .ne
laws and policy Of the mother country has had some
thing to do with THE reruli Neither am csous 70 the
fact that the blessings OF our government are euch as
afford inducements TO the eng grants 10 prefer s
conceal from ourselves. we would that the dneien'
systems OF disposDg OF the public lands have haa =
most important bearing in bringing about the cohuast
between the two desire take moment OF time .or
the purpose OF reading from The report referred 70 an e
tract describing the advantages OF our own system IN e
most and comprehensive language The following
are his words y
The system OF the United appears 10 combine all
The chief REQUISITES OF rhs efficiency Is nn'ioIm
Congress, and never has been materially altered il rs
ders the acquisition OF new land easy and ye ny means
.ers p Is 40 simple as e be readily understood pro-
vdes for and against needless delays
s, but distributes the public property among all CLASSES
and upon precisely equal terms That system has
psomoled amount OF Immigration and settlement, OF
which the history Of the world affords other example
and has produced to the United States revenue when
has amounted in one twevemonth to about ioul nuons
sterling. than the whole expenditure OF Inc iedeai
government
These are the expressions of who can be suspect
ed Of no par,iaty in behalf upon this subject
They are the views OF man competent TO Judge VINO.
from distance as well as " nearer proximity, nas
effect upon the veal OF the country and the prosperity OF
the community. They the results OF careful ex.
obtaining knowledge on the subject, for practical use in
the proposed reorganization Of the system in his own
country.
the close OF the last session. the honorable senator from
Wisconsin LMr. WALKERl proclaimed that we are m
danger Of falling into the condition OF the countries Of
the of population degraded that the real estate
of the country would inevitably fall Hto the hands OF
the few 10 the exclusion and consequent poverty and
deg radiation OF the many In order avoid this conss
quence, the senator proposes to limit every iahdhoder 70
100
Mr. President have little confidence in the efhcien-
cy OF special restrictions of this character, and much
less in their beneficial influence. For my own part,
look in another direction for immunity from the evil re-
erred expect legitimate result from the splr,
and genius OF free government from the nature OF
our institutions. from the enteprsng character OF
our population and from the general legislation OF gov
eminent affecting the public veal
Looking the waters to the countries oil the east
hemisphere, where the evils which the senator de-
picts exist having their foundations in early and semi
barbarous ages and sustained by system Of govern
ment, Institutions, and laws the opposite OF our own
he sounds the alarm if the calamity had liked ITSELF
in those countries, making the results inevitable
among us, might well be alarmed, and no man
would 90 further than would in efforts 10 resist the de-
stroyer.
But let no false alarm prevent examining the facts
and inquirng whether the of these evils exist
Most of the countries OF the Old World were portoRed
out at early period among the nobility with extended
territorial limits, and under condition of rendering service
RED with the control Of the lord over he tenants on the
estate and established perfect system of power on the
one side, and abiect servitude on the other
Added to these the entAment OF these estates and
the perpetuy of the nh erance with all its incidents Of
power the heirs OF the forever Under this
system estates now which have remained un
broken for centuries In country no such state
of things exists The commencement OF the government
itself modern times-amost in own day-and no
grants OF large tracts Of land have been made by it; no
enlameni recognised subseTvency OF others to the
purchaser attaches incident to his tenure.
Ia the countries to which reference has been made es
pec'ay in England large portions OF territory accumula
led The hands OF ecclesiastical corporations. which I'M
der their system dedwhere the quaint language
OF the ,nes they were held by death dutch forever.
An amelioraon OF this evil, after great struggle, was
obtained, but its consequences are not eradicaied
But nothing of the Kind exists here The corporations
of this country the offspring of legislative action and
limited to term OF years-tweny. one This limit
is usually short scarcely to equal the average lille OF
man. .
In holding real estate they restricted to small
cutting the business Tor which their organization is al
lowed and al the termination OF their corporate exist
ence must revert to the original grantor, or pass INTO
other hands
Thus have safeguard against this fruitful source
OF evil existing IN some OF the countries OF Europe
We are no. only happily free from these causes opera
thones of our government has repudated every thing
tending such a result and has established principles
conducLg to the general distribution OF property and to
the equal privileges OF all We have no restriction on
the conveyance OF real estate. All may become pur
chasers and every may divide his property he
peases may devise sell at his pleasure and may trans
Ter his title with little expense or Formally
Under this system real estate becomes like personal
property. Readily converted into money, i is regarded
almost in the light of available capital. and passes from
owner readily and 40 frequently as to pre-
vent its remaining for long time IN large quantities IN
the hands OF any man. For this purpose II would
be comparatively unproductve property. and it therefore
naturally finds way in small quantities into the hands
of those who will cultivate it. We have the dstribu
lion OF his landed property among all his heirs the de-
ri tha hla n n
stany in operation and is of itself cause sufficient to
defeat overgrown landed estates By It's simple opera
ton the whole real estate OF the country in periods OF
but lew years duration, distributed into other hands
The sale OF property by exeeution and other legal
process tends TO the general result and must be re-
garded OF the OF securing healthy state of
things in reference to the distribution OF real estate among
those who may desire to cultivate il.
Wherever has been the policy to lock up real estate
opposition has been made subjectng this class Of prop
efy to Judicial sale. Its effect that policy was fore
seen, aud therefore resisted In England the opposition
TO relaxation OF the old rules long and violent II
contest between the growing mercantile interests
OF the Countrywide inereSts OF the great body OF the
people the hand and the powerful arstocracy
the other.
These causes which have mentioned, with others Of
kindred character, the eflclen workers, under our
system OF wardng of the evils that others
have suffered, and securing the general good They
operate silently and with oppression 10 none yet do
they the great object with tcnfod certainty
than any restrictive condition which be placed upon
The power OF individuals purchase to hold property
They the result upon great and noble principles
the principles which propose the object OF Gev
ernment the most unrestricted freedom and the greatest
II Yah shn,r lar AaAO in