The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-11-10

rising republics In tho life tune Of man from the
Atlantic 10 the Pacific, and so recently has plant
ed our glorious standard upon the headlands Of
California--which has founded, upon principles
AS lofty as truth, and as universal humanity,
this government Of equal laws and privileges,
whose career, if not checked by our own'folly,
or the Judgment OF God, affords a glorious ana
cheering spectacle to the friends OF liberty
throughout the world--does not such an agent,
say, deserve our encouragement our support,
yea more, our veneration!
Early history, traditional history is full of in
stances, illustrating the importance which even
heather nations have attached to agriculture.
1t was held in honorable estimation by the
most enlightened nations Of antiquity. The
patriarchs of the ancient scriptures cultivated
the soil In Greece we learn that the various
improvements in husbandry, the introduction of
grains the invention Of instruments for tling
the soil, were regarded as the immediate boun-
ties of The Gods. The distribution of prizes on
occasions like this, goes back as far as the days
of Cyrus, for we are told by Xenophen, that he
delivered premiums ,oih has hands, to dill
gent and successful cultiyators, and that he
claimed himself to be Jealous and practical
farmer. Among the Romans, agriculture was
even more respected than among the Greeks
Cato. the censor, was farmer, and wrote a
treatise upon farming. Who among us has not
heard of Cncinnatus, the Roman dictator, who
was found in the field, leaning upon his spade,
by the messenger sent to hail him as dictator I!
History dwells with fondness on these instances
of dev otion to the arts of peace, in those times
when all seemed yielding to the law of the
sword.--The emperor Augustus too, when the
wars of Rome were over, requested Virgil, the
beautiful classic poet of our school day memory,
to write poem on agriculture, in order to en-
courage the Italian husbandman to return TO the
culture of their wasted and neglected farms
And though the farmers in Italy at that time
were mostly tenants at the halves, yet the beau
tiful and philosophical poet could not help pro-
nouncing them, TOO HAPPY, DID THEY BUT
KNOW THEIR OWN BLESSINGS" Those times,
to be sure, are long since passed, but if the peo
pie and rulers Of the old world could devote so
much thought to the interests of agriculture in
Their day, what ought not to be expected of US
in this favored land-in this favoerd age--n this
favored country country which, more than
any other, owes its unexampled prosperity
under Heaven to that spirit of self-reliance and
enterprise, which has for it foundation stone the
very interests we are here assembled to pro-
mote. | am not unmindful Of the vast interests
manufactures, of the all embracing concerns of
commerce, the younger sister Of agriculture,
and with manufactures dependent upon her in
all emergencies, both for supply and defence
but still high above all these interests the genius
of our country places agriculture. speak ad
visedIy, Mr. President, when say that our sys-
tenn of agriculture, our system of free and in
dependent free-holders of the soil, giving to
every man an absolute and uncomfortable inter-
est and property in the land he owns, subject
only to the right of eminent domain, is the very
foundation of our social, moral and political
greatness, as nation and a people. Such a
system is not known elsewhere.
In England it is the fundamental maxim of
their law, that all the land of the realm is holden
mediately or Immediately, of the crown. The
great majority of all the farms in England are
the property of large landholders, and are cult
waited by tenants who take them on leases, the
terms Of which vary according to circumstances,
both as to the amount of rent and the duration
of the lease. There, great majority of the
farmers cultivate the lands of anotber--a great
majority have no spot of earth which they can
call their own, and around which they can clus-
ter all the endearing chsrms Of " home" Out
OF population of 100000 which England
contains, there scarcely 10000 land owners.
Scarcely one in 500 inhabitants who has right
to tread the soil Of his country The farmer in
England is obliged to work and toll over, and
till land of which he is not the owner, and he is
not allowed to feel that he is making il the de-
pository of that which his youth and his man
hood can lay up for the decline of life, for his
family and his children No man takes real
genuine pleasure in improving the property of
another--t is not human nature. Here, then,
is comprehended the seminal elements of our
success as people, and as nation-THE PEG
PIE, and they alone, are the source of all power
All power is inherent in them, and there must
remain, and the exercise of it must be free and
uncontrolled by any power whatever, whether
government, or corporate or individual. And
there is no way in which thus power can be ex
ercised, calmly, freely, and ntelligently, but by
a distribution among the people of the landed
property OF the country, as equally as may be
and by this, we by no means intend TO advocate
any agrarian or levelling system. We wish no
large and immense landholders, however, con-
trolling the land of towns, and perhaps counties,
and all Of it cultivated by dependent tenantry. |
Under such system, the people never exercise |
their rights with independence and freedom
Again, Mr.. President, there is great STRENGTH
to us, a State and nation, in the feeling which
our people have that the soil is thers--that they |
stand upon their own ground-that by the laws
Of their country the land is theirs-theirs abso-
lutey and forever to them and those who may
come after them. Such feelings, words and
language cannot portray-they draw their mean
ing from the lowest depths of our common ma
ture and the history of the past illustrates their
power. IL has been well said that this very feel
ing explains our own history, clears up the mys
terry of the revolution, and gives us an insight
into our own strength. And we think it does
Other countries depend in great measure for
their fortunes upon the fortunes and success OF
their largest towns and capitals This is un-
doubleday the situation of France, Austria, and
other countries Of the old world But such is
not the case with u.s. What was the f ing of
Washington city, our seat Of government, to the
country in the last war; What would be the
capture by an enemy, of Boston to England, or
Of Portsmouth to New Hampshire Would it
be fatall No, a thousand times, No The mo.
ment the enemy penetrated the interior, they
would meet an independent and sturdy yeo-
yeomanry who own the soil they cul
iivate, and an eneuy might as well attempt to
level our everlasting bills as to conquer and sub
due such people Can any one of the coun-
tries of the old world, Mr.. President present
IL a a. |