The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-06-02

ton safe, and not dangerous 10 the common veal,
Gentiemsn-We are not arbiters Of our own fate.
Human foresight falters and fails. Who could
foresee or conjecture at that day, what our ewes
now see or behold We see this for good or for
evil Nor could we stay this emigration if we
would. We see there is a rush Of people from Eu.
rope to America, that exceeds in single month.
and at the single port Of New York. the population
Of many single cities on the Atlantic coast This
is the case, and it is to be met and to be copsid.
ered 1t would be foolish to attempt to obstruct n IL
obstruction were safe. The thing can't be done.
You may remember, gentlemen, although am too
modest to suppose you remember anything about
it, that in my correspondence with Lord Ashbur.
ton, who came out here to negotiate the treaty of
'42 we examined the subject Of the impressment
of American citizens. Up to that day, England
had insisted on the right to visit every American
ship in time of war, and if she fousd any English.
men, Irishmen or Welshmen on board Of her, to
press them into her service, on the ground that
they could not transfer their allegiance. need
not say, gentlemen, that this subject was matter
Of negotiation. 1t was at one time suggested by
the British Minister, that this right should be eI
ercised in certain ATTITUDES. At another time it
was suggested that this right should not be ex.
tended to the deprivation Of any American vessel
of her crew. | am afraid, or ashamed, gentlemen.
indeed, l don't know that / ought to say it, but
with your permission | will say it, that on that
occasion it was decided that every man on board
of an American vessel either mercantile or naval.
was protected by the flag of America. ITremen.
dous applause) No matter if his speech did be-
tray him-no matter what brogue was on his
tongue-if the stars and stripes were over him,
he was for that purpose an American citizen
(Cheers)
Well, gentlemen, as we are here indupng in
sort Of saturnaa and as we are talking of ourselves
ttle-(cries of &" who +" "go on 'o-let me saw
that from that day to this have heard of no pre-
tba sc L., t.ob E
that it could send an officer board of any Amer.
lean ship, and take from her any human being
whatever, and never shall. (Great applause5
Lord Ashburton, with whom l negotiated and cor
responded on that subject was judicious and
wise man. He was a good deal in this country.
thing OF this country and he saw various relations
between this country and England, in far more
philosophical point OF view than most others, and
he stated in speech, which is record some
where: 81 must admit that when British sub
ject, Irish, English Welsh, becomes an Amer.
can, and claims longer the protection of his own
country, his own country has right to call him
subject, and to put him in position to make war
on his adopted country and it appears to me-" he
added that we may count it among the dispen.
sations OF Providence, that their facilities of
transporting men from country to country, by the
power power Of steam, and quickly, are designed by
people; take as many from as you please that
seems to be the order Of things and it is not to be
stopped" l told him that was my opinion too,
Gents, this emigration is not to be stopped we
must keep things as they are we must impress all
who come here with the necessity of becoming
Americans. We must teach them we must en-
deavor to inst American heart into all their
bosoms. (Applause) Gents, if it were not so
late in the evening, would say few more words
(Cries OF "go on, go on!') about the public
lands OF this country and the best disposition to be
made of them. What shall we do with them !?
There they are, amounting to vast extent of ter
rltory, rich in its natural fertility but can any one
tell me what is the value of land unconneced with
cultivation and social life? A thousand acres
would not, in such case, be of the value OF a
dollar. w hat is land worth in the extreme inte.
rior ? Land is theatre for the application and
exhibition of human labor and when human laho
goes there it creates its value, and without it.
not worth rush, from Dan to Beersheba."
aont wish to say on every acre of land there must
be settlement; but there must be human labor
somewhere it; there must be something be
sides the mathematical divisions apportioning it
into sections, half sections and quarter sections
before land is of any value whatever.
But, gentlemen, we have had series of events
in our commercial relations. The commerce of the
country is filling the Golfers of the country, Ii has
supplied and supplies every want of the
Government. What then, shall we do with the
public lands? During last Congress, acts were
passed distributing large quantities of then,-yarv-
ing from lou acres, or more, down to 40 acres to
those who had rendered military service to the
country. This was all very well; nobody goes
further than | do in desiring to make happy those
who have borne arms in their country's cause, as
well as their widows and orphans; but this does
not appear to me to answer the exigencies of the
case. What is to be done what is to become of
those who come to this country and have nothing
to buy land with? That's the question, gentlemen
the last measure proposed by me before the last
Congress was the short and simple proposition,
that every man of twenty-one years Of age, who
would go on any uncultivated land in the country,
and take up 160 acres and cultivate it for five
years. it should be his, and thele was an end of it,
and if his widow and children did the same, thev
have it. One of the great evils of this military
bounty business is, that when warrants are issued.
manage it as you will, they fall into the hands OF
spectators, and do not accrue to those whom it
was designed to benefit. They sell for trifl., and
they fall into the hands of SPECTATORS as have
already stated. Let me tell you an anecdote on
this bject:-l brought forward this matter in the
Senate of the United States, and soon after
wards ] received a letter from Europe. stating
that it was wrong and unjust, because it would
interfere with the rights of those who had pur.
chased warrants, to settle on the public lands
as matter of speculation. Uanghter) | wrote
to them that it was Just the thing | wanted.
was glad it was so, and wanted it should be So
My proposition was, that these lands should not
be alienated, that they should be free of claims
for debt, that they should be free of debt that they
should not be transferable, and if man left his
land before five years he should lose it.