Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-02-01


the grantee has cultivated tho land for year. and 10 case Of
sale from one individual another whether the proposed
anseee has other lands which dsquay him to receive and
hold the e and whether subsequent acquisitions OF o'nel
lands have in any instances defeated the title OF present
holders of the domain careful guard must be kept over
the matter that the provisions Of the law are complied
with We shall be obliged adopt system altogher more
complicated than the present simple system OF sale ior ne
purpose Of seeing that the conditions are performed, ana en-
forcing the rights of the Government In case OF their iaule
We could not with justice ourselves &C to the object sought
to be attained by this legislation with justice to he
interests Of community should the bill become law perform
duty under it, except by careSui surveiance On no
whole matter of transfer and in oil the new States
And the reverson of properly under these conditions wou
also bring with complicated questions to the rights ana
duties of the Government and an expensive of ne
disposal Of the land Think, in whatever view we may
regard this matter caEnot fail to see that we snail nvo
ourselves in labyrinth of difficulty, from which we could
scarcely expect to be released.
may remark here that have yet departed tfom
the general and great principles of the land system a now
stands and turned aside the exgences OF special
by experimental legislation in the disposition OF the Puoe DO
main, without impang the harmony OF the SYSTEM ana o
casoning expense the Government with little OF no
vantage to individuals.
So extensive is the subject that we can never manage
public domain except under general rules forming system
They must be Of character the most perfect ana
conditional titles they must the utmost simplicity IN
the action of the Government they must ne agency
of few persons possible in administering tne system
actions Of this great country in the disposition and manage
ment of real estate.
is dangerous experiment for us, in my humble judg
ment step beyond this. will not trouble the senate by
dwelling longer upon the conditions annexed to the grants
proposed in this b or on their effects the public veal
One great object desired by the petitioners upon this sub
iec and by the Senator who introduced this b which
founded upon the supposed right of every body to occupy
inherit land. This great principle lies at the foundation o.
their request have before very brief petition, which
exhibits only the reasoning but the prayer of the petition
es indicating the evil be avoided and the good to be
complished
he undersigned respectfully represent that in their opn-
ion, the right life includes the right place to live
In accordance with this opinion they pray for the freedom
of the public lands.
shall enter on no metaphysical discussion here upon the
subject Of the absolute natural rights OF citizens or OF any
supposed duty of Government to furnish farm, without cost
to every individual who will occupy it. But if that principle
worth any hingfit has the importance which gentlemen
suppose who both here and elsewhere, urge its
with much zeal upoR the eGovenmenit Is an naienable
right pertaining man. the duty Of the Government
is broad and imperous 1t is required by 1t that all
who without land shall be supplied The natural rghtto
ye and the consequent right Of place in which to live i'm
upon Government according to these doctrines the
duty of providing by law, in the bill before us, for gra
tuous grant of hundred and sixty of land to every
individual.
It not enough make free the transfer Of such property
to abolish classes and exclusive privileges to throw wide
open the door to enterprise, economy and laboi to enable
tions Government must 60 further and offer every
this kind of property free Of cost.
IF this doctrine be in its full extent II seems to
that the bill have under consideration falls very al
short Of securing the rights Of those persons interested in this
matter.
What do propose by to DO, in order to carry out the
great principle Of human rights We propose make
distribution of the public domain among persons who not
the Of hundred and sixty OF land This
distribution to be continued for the period during which
he MAJ ha Of
But sir, that period must inevitably be short And is the
principle die when the public lands disposed of After
the first distribution, is it to be thrown away and abandoned
Is this right be urged for the present generation and denied
for the the remote Is to retain his right to
live and be deprived of his right to place in which to live,
its sequence the grant Of land when that time shall have
exped If be natural right Of man, it belongs to nture
generations well to the present 1t will not terminate
with the sale Of public lands, when shall
have nothing distribute. Looking the subject in this
light but think that all the propositions which have
been fall very short accomplishing the object
which intended to be secured and which it is alleged will
be secured by this bill. Some of these propositions have
looked little further into this matter and though they have
not provided for future generations yet with more gaany
than the author Of this measure, their have embraced
the genter sex within their liberal provisions.
After all the speculation which has been had upon the right
Of all the gatuous occupation Of land the possession Of
the rghu grantee to specified portions of territory has in all
civilized Governments been regarded exclusive, carrying
with it the power Of dsposng in manner Of the pro-
perry 10 anotner, under the same guaranty 0Iexcusve ana
ndefeasble enjoyment This bill proposes the thing in
principle; but although provides for the first distribution,
yet nothing beyond the partition Of the land Of
which the owners.
When this first distribution shall be made, the poor and
the andless will be left at the present time There
provisions here to transmit the property share Of 1t to
those who hereafter may be without homestead. They
must be purchasers they possess None but the
andess be permitted to buy the land but the poor and
the andess not to be supplied with it they pos
unless they obtain the buy. In this
pect after the first distribution the present state Of things
will return, with this derence-hat the title obtained
by purchase and which is abolue will then be conditional
The plan before US is, then, temporary arrange
ment-a grauitous distribution Of the land possessed by
the United Sates-and the establishment of great sys
tenn with the of the class intended TO be
benefited. The great principle Of alleged natural right
which this system has been urged neither carried out
applied by the contrary after the first distribution,
the principle is abandoned and under its operation the land
less will be much excluded from the possession of land
at the present time. .
Mr. President have already alluded for few moments to
the provision contained in this bill which proposes to connect
influence upon the legislation of the Sates through
dons with the grant Of the lands lying within their borders
wish, however, to make general remarks further
upon the subject Of the power and duty of the General Gov
eminent in disposng of the domain within the States. AT
the last session of Congress discussion had in this
body, in which my friend from Illinois (Mr DoUaLAs) and
the then Senator from Massachusetts, (Mr WEBSTER now
tanseedt another branch Of the Government took part in
debate involving Of the principles which
der consideration II discussion, be permitted
say, which afforded much information upon the important
subject Of the public lands
Mr. Webster, in the Of his argument made the fol-
lowing remark
holJ