The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-02-20


and communities are generally happy in proportion
as they are virtuous. His manners are simple,
and his nature unsophsticated I'm oppressed
by other interests, he generally possesses an
abundance without the drawback Of luxury. Ills
life does not impose excessive toll and yet It dis
courages ideness. The farmer lives in rustic
plenty remote from the contagion Of popular vices,
and enjoys, in their greatest frution the blessings
Of health and contentment. The very conscious
ness he feels of the utility Of his calling, gives
pleasure TO bis labors. No other occupation, per-
baps, is so well calculated TO inspire trust in has
Creator and charity towards his creatures. The
pleasures and virtues of rural life have been the
theme of poets and philosophers in oil ages The
tilllge Of the soil was the primeval employment Oh
man or all arts, it is the most useful and neces-
slry. 1t has justly been styled the nursing father
of the State; for in civilized countries all are
equally dependent upon it for the means OF sub
sstence, since hunger and nskedness are universal
wants. IL is estimated that nearly three fourths
Of the labor and capital Of the country are en-
ployed in this single pursuit; and that agricul-
urists are themselves large majority ofthe voters
taxpayers, and consumers Of all foreign and DO
nestle goods Is not such an employment deser-
wing of the care Of Congress? The cultivation OF
the soil is an obligation imposed upon man ny
nature and this fact alone would seem to impose
upon Government the obligation 10 encourage II to
the fnl extent Of its power. When so much is done
bv direct legislation for other interests, is II not
fIir that the one paramount TO themall should be
aided We exppnd annually some seven or eight
millions of dollars in maintaining our Navy, on the
ground mainly that the protection -four commerce
demands IT, Our Army costs US annually about
the same amount and these sums are drawn chiefly
from the agriculturist We have expended vast
sums for harbors forti6catiOns, hre kwaters, bea-
cons lighthouses dry docks and coast surveys,
with particular reference 70 the irwin and pro-
lection of our commercial interest With view
TO the same object, we bave made large grants
both of land an money. for the construction OF
roads and canlls We have been expending
Thousand. of dollars in the improvement Of our
wars Gamers in the pr, j'cton of missiles ofd1ath,
and in maintaining military snd naval schools
We have bailt up our manufactures by diecrimi-
Mating dutie, in their favor. imposed chiefly upon
the producer We have granted as have alre tdy
Al. wn. from seyenty-fve 10 one hundred millions
Of acres of the public lands, in the shape of mill
tary hcunty.to our soldiers, IN addition to their
lawful stipend The public domain has been
common fund 10 which the Government has re-
sorted for almost every variety OF object but not
a single acre has ever been granted for The beDeh
of agriculture Such "a phenomenon as an appro-
priation of land for experimental farms, or agri-
cultural colleges, has never been known. Is the
cultivation of the soil an occupation contempt
lille 80 useless 10 the State, as not to demand the
attention Of the Government? The encourage
ment Of manufactures, of commerce, and of other
lea. important interests is TO be commended but
is not the encouragement of agriculture, the par
ent of them all, at least equally important
The complaint is sometimes made, that if the
public lands are gUen to actual settlers il will in
effect be taxing the remainder of the people to pay
for their farms, since the public revenue will be
diminished in proportion to those gifts and would
of course have to be supplied from other sources.
But is not one class of the people taxed for the
benefit of another in the money raised from the
agriculturist in the cases have mentioned2 The
cutivator has always been taxed for the support
OF other interests | deny, however, that the pub
lie revenue would be diminished by making the
public lands free According to the report of the
Secretary of the Treasury, these lands can no
longer be looked to as source of revenue at least
for many years to come. under our present system.
He shows that our late bounty land acts will yet
require about seventy nine millions OF acres; and
that when they have finally exhausted themselves
they will have diverted from the Treasury the
sum OF more than Sll3000000. The warrants
issued under these acts are made assgnable, and
will be bought at greatly reduced prices byspecu-
lators, who will pick and Gull all the choice lands,
hoard them up for their own selfish advantage,
and thus exeluda the settler from them, an at
the same time drive the Government from the
market which it has thus glutted by its own i'm
provident policy. Besides, if the present system
should be persisted in, Congress will ntinue, and
probably multiply, its grants of land for internal
improvements, and for other purposes, thus ma
king large additional drains upon the revenue
otherwise derivable from this source. The old
fashioned project, therefore, of raising 'eus"ne
from the public domain is perfectly chimerictl,
| and must be abandoned. This is now very gene
rally admitted If adhered to, the Government
would realize from it but little, if anything, for
! the next quarter of O century beyond the six or
! seven hundred thousand dollars annually required
| to defray the expense IL occasions, "a must be
manifest, | think, from the calculations of the
| Secretary Ii follows, therefore, that the sums
heretofore raised from the sales of the public lands
must be made up from other sources, whether we
continue or abandon our present policy. The
! question of revenue is excluded.
But admitting that the passage of this bill
would divert some two or three millions annually
! from the public Treasury for the direct benefit
Of actual settlers it still would not follow that n
tax of this amount would be imposed upon the rest
! Of the community. Whilst the freedom Of the
! public domain TO actual settlers would be meas
ure emphltically for the benefit of the poor, all
! classes would share in the advantages resulting
| from il Il would decrease poverty and the vices
and crimes TO which it gives birth, by withdraw
! ing its victims from our crowded cities and the
slavery of capital, and giving them homes upon
the fertile acres of the West Ii would drain
p,uperi.m from the old States, and thus relieve
them from the burden of population Of superb
bund mt laborers, whilst en- erprise. Industry, and
wealth would abound in the new. Inst AT of dl-
minishipg il would increase the public revenue
This chiefly, is derived from duties on foreign
imports. The amount Of revenue Thus obtained
depends upon the number of consumers Of i'm
ported articles Inc,e ease the number of egricul-
tural producers, therefore, and you increase the
number OF those who consume foreign imports,
thus increasing the revenue derived from iris
source; because, by giving a man home upon
the soil you add to h- ability 10 produce, and
thereby increase his ability TO buy articles of ne
cessty or luxury which pay duty. If we export
! annually one hundred millions worth of agricul-
tural pr oducts, we shall import at lelst an equal
amount Of foreign goods subject to duty. II our
vacant lands are made free TO actual settlers and
we are thus enabled by their products to EXPORT
one hundred and 6Ey millions, our Imports will OF
course increase in proportion, and 20 VIII the re-
ceipts nj the custom house III rFrtnns he the OBJ
ject, here is it's true source; and Congress, in
| stead of madly enieavoripg 10 raise money from
the sale of the public lands should adopt the pot
| icy that will promote their greatest productive.
ness Their settlement, and improvement, should
! be the paramount object BY this policy we shall
thus accomplish the double object of giving homes
! and EN- ployment to the hndless laborers Of the
country, aud, Mt the same time, repenishing the
national Treasury. Humanity and the dollar will
20 together. The public lands in their wild state
are yielding nothing It is the obvious interest OF
the Government ~ | have before stated, that they
should be rendered as productive rs possible
Under our present system, selling as we do from
two TO three millions worth Of land annually, il
" Il require hundreds of years to dispose of the
hole Of our public domain and as there is no law
prohibiting land traffic, the sales that are made as
oi:en prevent as promote the settlement of the
! country. The millions Of acres which this policy