The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-06-22

rnE. HOMESTEAD BILL.

the House of Representatives, exemrts the lands
acquitted under its regulations from all liability
for debts contracted prior TO the date of the
patent Is not this in violation of the Consti.
tuition, which declares that no &C posi- Jacto law,
nor any law impairing the obligations of con-
traets shall ever be passed Had this law ex
empied the homestead from all liability for debts
contracted afterwards, however IL might have
contlcted with the obligations of justice and
equity, ID would neither have been an er post
facto law, nor law imparing the obligation of
contracts, because all contracts would be made
on this basis; but inasmuch as il refers to debts
contracted at time when the liability of the
debtor extended to the whole of his property,
present and future. it is both an er posi- tacto
law, and a law impairing the obligation Of con-
tracts.
1t may be asked too, on what grounds of
equity or justice the land thus given away with
cut any equivalent whatever, is exempted from
oil liability for the payment of debts, while that
which man has earned by the sweat of his
brow and acquired by years of labor and econo
my may be taken away from him by process of
law, in satisfaction for any debt he may have
contracted ls one more deserving than the
others or is that which is given away more
sacred than that which is acquired by labor and
sacrifices? Is this justice---is this equality
Or IS 1t not gross violation of both, and direct
Infringement on the great charter Of our common
rights? But there is no use in prating about
such old fogyism. Are not Constitutional OBJ
Jections pure CANNON" according to the learned
members; and s not the election of President
OF much more consequence in the division of
the loaves and fishes, than all Constitutional
rights whatever? The common property, and
the common rights of the people of the United
States, are becoming common fund for cleo
pioneering purposes; and while we rail at the
English aristocrat for bribing a few members
of corporate town, we are practicing the most
extensive system of bribery ever seen in the
most corrupt ages, among the most corrupt ma
tons of the world Almost every appropriation
OF the public lands has in fact been for the benefit
~ SPN'ui"0o'oi "hu lHiS WIN opeIhbo III the same
way in the end.
STEAM MAIL SHIPS.
The application Of the proprietors of the Col
Inns line OF mail steamers, for an enormous ad.
dition to the sum originally agreed to be given
them by the United States for carrying the
mails across the Atlantic, is one which involves
great interests as well as great principles. The
principal grounds on which this application is
based, are the following:
First, that Mr.. Collins and his associates are
losing money by their speculation, and that the
United States, being the great sleeping partner
and capitalist in the concern, ought to make
good the deficiency, otherwise they will be
obliged to relinquish the business, which will
consequently fall into the hands of our great
rival, England. AS legitimate deduction from
these premises, it is held that the people of the
United Statesmen one in a hundred of whom
either sends or receives letter across the At
lantic-are in duty bound to increase the allow
ance for carrying these letters, some eight hun
dred thousand or million of dollars, to enable
men of business to save a little postage and
obtain great triumph over our rival John Bull
The second reason is, that the United States,
having--as has been stated, with what truth
know not-aready made some fifty thousand
dollars by the speculation, it will of course be
highly advantageous to double, triple, or quad
ripple their investment, which, though it may not
al L a
receive hostages, will better enable the contrac-
tors to carry them 1t is also assumed that this
new investment of capital by the sleeping part
ner, will increase his profits in the same ratio,
and that if he receives fifty thousand dollars on
two hundred and fifty thousand, he will receive
at least two hundred thousand on an investment
of million. This is something like a non
sequitur--but let it pass for what it is worth
In the third place, it is said that Messrs Col
Inns g. Co, have voluntarily built their steamers
much larger than was stipulated in their con-
tract, and that this is fair ground for additional
compensation Was this addition to the size of
their vessels necessary to the fulfiment Of
their contract with the United States, or was il
to make them to carry more freight and accom-
modate a greater number of passengers Ger
tainly not the former, for no one doubts that
steamers of much less size than that originally
contemplated were competent to all the foreign
correspondence of the United States. 1t must
therefore have been for the exclusive benefit of
the owners that they increased the capacity of
their vessels to carry freight and passengers,
and see no reason that it should be made a
pretext for an application for such an enormous
additional allowance
But it is urged in the fourth place, that these
steamers are eminenty calculated for national
defence, and that the larger they are, the more
advantageous for the United States in time of
war. IL Is therefore assumed that they should
pay not only for this increase in size, but suffi.
cient for their entire construction, although /
believe there is nothing in the contract which