The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-07
For tks Sosthsym Press.
Relies Of serats ard NuGangs.
rHg HoMEsrF AID BILL.


brought before Congress, and should DO deeply
considered without any reference to it's bearing
on the Presidential election. 1t is not merely
giving away the public lands that constitutes
its Importance, but its future conseq uences,
which, though not perhaps obvious at first sight,
are not the less certain and inevitable.
In the first place, it is presumed nobody will
deny that men will not labor to obtain what
they can get for nothing, and that what is thus
obtained will be little valued. "Light come,
light CO." is a universally received maxim,
Hence the first consequence of bestowing lands,
as free gift, and without any equivalent, will
will be that of undermining the industrious and
economical habits of the people. Instead Of
working, and saving, they will be in great
danger of becoming idle and thriftless; though
do not think man intended to be mere
beast of burden, nothing is more certain than
that idIeness is the parent OF vice, and poverty
the offspring of extravaganza The existence
of every. free government in a great measure
depends on the habits, manners, and virtues Of
the people; and of these none are more i'm
portant than industry and economy, because
they lead most certainly to the attainment Of
that personal independence, which enables n
man freely to exercise his opinions in all poIit-
cal questiocs, without favor and without fear
Ia the second place, the grant of farm to
every man with a family, will in some mea IRE
annihilate that class of men, so indispensable TO
the constitution of the social state who give
their labor in exchange for wages. If every
man possesses farm of his own it is not prob
able that he will labor for others, and the ma
tura result will be that every man must do his
own work, and society be reduced to dead
level in all parts OF the United States, where
slavery does not exist The old States would
and without doubt, Il considerable part of their
mechanics would be tempted to desert their
trades, in the hope Of becoming independent
laDdholders, without money and without prices
Thus society would be greatly deranged by the
want of instruments TO sustain It's general 0per-
ations; the number of producers would become
too great for the consumers; and the farmers
be without market for their surplus products
No civilized society could exist where all men
followed the same business, and in proportion
as one class predomnaes, il is more or less de-
ranged.
| In the third place, there is every reason to
presume that the temptation thus held out to
emigration, will bring to the United States mil
lions from all quarters. When it is known
throughout the civilized world that every man
can obtain farm for nothing, will not almost
every European, destitute of land and hopeless
of acquiring it by his labor, flock to this coun-
try if there is any possible way of reaching it,
so that in few years the United States will be
deIuged with foreigners, whose interests may
| finally predominant over those Of native Ameri-
cans, and who will bring with them different
habits, manners and opinions, and in great
measure destroy the national character AL
ready they are sufficiently numerous to be
angled for by the great fishers of men, who as
pire to distinction in the government, and it is
becoming every day more obvious that they
are destined to exercise an influence that can
only be counteracted, either by appealing to the
feelings of native Americans, or arraying them
against each other. There are men-very gren;
men-among us, who, it is perfectly clear, would
make any sacrifices to this foreign influence,
provided it would secure the attainment of their
ends If the inmates of State prisons had votes,
they would, if they could, release them all by
6 ~ dol tL,..- ]
turn the scale in theft favor
am aware that there is large class Of EN-
inent politicians-I don't mean statesmen-who
either believe, or affect to believe, that the con,
sequences have indicated, so far from being
injurious to the interests of freedom and the
general happiness of the country, will be highly
salutary. Their doctrine is, that the perfection
of society is that in which all are placed on a
it is great error in the dispensations of Provi-
dence, to bestow on labor and economy what is
denied to idleness and unthrift that every good
government should correct this blunder as far
as possible; that it is the first duty of every in
dustrious living man to take care of his idle
neighbor and his children; that the social com.
pact is joint stock company in which all have
right to share equally, whether they consti.
tute anything or not; and that the less men take
care of themselves, the more they are entitled to
the protection of Providence, and the govern
ment. There is no accounting for opinions, any
more than tastes, They may be right and
wrong. But at the same time think it becomes
Congress to think well of the consequences of
a measure of such vital interest, lest they pay
too dear for the whistle, aud produce Pres.
dent ut more than he is worth.
TIE YACHT AMERICA IN PARLIAMENT
Colonel Peel in recent discussion on the navy
estimates in the British House of Commons
took occasion to express his surprise that not
one word had been said in reference to the cir
cumsiance of foreign yacht having come to
England, and in the presence of the Queen her.
self, beaten some of the crack English sailing
vessels That, Colonel Peel said, appeared to