Weekly national intelligencer., 1852-05-29


value Of this property as an investment you give away
all your lands adjoining and around these purchasers
and settlers They sell while you donate may
We not expect that they will apply to Congress for ndem
nifty for an act of your own the result Of which has been
to destroy the value of property which they purchased OF
the Government the faith of your awsa This measure
sir is aught with mischief every side 1t is revou
uonary' and war on property in every aspect.
Why should we thus recklessly destroy the revenue
arising from the public domain? We need it, sir for
onal purposes of urgent necessity and the abandonment
Of oil revenue from this will only result in increas
ed tariffs and taxation We need this for the in
crease OF our steam navy and for other objects Of national
defence We need 1t for the completion Of system Of
fortfcatens for although ought not in my opinion,
to go into this of expenditure to the extent
mended by the Secretary Of War, yet your great naval
depots and principal commercial harbors must be fort
ed unless you intend to be ct the mercy Of every mari
time Power The arising from the sale of the
public lands the present system is maintained will be
than sufficient to increase the navy any desirable
extent well place the other deences Of the country
on impregn.be footing Why, then sounnder this fund.-
when We 4ot yet prepared for with EuropeaA
Power and laucteven protect own citizens from In
dian hesat = cs1y out our treaty stipuaticns win
Mexico? rs
There is not greater in the administration Of af
s than that accustonn the people to look to the Gov
ernment for direct pecuary aid 1t is alike destructive
of industry individual enterprise, and public virtue
When people habusted to look to the Government
for argesses and bouns they lose all independence and
integrity in their action in support and control of their
Government That asprant becomes the most mertorous
and worthy of favor in their eyes, who will promise the
most and be the profn and lavish his perform
ances Before in sound health and capable of in
dustry, win accept bountyo gift from the Government,
which he has in nowise earne he must to extent
have lost his selfrespect Hes longer the ndepen
dent and hardy yeoman that hss made this country what
it now is.
That the system of Government largesses is debasing
and ruinous in its political tendency all history attests
IL was the baRe of the ancient Republics. 1t the
added such bitterness to their conflicts for administration
gave such fearful power to the unscrupulous political
asprant the practice of distributing land and
the needy citizens 1t destroyed habits of industry
in the great body of the people, and converted them into
the ready tools of ambitious and designing men, who ar
ways began thtr by proposing division Of
land, and generally Of both and and The rapacous
proconsu at tie head of his army, pundered provinces
that he might fast and entertain the ndoen and cen
ous voters OF Bome who preferred to receive their bread
from patrcan r wealthy asprants for power rather than
the reward f honest toll To such extent did this
system proceed that could hope for great public
honors who hadot the to reach them through the
distribution Of tas to the people. Cesar triumph
ed far by he distribution Of the of
which he punded Gaul than by the fame of his great
military achievenents This evil had its origin in the
distribution of land and by the Government, which
was greatly increased when it extended to the pro-
ynces and at length be initiated by all wealthy
candidates for pblic favor people that will receive
largesses from Government win not long preserve its
freedom.
Is not the Uniod States so situated as to be liable to
great dangers from the of similar policy
Every that breaks upon shore bears upon its
bosom portion Of the population of the Old World
landless, and seeking home in this country. In the
course OF i've years they generally added TO the
of voters They win desire gratuitous donations Of
lands well that portion of native population
seeking homes in the States and Territories In time
this population win constitute large party demanding
frequent divisions of the public lands 1t is natural that
what is easily acquired is disspated and those who
have once received this bounty, they may e-
gally transfer it. viii be again found without lands and
clamorous for further division. desire distinction
between the nate and adopted citizen in relation TO this
subject If you ionate to the one give to the other But
this bill will simulate to emigration thousands in Europe
who cannot the land in the West after they arrive
in our Atlantic cities. They coming fast enough at
best quite ra,idy provide for them and edu
cate them to system Of government Eight thousand
lately landed in New York in single week. have
it stated that thGe 600 900 in France of popua-
ton of 50000 00, in absolute want or obtaining diff
cult and precarus subsistence which is constantly liable
to terminate IN actual desttution. The proportion is
nearly largein other European countries They have
hope for III, future for themselves and children, but
in emigration The property in those countries,
for their saey, contributing argeyt TO send them
to this continen. They viii fast enough without
any artificial stnuans from the legislation Of Congress
In connexion with this subject may state, as re-
marabe fact that most Of the candidates for the Pres
dency Old Fogy and Young have avowed themselves In
favor Of some measure Of this sort 1t is teraby appa
that each Presidential election viii be preceded by
some propositions Of this character The Presidency will
be put up il market overt by Of free farm
bills, If this MEASURE is adopted by Congress Such
agrarian policy will have further injurious tendency
TO prevent permanent improvements and high state Of
agriculture for the who looks forward TO aliena
ton of his homestead in few years will not expend any
labor upon his farm than be requisite 10 tenn
porary and INDISPENSABLE structures and improvements
His eyes win always be turned the great forests and
plains beyond the present population IL is not Of
the least objections this bin that these donations Of
the public lands will stimulate TO higher degree the al
ready too migratory spirit Of our people.
II must be Obvious that the appetite which the dona-
ton Of farm to every who will 20 upon the public
domain viii engsnder cannot be arrested by partition Of
lands. The men in the cities viii come TO say,
You have given away to settlers the public lands
common property 10 the purchase Of which contrbu
ted with our taxes and military services do JUS
tce: to the West TO cultivate the land
have been bred mechanical pursuits and know other
avocaon therefore, give food and rament Of equal
value with the land which you have already distributed
70 the favored rural population" And how you
resist the force of the argument, when you have
began this endless system Of largesses9 No. the Just
policy the citizen is TO sell him at moderate price the
land which he may desire TO ncdcate selfreEance and
industry instead Of dependence upon the bountes Of
rtories who have been the pioneers the Government
ought not to 90 beyond liberal pre-empton system,
which will enable the INDECENT cutvator to realize from
the soil sufficient to purchase his land
II this idea Of giving away the lands to actual settlers
shall prevail in the legislation Of the country II viii
be found to have result the very of that which
many Of its advocates anticipate and intend II will not
build up class Of independent yeomen. They who get
land for nothing win sell IL cheapy. The donee after
few wears will retire still further and his lands will for
trie be transferred to capitalists TO be held ut
enormous price, and thus, for long time, withdrawn
G..-1 l. 1.x. 49, IA 49, ALx..