Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1852-05-13
The Homestead Bill.

Much able and interesting discussion has
been elected in the consideration Of this bill,
the present session of Congress. Among the
many excellent speeches that have been male
upon it, is that of the Hon. Thomas j. d Full
Ter, member of the House, from the Eastern
District of our State. His remarks are highly
creditable to him, as a sound and cogent rea-
soner, and he takes the true position for a
Maine man to occupy. Hr | l-irr
The Homestead Bill purports to be "a Bill
to encourage Agriculture, Commerce, Manu-
features, and all other branches of industry,
by granting to every man (and widow who is
the head of family and citizen of the Unit
ed States homestead of one hundred and six
ty acres of land out of the public domain, up
ON condition of occupancy and cultivation of
the same for certain period. specified" The
title of the Till is specious, and its Objects if
correctly set forth, laudable enough, but there
is, very evidently, principle involved in the
matter. of no slight Importance. There is a
question whether Congress has any right to
appropriate or set apart, for any particular OBJ
ject, that which it only holds by virtue of
deeds of cession from the separate States, for
general objects. The public lands were coded
to the general government "for the common
use and benefit of the United States" original
ly-and they have since been devoted to cor
responding purpose, that of securing the pay
ment of the public national debt. An act of
the 4th of August, 1870, provides that the
funds coming from the sale of these public
lands, shall be appropriated to the payment of
the public national debt. In lS47, Congress
authorized loan of twenty-three millions land
by an act approved Jan. 2sth, funds received
from the sale of the public LANDS were pledged
for the payment of the stock created under the
provisions of the Loan Act, for the interest on
stocks issued under the Act, and finally for the
purchasing ofthe stocks at par value. Under
these provisions, right in the soil was secured
TO every man at price which would be con-
sidered merely nominal, at the same time that
the treasury had>a great resource in the sale Of
the lands, and thus they were "held for the
common benefit of the country" But appro-
pirate these lands to different use, SO that
nothing may be received from this source OF
revenue, and there will be deficit in the
treasury, that must be met in some other man.
ner. contingency may possibly be created,
making very plausible pretext for high tar
if, which would be SO agreeable 10 the whig
party. This matter is SO ably presented by
Mr.. Fuller, that we lake the liberty of quoting
him at length. He said: -arg sd I-Io9U
-
By the exhibit of the finances, in the annual
report Of The secretary Of the treasury, January
9th, 1852, it appears our public debt is S62, :
$50 ,395 26-annual interest on this debt is
$3,s79,6 70. r'7 70 500 O. ',.,'6is'
Ii You adopt the pelicy that the public lands
shall no longer be source of revenue, YOU
create deficit in the treasury 10 the amount OF
millions per year. N''"0
You collected the last fiscal year, in the
form of duties on importa,ions, $49. 600 600
That is an average of over two dollars per
head for every man, woman and child, black
aud white, bond and free, in the United States,
as per your last census. The State of Maine.
has 5s5 900 inhabitants, or Whereabouts The
proportion of ANIMAL revenue paid by Maine is
between Sl,l00,000 and 81 Zoo, 900. So
much does Maine contribute annually to sup
port tne extravagancies of the national govern
g ouOuut vi Tue Stale lax OF
Maine, is about $2o5 900. Each ipbabi,ant al
Name therefore, pays. annually over two dol
lars Tor the support Of the general government.
and trlfe over third of dollar for The sun'
port of her state government.
Maine is essentially commercial and mara
time state, and upon every principle in the
world she should be free-trade state. She i
50; and all commercial restrictions are hamn.
efs and letters OF her navigation.
Mr.. Calhoun said, in his celebrated speech
in'ie4i, IN opposition TO Mr.. Claws distribu.
uon scheme of the proceeds of the sales of the
Pu1lc iands among the several states, which
became law September 4, 1871: ~
Inc fatal effects Of high duties on com.
merce are no longer a ina,ierF or sDecula,;rT "
Hne country has recently passed through two
lsfiods enc of protective tariff. and hioh d,.
ne: snd tAe@other, Of reduction ~ dy,;s ~.
snd we have the efFec, Of each in our rts;e eS
ts6lss, both Is regards our tonnage and icsrn
nerce. They speak language nor 10 III <.
Misunderstood, and far stronger than any on Ds
could anticipate who has not looked INN ,hs
tables, or made himself well acquainted win
the powerful operation of low dotiesa in ex.
sending Navigation and commerce. AS mucf
- I-hsJ anticipated from their effects, the. re-