Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-07-10

aunuiOu uvars the STOCK upon IT worth two hundred
dollars and three hundred dollars cash. which he borrows
making IN all one thousand three hundred dollars for
section and half Of wild lands at one dollar and twenty
ve cents per acre He West with the intention
81 selling half his wild lands to procure stock and pay
the three hundred dollars loaned designing to cultivate
the other half that his two boys when they arrive
manhood, may each have an improved farm When he
arrives the homestead bill meets him. and he finds
himself In the precise condition he would have been in
had the Ohio farm, stock three hundred dollars and ALL
been sunk by an earthquake. His land will not sell for
TO repay the three hundred dollars loaned and he
is bankrupt.
Dst We are told that the loss in value upon wild lands
wiA fal upon speculators Never was there srester
sasbsr \ sss nv Ysk a. ~ s sos q q
sS.s M The edltsF s&@itf tsat !. we IN
" reduce the vaue Of Wild lsr but that st viii nc
destroy the market value Of lands lying Ave hundred p
thousand miles this side, or in Massachusetts, &c
Now, here is my whole argument admttedthere viii b
great depreciation of wild lands great loss h,
West and the only dispute is, upon what class win tn.
loss fall say, that nine tenths Of it will fa upon poor
men. Even the lands originally bought on speculation
are mostly held, in small lots by secondhand pur
chasers who have ory made partial payment upon them
and who still owe the specuator" twice what they will
sell for when they come to be greatly reduced in
price by the operations of this BILL Even where reside
old settled part of Ohio many Of poorer class Of
farmers are in the very condition here describe you
tor, and they will forfeit all they have paid upon it.
depreciation of only fifty cents would in many
effect this result 1t will be poor consolation
them 70 know that the speculator has also been de-
fraudea and ruined by the bill.
Butthe Tribune says it will stop to speculation -
in lands Why will it? Cannot spectators buy the al
tena sections, which the Tribune says the bill re-
servet, and which it says in few years will be in
demand Eat high prices y? Is not half of the public
enough for specuators And are not these
ed ;n9 II icd
wneier ine S.s reserve aas alternate sections.
think does not The truth is there is about as little of
certainty, logic or grammar in the bill there slof JUS
ce or wisdom do not which construction you give
It, But insist that the Tribune shall not argue it upon
both constructions at On either it is difficult to
how is to prevent speculation for there is nothing
In it to prevent the sale of the land be entered 1t
looks to me like grand scheme for future speculation
may, grant, break up some present speculaters but
viii it prevent speculation Under it land will be worth
merely the improvement upont In newysettled places
it will be considered souatter claim and any
speculator find enough of the squatters willing and
anxious to sell for song He will buy out the thrifess
and hold on for better prices from better class Of popu
afon The lands will be bit and slobbered all over very
like feed of thrown down to the hogs The specu
ator will choose the that bit the least they
VIII be cheapest though perhaps the most yauabe for
such farming viii not add much to the value Of land
How then, is the bill to prevent speculation and land
obbingT Whether there reserved sections or not
It viii not prevent speculation.
Another effect of the homestead bill will be to destroy
the home market of the farmer. 1t offers high bounty
The highest that could be offered farm e o. FL gg Eha
farmers from From the present population Of
the United Ses for by the express provisions Of the
bill 1t is confined TO them. The Of real estate
excluded They wi therefore, come either from those
who row idle those who now farming land which
they do hot own, those who engaged in manufac
turing and other departments Of labor than farming be
ing the who make the home market for the far
The idle will 60 of course-thcy are too lazy
work suppose they win consist in part of each Of the
two latter cassesthe rentees farm aborer and the
principally the latter Now, is il not
plain a the shining sum- let it be whichever class il
that the effect will be disastrous to the farmers To
duce renters hired aborers upon FARMS to enter and
occupy FARMS is simply to cultivate land with
the force is TO scatter the farmers over more
territory Do not all admit that already cultivate
much ground, and do not cultivate well enough What
agriculture needs in this country is higher order Of cu
tyaton-more hands TO the acre. denseness Of popula
tion and its civizng and humanizng effects upon the
people, and eeyang effects upon the value Of the lands
and it's productions With reference therefore, to those
now actually engaged in agriculture this is simply bill
increase the number and extent of their FARMS and
scatter them widely. Win any sane man call that
benefit to agriculture, or to those engaged in il?
think not
The new farmers, however, will come principally from
the manufacturing and mechanical departments Of labor
and in that event the effects viii be st disastrous
TO the agricultural interests The operation will be SIM
ply and inevitably TO increase the number Of farmers and
diminish the number in the other departments destroy
among those who consume, and to increase
competition among those who sell agricultural produc
tons The result must be dinuton Of price for agr
cultural productions and consequent further diminuon
Of the price Of the land itself defy any to escape
from this dilemma. The farmers must come from
or the other Of these two classes In either 1t
ruinous to the farming interest This can abundanty
prove by the paper referred TO, the Tribune for
strange il may SEEM II Is stranger than true that in
the very number Of that paper succeeding the
which 50 euogzed the homestead bill We have the fol-
lowing in an editorial on the tariff
"The policy which stops the building Of new mills and
shuts up the old ones and which the artisan from
OF agricultural products into competitor for their
sale can have no other effect than to scatter the people abroad
md remove them further and further from market"
am glad find that the editor Of this paper in sub
sequent numbers, is giving way doubts to whether
the form Of this bill is the best in the world and falling
back on his old plan Of prescriptions, which pro-
baby originally got from him. for have been for years
q regular reader Of his cheap and valuable paper.
class Of farmers, raising and offering in the
rutted markets undue and runous quantities Of cheap
grain, grown upon cheaper lands, win rule the prices,
and force those of all others down to the same runous
standards IL viii be step towards making the country
exclusively agricultural Show me such country-any
place. the world overland win show you a community
poor, degraded, and dependant Show place where
public improvements manufacturing and commerce keep
pace with agriculture and will shew you place where
he farmer is respected intelligent, and independent.
,oud name countries and,sssgn causes but have not
ime The former description Of farmers are rapidly going
ut Of fashion in this country The American system
he tariff railroads. and the promise of river and har
,or improvementsare lifting them out Of the mre and
,acing them upon the rock Pass this bill and they win
eapse again into their former character Of dependence
Hold your bounty to every body orsake the forge
he SPINDLE and the plane and 10 take to the plough and
very body win be farmer. All win have grain to SELL
md there win be to buy. Widely scattered and
rithout roads, the to build them bushel Of