Weekly national intelligencer., 1852-05-22

the House of Representatives, in speech of one Of
the Democratic opponents of the Homestead
BilI never demanded that the Government should
/" furnish him a farm; he was content if it proyid
+" ed him with employment and food; and the advo
cacy Of this comparatively moderate measure drove
Ledru Rollin and his associates into exile"
Meeting in this country no impedments to free
discussion and prosecution Of their several theories
Of the rights Of individuals and the duty of Govern
ments, there exists among considerable class OF
persons chiefly concentrated in those populous Cities
such as New York, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati, in
which are Incorporated the largest proportion of
immigrants from different parts of Europe, who are
more or less imbued with the false philosophy and
the doubtful and pernicous issues that have of late
years sprung up in those countries
The proselytes of these bns of foreign growth,
having become teachers in their turn, are un-
wearied in their exertions tutor to their purposes
all who hear or read them. Their doctrines are
preached from the pulpit, discussed in the lecture
rooms, and daily, ably, and adroitly handled in
certain circle of affiliated public journals. We will
not here particularly allude to the most wilfu and
the most criminal of all these Isms our object being
only to show that the effect of the +" Homestead
Bill" will be, if finally passed, to give the sanction
Of law Of the United States to one of the first prin
cples Of the Socialist philosophy, viz the equalizng
by Legislative acts the landed property Of the coun
try The form in which this principle has hitherto
chiefly manifested itself is the countenance which
it has given to the anti-rent party, which, in the
largest Of the States named has undertaken to resist
by force the rights of property in land
Sofar from charging any such intention on the part
of the author of the Homestead Bill, Oet us
premise,) glad to believe that neither he nor
many gentlemen who have favored the Bill have
the least idea that they are playing into the hands
of the Socialists, Anti-Renters, and Co.; and it is
our aim to open their eyes, as well as those Of such
of our readers as have been dazzled by the taking
title and fair promises of that Bill, to its actual
afinities and tendencies.
We have at this moment before US volume of
Essays, Lectures, &c. from the pen of one of the
Socialist leaders in the city of New York-whom
we will not designate by name, because it is with
his arguments and not with him that we have to do
amongst which we find, besides several dscourses on
the "Emaancipatiom Of Labor" the "Oryaaization
Of Labor" the /" Social Architects," the Right
to Labor" &C., one with the title of "Land Re
form" From this last we quote as follows:
"NATIoNAL REFORM" says the writer, "is the
broad and sure base whereon all other reforms may
be safely erected. A single Ian of Congress,
profertng to each landless citizen patch Of the
Public Dom,aia-small but sufficient, when faith
fully cultivated for the sustenance of his family
and forbidding further sales Of the Public Lands,
except in limited quantities to actual settlers, with
suitable provision against future aggregation,
would promote immensely the independence, en-
ightenment, morality, industry, and comfort Of
our entire laboring population evermore."
This argument, it will be observed, is designed
to show the erpediency of the measure which it
the right to this dotation to every landless man
by the Government is proved by the writer, is as
follows:
Man, having conceded right to live, has a
necessary right also to reasonable share of those
{ means of subsistence which God has provided fol
9 and made virtually necessary to the whole human
family: Having right to liberty, he must have
consequently the right to 60 sQnaeohere on earth
and do what's essential to his continued existence
not By the purchased permission Of some other
man, OUt Oy UTtue ~ ms UtUhHOOu. having tIe
right to pursue his own happiness by any means
not inconsistent with the welfare and happiness of
Others he has the right to do son,echere, and to
be protected and justified in so doing"
After SO satisfactory an elucidaton of the right
of every man to possess himself of land not belong
ing to him, and of the duty of the Government to
protect and justify him in so doing, it would be
rank treason against Socialism for us to say another
word against the policy of the Homestead Bill"
We have said that this bill is well adapted,
though, we repeat, not intended, to carry out the
first principle of the Socalists-to establish, in the
language of the Lecture which we have quoted
above, " broad and sure basis on which other Re
forms may be safely erected" What these other
" Reforms" are we shall presently show.
1t is now three years ago that we transferred to
our columns (see National Intelgenccr of April 49,
ls49) from the Richmond "Times" an article CO
pied by that journal from New York paper, which
styled itself /" the organ of The National Reform
association" the most prominent leaders of which
were stated to be " the famous Gerrit Smith and
the Rev. G. c. Foster"
From that article we copy the following " Issues"
to which we ask the readers very particular at
tention:
tissues FOR ls49.
/" Land Limitation, Iaaliena6le Homestead, and
" Freedom, Of the Public Lands
appocpprTIvr MpASupTc