The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-02-20

that quality OF our population upon which depends the
success oil our instulions--f mean its homogeneous
character believe that oil the measures which
proposed would have just such an effect To give
every man farm, 10 put down the lands TO mere nominal
prices, TO hold out the idea OF giving farm 10 every man
who comes here from abroad as he reaches our
country, would have the effect to turn the emigration TO
particular section OF the country and produce results
like those TO which have referred cay, sir that we
ought 10 treat The stream OF emigration and population
precisely like that oil commerce and tradeleaye all open
TO free competition under just and equal laws, resorng
10 no extravagant Legislation, and giving unnatural
direction nor false and artificial impulse to IT.
| How would such system as | have proposed operate
upon the new States In my opinion II would be em
nently beneficial In the first place, il would help their
finances, giving them liberal and generous Iemunera-
uon aud one which they ought 10 receive for their
trouble IN administering The lands and ~ the next place.
Il would enable them to regulate the policy OF selecting
their lands according TO their views and interests,
and all parties in the Union would be benefited by the
fact that these land States would become
tive upon questions Of this character, They would be-
break kwaters against hasy and mischevous nnova
tons and the opponents OF any scheme which had for It's
object the giving away of the public lands in The
States and Territories 10 anybody and everybody who
would come and settle Tor time upon them. And, sir.
they would be emineny benefited by acquiring means
and facilities for purposes of sustaining their own gov
eminent, and they would avoid the temptation which
would otherwise be held TO them TO force these lands
into market rapidly Than they wanted for actual
settlement 1t me, sir. that there two points
in the land policy in which the new States are espe.
ciay interested one s that long as there are wild
ment their own; and the is. that, when they
so they should be sold faster than they wanted
for purposes OF actual settlement because, il sold faster,
they would be monopolized by capitalists and specu-
ators. They would be held in large quantities vast
inequalities would be found in the landed estates OF indi
vduals; and the seed would be sown from which would
spring the harvest of troubles which we have
witnessed in the late anti rent disturbances IN New
York But this is not ALL Stating the whole OF the diff
cues these lands will be sold not tin in reference to pub
with slngle view TO private interests and individual de-
sires Neither the population the land would be dis
iribu,ed easily and equally under the direction which
looked alone 10 the supply OF the wants for actual settle
ment And further sr, say that this result o monopo-
lzng the land in private hands would take place whether
the United States undertake TO sell the lands for mere
nominal price, whether you adopt the idea OF giving to
every man a farm. The moment you exceed the demand
for actual settlement in your sales or gifts the excess will
be sold at prices low as to enable individuals and CON-
panes engross large quantities. and withdraw them
| from market for a long time al least
seems 10 me the new States are especially interested
in preventing any policy which would force sale OF the
public lands rapidly than they wanted Tor ac-
tua settlement and in that fact you have guarantee
these lands Their financial wants, and the interests OF
those amongst them who already hold lands, would pre-
vent them from putting them too low, as 10 force them
into market too rapldy and on The other hand the nau-
raj desire increase the population would probably put
them SO low would fully satisfy the demands or SET
tlement The result OF all this would be TO concentrate
the advancing column OF population penetrated INTO
The wilderness it would march with more measured
tread, perhaps but certainly with more assured and
\ hrmer pace. -
New States would not be brought in SO rapidly as
heretofore but when they they would enter with
a maured thought, and perhaps, wiser purpose
al any rate, with purpose consistent with those OF
the residue of the conederacy. Our population would
probably not be much dispersed il has been by laws
which tempted too rapidly and too far into the wilder
ness for agree with the senator from Tennessee that the
too rapid extngushment OF The Indian title has probably
had this effect.
II the policy which have, indicated should have the
effect OF concentrating hat population in
The new Sales and OF consolidating as said before, the
advancing column OF emigration IT would be benehcal,
as II seems me- TO all the States new and old for
while on the one hand, population would thus be dis
trbuted more equally, on the other these new societies
would have time TO complete their organization,
and TO assmlae themselves TO the residue oil he system
TO which they were TO be attached
Sir in whatever point OF view look at the question,
eminent moral and political advantages to be derived
from in,rusting the administration OF this property to the
States themselves. But acknowledge that in all thus
have been chiefly acuated by wish to diminish 80
far be done the patronage OF the general gov
the States. have been anxious TO remove from this
body all temptation TO system oil legislation which may
lead to strife between sections and classes have been
desirous the country from the morliyng spec
ace OF beholdng this vast public property thrown into
the aprize for coniendlng sections or worse,
the stake for which classes were to play IN a sui
more imbitered rivalry. And. sir, believe mat II
ever the day should when the States OF The con-
ederacy shall look 10 The government for The means oil
filling their Golfers, and when individuals shall look 10
federal legislation for the means OF making private io-
tunes or oi obtaining livelihood not as return Tor ser
vices rendered. but in consideration of votes be given,
that then the work OF corruption will have been doDe,
and the decentralization OF public opinion Will be com
plee Who sir, can estimate sufficiently the importance
OF preserving pure and untaned the public opinion oil a
country The soundness unsoundness OF public opin
ion constitutes all the difference between capacity and
neapacity for free institutions Upon the public opIn-
ION OF this country depends, alter all the success oil our
experiment in government Without pure and enght-
ened public opinion to execute constitution and laws,
what would either be worth Not the paper SIR upon
which they written. Show corrupt state OF pub
lie opinion, and | will show you people who not only
require a despotic government, but who need law Tor
almost everything On the other hand, II perfectly
pure and enlightened public opinion were possible, such
people would scarcely require a law or anything lie,
SIR, who would faint and polute this would infect the
atmosphere which breath, and would poison The
spring from which drink for 1t is the very element IN
which our institutions "liye and move and have Their
being" We may have strife between different sections
we may have lurmoils in our legislation; we may have
of personal ambition; here and there we may Ind ex-
element among portions OF The people but these are The
bubbles which loat upon the surface, while be-
meath strong without, rage flows the deep curren, OF the
sober second thought OF the people, which viii sweep
away every obstruction IN lis course 10 empire so long as
il follows The landmarks which wisdom and experience
have established define it's limits and direct its way
I Mr. BELL. | would not ask the indulgence OF the
Senate for the purpose OF adding anything upon this sub
ect TO the extended remarks which made yesterday,
except TO reply few of the structures oil the bonora-
bic senator from Virginia.
As TO his suggestions in reference to the graduaon OF
the prices OF the public lands by scale regulated by he
number OF years the lands have been in market be
eve that project has been or twice discussed IN
former years and know that great deal may be SAID
upon il, The argument is plausible. and Congress seems
L.ro ha