The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-04-09

VINO 10 The head OF a family, and citizen of tn
United States, a homestead of one hundred m,
sixty acres OF land out Of the public domain, 40
on condition of occupancy and cultivation of th
same, for the period herein specified"
10 The Honorable Members of The Senate and yyo,,,
9 Representatives..
native citizen OF the United tates and IN hum
Die employee OF the Government, respectfully pre-
SCENTS to your honorable body that he is one OF
very numerous class OF persons who would be bene
flied by the bill quoted above by its title and beg
leave to set forth briefly why the passage of sucl
aiaw, ny the representatives Of the people, will
not Only enure to his benefit and hundred thou
sand othcrs in like circumstances, but will ad,
to the wealth and prosperity of the country, ane
promote the stability and pcrpetuity Of the Gov
eminent
The public domain, which the Government holds
in trust for the people, is estate of vast di.
mensions, containing the elements of unbounded
national wealth, and field for unlimited indiyid-
ual enterprise. Its vastness and cbcapness- for
what 10 plenty and common is alwa VS. cheap-haye
caused II to be considered an Uncomfortable item
In any estimate OF the nations resources, and
hence II Is regarded drug in the market md
ito value trihcd with. Tracts which have been
passed ny as second rate, have been reduced 10 q
lower minimum in hope Of finding purchasers:
swamp lands, the richest in the world, have been
given 70 the States to be reclaimed; millions on
millions have been donated to old and young SOL
diers and their heirs; and other millions granted
or about to be granted to aid internal improve
nents. The nation is 30 rich, ii knows not what
to do with it's riches The Government is like a
child, with new trunk full of toys, overwhelmed
with its good fortune. The just conc fusion from
all these facts is that the Government and the ma
ton desire tho public lands TO be settled and i'm
proved. Every acre brought under cultivation
adds to the nations wealth aud resources. But
settlers cannot be found for vast an area in a
day, or year, or a generation; nor purchasers
Of liar nd n
quarter.
II, then, ii is desirable to have the public lam
Settled II purchasers cannot be found, the question
arises whether II will accrue more to the public be-
net to let thefands remain waste, donate them to
actual settlers! Will the nation be richer by pro-
ducing an immediate income from them through
Individual enterprise, letting them remain until
ny chance, at future day, purchaser may be
found! That must be poor guarter-secton which,
alter two or three years. cultivation, will not send
two hundred dollars worth Of breadstuf or pro
visions to market, besides sustaining its cultvaors
The immediate profit will be, it should be, to
the producer; the permanent gamer will be the
nation. The Government has not received two
hundred dollars for the land, but il has employed
agencies which will continoc to operate, in in
creased ratio In multiplying the national wealth
and resources. One thing is certain. There lies
the soil, III untold abundance and of unknown fer
dhty, q magazine Of nexhaustible resources--Tc
sources enough to enrich the world--inviting occu
pancy and Development; and here, around the ca
pital, and all through the old States, iDultudes
forth and develop those resources, encountering
all the toll, and privations, and hardshps incident
to the task. VIII it not be for the public interest
to unite these elements for the production of
tional wealth? Who will be the gamers. and who
can be the losers, by such union!
We do not complain OF the bounty to old soldiers
To be sure we do not exactly perceive wha claim
they had upon the Government nor why they
should be entitled to its bounty, any more than
multiudes OF other public servants whose accounts
have been July paid Tor SERVICES rendered.; or any
moro than their poor ellowctizens who have spent,
not three months or q three years' campaign in
war, but half lifetime in laborious, perhsps unre
Quilted, toll. To come of us, unambitious Of war,
II looks like Offering pre- mum for boodshcd, like
promoting the sword over the ploughshare,
instrument Of human welfare. But we have not
complained Of this bounty; we deferred il to the
wisdom Of Congress, and like good citizens acqui-
osced in the result. We, however, honestly be-
Hevc, and as frankly say, that it will probably
crue as much TO the welfare of the State, to give
actual settlers each fraction Of land, a null
titude oil non residents, who will transfer their
rants Tor little ready money, and leave the profits
to speculators. Bot let not Congress find a diem.
ma here. In addition to the former bounty. let
every old soldier or his legal heirs be entitled to
homestead under the present bill.
The rpirt OF the age 10 liberal, tending, by the
concurrent voice Of public opinion to amelioratc
the condition Of unfortunate humanity. Selling
the debtor for his debts was once practiscd by
ancestors. ae Il Ia at present by halfcivilized
tons; now 1t is considered in own country not
only inhuman, but the very worst you
make OF debtor, even to imprison him. Not only
are brutal and 5arbafous punishInenls abolished
as the pillory, cropping, whipping, branding, 30
generally praciised even half century ago-bu,
strong disposition manifested to tighten toll, re-
ievc The burdencd help the helpless This is the
true spirit Of Christianity. The Saviour of men
came To heal the sick, elevate the depressed, feed
the hungry, console the desponding-not TO ag
grandizc the prosperous The State exemption
laws constitute remarkable feature of the age, in
ahencvo'cnt direction. Let not the selfish or the
rich regard these laws throwing the INDECENT
upon tircir shoulders. Depend upon IL, the bur
dens OF these laws, as affecting society, will be
thrown upon the peor, well as tina. their bcnc-
fits will accrue TO them.
In Offering few observations on the personal
and practical effects of this BILL shall not belittc
lnyseIf and the hard 6stcd fraternity whose causc
plead In your estimation, by prcsuming TO give
your honorable body lesson on political economy.
Your honors know infinitely better than we do
what constitutes n Ststc-iis power, greatness,
stability, permancnce; whether poverty is prefer.
able to competence; whether free labor is better
than bireliDg labor; whether frceholding IL To be
preferred 10 tenancy. Indeed, the philosophers OF
this science cruss each others track reciangu-
larly, prove every thing so conolusIyely and draw
their conclusions so exclusively from their own
political notions, that, 20 the mass Of plain
hotncspuns, the Whole subject s clear mud.
One class OF these economists tell us the consumer
most be brought To the Sc OF the producer 90 cot up
his surplus; another class souty insist that entire
freedom OF trade md free and open market are
only compatible with true republication. We &c
proposed bill intend TO produce, and supply our
brethren following ns, who for year or two, as
they arrive will be chiefly consumers when this
market ials, We will dig into the earth and sppro
pirate it's mineral resources. On the other la nd,
are free traders in a large scnse. Gods blc-s-
iDgs 10 man should be as free iIis own sunlight
and air We go for free hcsds and hands, and
thoughts and actions-frcc labor, and unrcstiictcd
dsposa Of it's products 80 that, il you drive Us
into politics stall frccrnen snd patriots
Hang us on either horn, and we are safe end con
tent But IL may not be amss TO repeat the trite
remark that oil the weolih in the world lie the pro
duct OF Iabor. A lot in Wall street large enough
svr bankers office will sell ior 8 100, 900; a thou
Sand square miles of the western prairies arc not
worth sSpence. Such are the results Of patient,
enduring toll But the misery IL, that few
scheming heads have monopoiizcd multitude of
hands. God made the bead noblcr than the hand;
the one looks upward, the other reaches down
ward the one - the lord, the other the servant
We would endoavor TO rostorc their mutual de-
pendence 10y making every head competent TO di
rect it5 own hands in their ipseparnble destiny.
Thus there would be fewer hands left for schcrn
ing beads TO work with, and greater opening for
such heads to set their bat ds TO work.
But, with all due respect do not suppose that the
:. =. 49,. II. 49,.