Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-04-30
HOMESTEAD BILL.

HOMESTEAD BILL.
Congress has given railroads the States for inter.
mol improvement and to soldiers for bounties within the
last years nearly hundred millions acres of the
public lands"
This paragraph is taken from Mr. Stephens
speech on the Homestead Bill, delivered few
days since in the lower House of Congress. One
hundred millions acres of the public domain, at
the price of 81 25, amounts to u tolerably large
sum taken out of the federal treasure for distrbu-
tion among the new free soil States. Since we
first took the control of this paper have de-
nounced in unmeasured terms this piratical sys-
tenn of squanderng by partial distribution the
rich inheritance of the Government. The prin-
cipa strength Of our objection is moi found in the
money publicly and shamelessy robbed from the
treasury, nor does it consist in the loss sustained
by the old States of great sums of which they
are, many of them, sadly in want, and to which
they are, all of them fairly and honestly entitled
But the strength of our objection is to be found in
the great accessons which the system has made,
and is making and will continue to make, to the
wealth and population of the free soil States.
The most valuable portions of the public lands lie
within the confines of those States. No matter
when sold or to whom the settlement and cult
walton of so rich heritage must enure to the
benefit of the State in which it is contained 1t
must be the means at some time other of still
further increasing the political preponderance of
abolition power This is one of the necessities of
our condition-itis an imperious decree of fate.
Thus far we are in the meshes of destiny, and
wisdom calls upon us to submit with dignity
But, reader, this is not the whole of the evil-our
most dangerous enemies are not only to wax
strong from natural causes, whose silent action
builds up as it throws down the empires
of men, but those enemies have received and are
to continue to receive the direct and powerful as,
sistance of Congress, which was instituted as the
common parent of us all. To the advantage of
having the richest portion of the public domain in
their midst, the first form that the Congressional
favour takes, is give alternate sections those
States for the purpose of building railroads, the
very things above all others that the people of
Virginia at this time want. See how it works
the people of Virg mia are not favourites with
Congress, and they who gave Washington to his
country, have to build their railroads and dig
their own canals. For, say the members, with
their hands upon their sleek, well-fed stomachs,
sour conscience wont allow to give old Virginia
nois after our old State has been pushed out OF
DOORS steps up to the bar of Congress and says in
the positive language of spoilt child, that they
want railroads and it isn't convenient for those
States to build them,--that money is scarce, and
what's more, if Congress don't make the road
with money or public land, why they'll Just cole
for the Wings. Now mark the change. The
Congressional conscience, which we feel quite GER
tain lies in the belly, is at set at res and
hundred millions Of acres Is roted to the free
States to build roads and dig canals, which, whilst
they will add to the wealth and population of the
free States, will operate to draw off both from the old
States, Virginia especially. In other Words they
draw the blood from veins inject it into that
of our enemies.
Now this Homestead bill is part of the same
system. Could better plan be devised speedily
to populate these new States, than to cut up the
public lands in them into farms of 100 acres and
gare them away to actual settlers What an
inducement to the Virginia people to desert their
homes Here they are struggling under a super
incumbent weight of debt, which Congress is in
part answerable for in not letting have fair
portion Of the public lands, with which to liqui-
date 1t. So much for causes to induce them to
look out for new home. They naturally look
South, towards Arkansas or Texas, but they are
diverted from that slave territory by the liberal
offers held out by Congress to settle in the free
States. Congress is offering a bonus to the
people of the old slave States to abandon their
homes and become free soil uoters. And we are
not surprised at it, for the majority in Congress
are from free States and interested in adding to
their own strength and detracting from that of
the South. In brief space of time they will
have power enough to crush us. They are feeding
those young Western giants to do the work for
them, and that is not the worst of it, they are fee
ding them with our substance. In less than ten
years, under the fostering hand of Congress, the
free States will become powerful nations, and the
slave States starved by the same policy that mad
the others fat, will become the vassals of their
pleasure. Caught, then, in the folds of this fede-
raj anaconda, the South, crushed and mangled, can
only fill the horid nav of the greedy mon
ster.
Wehave said that we could comprehend why the
members OF Congress from the free States should
like such policy, tori builds up the reesoi po,oer
but why, we ask why do the Democratic men,
bers from the South, whose constituents are to be
the victims, aid in the unhallowed scheme -
Must every thing be made to bow party! Must
we be made to sacrifice not only equity and the
constitution, but our own safety and our
homes and families to this power which stands be-
hind the law and is greater than the lawl The
principle of party is now grown to be savage
idol-for the Democratic members of Congress
with horrid rites sacrifice its bloody altars not
only their country, but in their impious ZEAL they
treat their party like an Aztec deity, and sacrifice