Weekly national intelligencer., 1852-05-22

for houseess wanderers, to compensate surviving
soldiers for suferngs and losses incurred in recent
wars But the general effect of it has been as every
one knows, to draw from the Treasury and put in
the pockets of certain number Of Individuals SO
much money as those land-warrants would command
In the market: for not one in hundred of them,
it may be presumed, will have been located by its
original owner for his own or his familys use and
benefit The professed object of that act, however,
was the same as that of early Agarian laws Of the
Roman Republic, readily passed by the Senate,
who (say the historians) never opposed Agrarian
laws but when their own possessions were threat
ened by them
Without going into the particulars Of the success
sive Agrarian Laws instituted or attempted during
two or three centuries preceding the Christian Era
let us come down to later time, when julius Caesar
being Consul proposed law to divide the fertile
territory OF Campania, until then farmed out and
yielding revenue to the State, among those citizens
OF Rome having at least three children, and provd
ing that any deficiency in the quantity of land ne
cessary for this purpose should be made up by pur-
chase to be paid for out Of funds in the Treasury OF
the Republic This proposition laid the foundation
OF Cesar popularity twenty thousand aged citizens
Of Rome being in it. and at least hundred
thousand sharing the largess Bibulus Caesars
colleague in the Consulate) opposing the project,
and not consenting to convoke the Senate to pass
uponH, Caesar, seeming in fact to respect the law
in virtue Of which the Senate could not be convoked
by one Of the Consuls without the consent of the
other, did not convene the Senate: but he assem-
bled and appealed to the masses of the People, and
they seconded marvellously his design. Bibulus
had like to have been assassinated, and Cato, who
also opposed the law, was torn from the tribune.
The law was adopted, and, by a pleJiscituns, the
Senators, under pain of being declared enemies of
the Republic, were compelled to swear to observe
that law. This was the foundation of the fortunes
of Caesar, and eventually raised him to the Dicta-
torship. After the battle of Pharsaa, and his re-
turn in triumph from his victory in Africa over
Scipio, Cato, and the other Republicans, Caesar
granted to the soldiers even more land than he had
beforehand promised, and in doing SO carved out
among his veterans lands the property of private
citizens wrested for that purpose from their legti
mate owners. The rest of the story of Caesar and
his fortunes we need not tell We have selected the
facts Of the Agrarian laws dictated by him as the
best authenticated and most worthy of credit.
There are, however, as we have said, differences of
opinion among historians as to the extent Of the
disregard of the rights of property involved in the
frequent Agrarian laws of Rome; and they have
not been without apologists among European COM
mentators. But there is reliable testimony to
the injustice and perfdy Of such legislation,
respecting which we may quote, conclusive, a
passage from Cicero's Offices" (book I'd, chapter
81 translated as follows
"Those men who wish to make themselves popu-
lar, and who for that purpose, either attempt agra
rian laaos, order to drioe people from, their pos
sessions, or who maintain that creditors ought to
| forgive debtors what they owe, undermine the
foundations Of the State: they destroy all concord,
which cannot exist when money is taken from one
man to be given to another; and they set aside
justice, which is always violated when every man
is not suffered to maintain what is his own"
The preceding brief historical sketch exhibits the
character of the Agrarian Laws, to some of which, in
manner and form, the disposition of the Public
Lands proposed by the Homestead Bill" bears
so near a resemblance. There are, it is true, in
that BILL certain restrictions and requirements of
actual settlement, &C., which would no doubt be
rigdy observed by the public officers in putting the
bill into operation But how long will these re-
strictions endure? We have experience enough of
the action both in the State Governments and the
General Government, under like circumstances, to
enable us to answer that question. The State of
Texas gave away her lands in quantities of one hun
dred and sixty (and in larger quantities) to
actual settlers. How long it before the condi-
ton Of actual settlement was released by the State
The necessary consequence was, it will be- that
the lands passed into few hands at low price, and
are now to large extent, withheld from settlement
to the prejudice of the substantial interests of that
State. In the National Government, even, only
year and half ago. Congress granted to the surviving
officers and privates Of the army and the militia
who had served three months or more in the war of
1872 tracts of land in different quantities. the war.
rants for which were prohibited from being assign
able or transferable and already, at this session. an
act Of Congress has revoked that restriction, and
the warrants are already sold in the market at
duced prices, and will be absorbed at the landofces,
the money value thereof having passed into the
pockets of the grantees instead of the vaults of the
Treasury With these precedents staring us in the
face it cannot be doubted that similar reaxations
would take place in the terms Of any future dona-
tons of lands. MORGAN it be doubted in the least
that further distributions Of the public domain