Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1853-11-30
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RALEIGH, "WEDNESDAY, NOV. 80, 1853.
THE HOMESTEAD AND BENNETIss BILLS.

H.
per to the Baltimore platform. He will find there
no approval of either Johnsons or Benefits bill.
The Register argues against this :" free farm
proposition, and draws gloomy picture of the re-
suit on North Carolina by presenting to her landless
sons the captivating idea" of farm the public
lands be had for nothing 1t says that under such
policy Z" our State would be depopulated by gen.
eral rush of our andless feloB-ctzens to the free
homesteads in the valley of the Mississippi or be-
yond the Rocky Mountains!" We do not believe
this. The State would no doubt lose many of her
citizens if either Johnson's BENEFITS bill were to
become law but should not be "depopulated."
One thing is certain, however, our landless fellow
citizens whom the Register seems to be in fear of
losing would enjoy, even beyond the Rocky Noun
tans" what they do not herc-the right to vote for
all public servants who pass upon their lives and
property; in other words they would have voice,
whether andless" not in all the affairs of gov
ernment, which the Register persists in denying to
them here.
This is not the first attempt to hold the Democratic
party responsible for the Homestead Bill. Mr. Kerr
tried it last summer and answered thus by Gov.
Reid:
"Gov. Reid said he had something further to tell
the people about the public lands. lie was much
opposed to the Homestcadbill pending before Con-
menced the canvass, Mr.. Kerr and the Wing party
declaring that Congress was giving the public
lands to the States and pundering and defraud-
ing the old States of their rights The they re-
lied upon to prove their assertions the appropri-
alton made for the Illinois Rail Road. This they al
legged was great outrage! Now, said Gov. Reid, if
this Illinois bill perpetrated this fraud and outrage
the other States, Willard Fillmore was bound to veto
it. One line would have done the work Now Mr..
Kerr and the Wing leaders are commencing Willard
Fillmore worthy of your confidence and support,
and insisting that he is their first choice for Presi
dent, while, according to their own statements he
is signing bills to defaud you out of the public ands
If these appropriations were right the Wings ought
not to complain of them if they were, as they al
legc wrong and fraudulent, then to say the least,
the, must have been "hasty and inconsiderate, and
Mr. Fillmore ought to have vetoed them. Gen. Jack
son was Democrat, and when Claws land bill pass
ed he thought it did the old States injustice and lie
refused to sign it. This is the way for Wings to do
Not while their President is signing bills to plumber
you of your lands, they allegc tell you at the
time he is the man you ought to elect to take
care of your rights"
But the Register comes out unequivocaly for Ben
nett's Bill Such bill Benefits" says that
paper is absolutely necessary to insure the partici
patton of North Carolina i'll the property of
the nation" Such bill as Benefits IA bill
which gave Arkansas, with representative in
Congress- tcice much land North Carolina with
nine representatives "a bill which dictated to the
States the purposes to which they should apply the
lands!-a bill, which, if its principles were fully car
rCd out would not only deprive the general govern
mcnt of all income from this source but would work
the grosses injustice to the old States for the benefit
of the new. And this, be it remembered is from
papcr-the organ of Whiggery-which claims to be
a champion of the rights of the old States in these
lands, and is filled, week by week. with charges a
gainst the Democrats of being more friendly to the
new States than the old! Suppose all the lands
fourteen hundred millions Of acres were divided ac-
cordng to the plan of Benefits bill-f North Caro-
lima, one of the old States got fifty millions of acres
Arkansas, one of the least of the new States would
get one hundred millions What then, would pre-
vent Arkansas and the other States, holding
threefourths of the lands, and the lands too being
within their limits from controlling the land market
to compel the old States to hold theirs until
taxes consumed them, to sell them at shilling
acre? And this is the way-by such bill as Ben
netts that the Register proposes to pour at once
into our State Treasury two millions of dollars
Why, what is the Editor "up TOP Where has he
been? What will he not say nexti If the public
lands are to be divided, we hold they ought not
to be- in the name of all that is fair and just let us
not hear of " such bill as Benefits" We protest,
in behalf of North Carolina, against any and all such
injustice. If the policy of the federal government
to be changed in this respect let the old States
who fought for and founded it. at least have some
equitable consideration for the sacrifice. If the new
States have the power, hold they have not and
never can have, to pass such bill as Benefits"
through Congress, and if the President should ap-
prove it. as we believe he will not do why let the
new States so act; they will find but few voices in
the old States with the exception of that of the Ra
leigh Register, who will commend them for the act,
and hail it as absolutely necessary for the public
welfare.
The Register, we have shown appears to be
greatly troubled at the idea that day other
homestead bill will be enacted which will operate
to depopulate" North Carolina. Now what would
be the difference between homestead bill and di
vision of the lands among the States? Even sup
posing that the different States could hold their lands
under the pressue of the taxes upon them and the
inroads of squatters, how long would it take them
to sell them? Could they sell fourteen hundred mil
lions of acres for fourteen hundred millions of dol
lars? How many CALIFORNIA; and Australias' would
it require to produce that sum? Could they get
even seven hundred millions of dollars for the num-
Der of acres mentioned? Where, again ask,
would the money to pay for them be found? Why,
seven hundred millions of gold and silver would alb
sorb the entire metallic currency of the world all
Europe all America all Africa, all Asia, and all the
isles of the might flock hither to buy land, and
moht TINS invest their canital and still we shoHld