The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-03-16
THE HOMESTEAD BILL.


We have been requested by friends al Straw
berry Point, to publish The Homestead bill, ans
rrpor, what its condition is before Conur S. -
We are unable now, to lay our hand upon tn,
oil, aud therefore cannot crafty our friends by
d its publication. Tae bill made some headwa,
in the Senate during the present winter, but ha.
) finally been crowded bnck to give Place to o,hsl
bills. The subjec, will be again revived mex
, December, ard we have no doubt will meet with
, more favor, than it seems 10 have me, with the
present session.
4 That it is a measure Of vital interes, to the
West, it seems to US, one question The
principle objection urged by its enemies, il, that
il will encourage an immigration TO the country,
which will be of no benefit to it. This We think
is iailacious, which all experience will prove
The first population Of Texas, were bold en-
ergetic enterprising, brave and hospi,ahe peo-
pie, who were enticed to that country, by the
liberal offers of land from the Mexican govern-
ment The population of C;egan are OF the
same character The inducement for people to
hazard trip of twenty eve hnndred miles,
through wilderness country. Inhabited only by
savages and wild beasts, is the government do.
nation of six hundred aud forty acres of land
when they reach there. lsit the indolent and
vicious that court trials, hardships and hazards
of this kind' By no means. True, there are
| few, who commit crimes in the old States, and
flee to escape detection and punishment to the
! frontiers; but they as likely to be found
where the government sells the land for dl.
lar and quarter an acre, as where il donates It.
| They are the common inheritance of every new
country. Tie frontier life is theirs from neces.
sty, and not from choice. 1t was the case in
this State some years ago, which many of the
older inhabitants, no doubt, well remember. Yet
this was no argument against the integrity, in
cus.ry and general good character of the inhab
itants. 1t was no love for such fugitives, that
the people were brought in contact with them,
but it was of the necessary evils Of from
tier LIE, which they had no power to overcome
The idea therefore, that the passage of this law,
would superinduce the immigration OF an indif
fercnt population to the country, is to Us pre-
pos,erous. An indolent man will never take
advantage Of such a law, because the very idea
of gratuitous distribution of land, presupposes
willingly undertake.
THE DETENTION OF THE MAILS At
GALENA.
The disappointmens and difficulties to which
the people of Dubuque and Northern Iowa,
have been subjected for some years, but more
especially for the last two years, in the trans
mission of their Eastern mails has been fruit
ful theme for discussion, complaint, petition
and official pledges of redress. Petitions after
petitions have found their way to Washington,
praying for more speedy mail facilities between
Chicago and this place; our delegation in Con-
gress have Iabored assiduously for the same OBJ
ject; promises have been repeatedly given thai
the evils should be remedied and yet il seems
that all Northern Iowa must quietly submit TO
be vclmized day after day, month after month,
and year after year, in the transmission Of lis
Eastern mail matter, by our hostile neighbors OF
Galena Mail matter for the West, is kept
there for days, and for ought vs. krow weeks;
in order that petty local pride and jealousy
may be gratifed. According to the statement
in an other column, of one of our most worthy
and influential citizens who has just returned
from the East, the Eastern mail which reached
here on Monday a, 2 p. NJ, arrived in Galena
on the previous Friday at o'clock A. Nj. max
ing delay of 75 hours between Galena and this
City
This is an outrage without mitigating cir
cumstance, and should not be passed over in
silence single day by the people of Dubuque.
IF there is no other way to overcome this evil,
the people of Northern Iowa, had better have
their mail matter directed to Chicago, and es,ab
;sh at their own expense private Express,
for its transmission from that point to this.
We have every confidence however, that the
new Post Master General, when fairly settled
in his Office, will relieve us from this outrageous
imposition. Should he do so, our people will
have great cause for rejoicin-.