The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1854-05-10

| have heard IL said that so FAR as ths
public domain is concerned. at least SO
much of II as we owned anterior to the
Mexican war. We had pledged il for mo-
ney 10 prosecute that war. Task. then.
as legal question. can yuu take this
property. which is thus under mortgage
and lien. and give it aways ask. too.
as question Of morals. whether you
should give il away when il is bound aud
pledged for the payment Of yaur debtss
Are you To neglect this private claim,
and say now TO strangers. and foreign-
ers. TO aliens in blood and in language,
that they may have itf Ought il not
10 be held AZ sacred treasure to re-
deem your plightcd honor. to pay the
debt which you incurred in the prose.
cution Of that war?
But further, Mr.. President, this bill
is offering bonus and premium to
those men in Europe, who are unwil>
ling to remain there. under the hazards
Of the approaching war. to emigrate to
this country. Ii tells those men. who.
because they do not wish TO stand by
their king or country. or who. from want
Of patriotism, or from deep feeling Of
cowardice, will not stay there to fishs
for republican interests, and stand by
theirown country, eff YOU become rene
gades from your country in trying to es>
cape the dangers Of war which threaten
there, and if you will flee to the United
States, and make declaration Of inten-
tion, we will set YOU up with nice little
farm of one hundred and sixty acres of
land. You can settle on it, and live
there. whether you left your country
for your country's good, or escaped
from IL because you happened to be a
liberal, although unwilling to fight for
liberal institutions" Are you, sir, to
offer them this bonuss And what else
do you hold outi Why, you tell all
your own citizens, your lazy, trifling
men, that have never made 5000, and
would not work for it, fellows Of b; d
stock, whose ancestors were as lazy
and improvidcnt as themselves bad
breed in the beginning-" we will shield
you with sort Of bankrupt law; we
will give you. you trifling lazy pauper
rascals, IL you will 20 out there, one
!, hundred and sixty acres of land. and
neither constable nor sheriff shall take
itfor debt you are Of no account, you
may keep it, you shall be bankrupts as
TO all previous debts" Laughter.
And that, sir, you offer as a premium
to loaferism and laziness; and nice
set you viii have when you get them
there, with vagabonds and vagrants
from Europe. to build up a new s ate.
and new community.
i But, Mr.. President, if you intend to
give one hundred and sixty acres of
land to men of this description, ask
you il it will not be an act of great in~
justice to all who have bought public
lands heretofore and ought not the
Judiciary Committee to introduce
provision to pay back to all those from
whom you have wrung 81 25 per acre
for the land which they have purchas-
ed? Ought you not to refund what
they have paid? They were our own
hardy pioneers, kith and kin to us,
bone of our bone, our brethren, har.
dy men, and Indian fighters. They
have paid for their land, and whipped
out the Indians; they have possession
OF the country but il you are going to
send out to these lands all the ofiscour-
ings Of foreign countries, in the name
of justice and common sense, pay back
to all the men who have bought public
lands their 81 25 an acre, with inte,
rest upon it. 1t is a just claim, and
those men are worthy of it. Introduce
such provision, and we shall very
soon sweep away the twenty odd mil
lion of dollars which are now in the
Treasury. But, as a matter Of justice,
if you pass this bill, do it.
This bill proposes a radical change
. in our system of public lands. No
thing of the kind has ever been sane
toned under the action of the Govern
ment. 1t is a premature, radical, re-
evolutionary proposition to waste away
, the public inheritance, and give it to
ragamuffins coming from all parts Of
creation, Laughter, congregating here
, as buzzards do around the carcass to
cat it up. Such is the proposition
which we have before us.
Has any President ever had the au>
dacity or fortitude to come to the Ame-
: rican people and recommend such a
|. disposition Of this rich inheritance,
which we have had bequeathed to us,
which we have looked to as home and
, home stead for our children, and GU,
, children's children--not for strangers
: but for US and for our familiesl Ha
. any President, Of any party, Of an,
: stripe, Of any faith, ever recommends,
its However weak in power. howev
!. or abandoned by his party. howeve
J, abused, has any man ever done it
a r. Al Il e !.