Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-03-11
DAILY VIRGINIAN.
SATURDAY MORNING. MARCH II. 1854.
The Homestead Bill

House almost without challenge from the press
or the people, which for proHigaoy and injustice
has no parallel in the history of our legislation
marked by inproviodenoe. fraud and folly as IT
has been.
At one broad sweep an inealealabe amount
of public lands. the common property Of All the
S,ates.is wrenched from the custody OF its'eonsh-
tutional trustees-and from the ownership OF the
states-to be given away I'd settled up, for the
b,u,sf Of m, FREE states in which mast of il lies
and 10 the ietrimont Of the slave States, equally
Interested by vested right and prospective profit
to their detriment not merely BY the legnlzed
robbery of their property, but by angmenting
the heavy preponderanee Of population and po-
ltieal power already held by the free states
This scheme Of wholesale spoliation and in
Justice has yet to be passed upon BY the Senate.
We look with confidence to that high forum 81
equity and learning to arrest, as IT has heretofore
often erted unequal or mprosideni legislation
so stupendous a wrong to the people oi the Old
and especially the Southern States We make
below an analysis Of the provisions Of the BILL
They seem. in themselves, TO be a free from OBJ
lection. as the details of measure, IN 'iseQ so
intolerable could be.
person. the head Of family, or twenty one years
of age. Who Is a citizen Of the L States or shall
have filed declaration Of his intention TO become
such Iseo 5 shall be entitled to enter free o.
cost. one quarter section of any vacant or nunp-
propria,ed public lands. which would have been
otherwise subject to private entry at govern
ment rates.
The second section specifies the mode of ap-
plioation and provides that the land 50 entered
shall be in the actual occupancy and u" OF the
natentee five years, before the warrant shall be
issued. II also provides for the descent and IN
beritance of the land in case Of DEATH
The third section protects the land 50 acquired
from liability for debts incurred by the occupant
before his entry.
The fourth section defines whit shall be for
feiture-to wit an abandonment for SIX months
in which event it roverts to the government.
The fifth section extends the benefits of the
bill To foreigners designing to become citizens.
The sixth section limits the privilege to a sin
gle entry regulates the fees of the land officers
and designates alternate quarter sections 50 far
as practicable s intended 10 be appropriated un-
der the blu and provides further that the pro
visions of this act shall be construed as to au-
thorise the class ofpersons provided for, who may
not own one hundred and sixty acres Of lrld, to
enter free of cost any public lands adjoining his
or her farm, subject to private entry at tho mini
mum price in quantity, when added to what he
she now own. equal TO one hundred and sixty a
ores, provided he or she shall cultivate the whole,
or part thereof.
The following was the vote by which the bill
passed:
YEAs-Messrs Abercrombie, J. c. Allen, W.
Allen, Banks, Bennett, Benton, Breckenridge,
Bridges. Bugg, Campbell, Carpenter, Caruthers,
Chamberlain, Chandler, Chase, Chrisman, Church
well, Clark Cobb, Cook, Corwin, Cox John 6.
Davis Dawson, Dean, Dick, Disney, Drum, Dun
bar, Eastman Edgerton, Elliott, Ellison, Eng
lsh, Ewing, Farley, Florence, Gamble, Good
rich, Green, Greenwood, Grey, Grow, \. J. Har-
Ian. Harrison. Henricks, Hem. Houston, Howe,
Ingersoll, johnson, Daniel T. Jones. q. W Jones,
Roland Jones, Knox, Lane, Lindley, Lindsey,
MoCulloeh, McMunen, Macy, MAXWELL Mayal
Middleswarth, J. g. Miller, Morgan, Nichols
Norton, Olds, A. Oliver, NJ. Oliver, Peckham,
Pennington, Phelps, Preston, Pringle, Ready,
Richardson, Richie, Robbins, Russell, Sapp,
Shannon, Singleton, $. A. Smith, William r..
Smith, Frederick Z. Stanton, Richard II. Stan
ton, II. l.. Stevens, Stratton, a. Stuart, j. l..
Taylor Thurston, Trout Tweed, Vail, Nansant,
WaIbridge, Warren, Z. b. Washburnc John
Wentworth, Tappan, Wentworth, Nestbrook,
Wheeler, II. b. Wright, Yates, and Zollicotfer.
10y.
NAYs-Messrs Aiken, Appleton, Ashe, Bayly,
arksdale Belcher Benson, Bocock, Boyce,
Brooks, caskie, Chastain, Cingman, Colqutt,
Craige, Croker, Cumming, Cutting, Davis, Dent,
DE Witt Dickinson, Dowdell, Edmands, Emund-
son. Faulkner, Franklin. Fuller Goode Hamil-
ton, 5. w. Harris, w. p. Harris. Hastings, Ha-
ven, Hubbard, Hill, Hunt, j. g. Jones, keitt
Kerr, Kidwell, Kittredge Kurtz, Leteher, Nc
Dougall, Mcqueen, Matteson, May, Meacham s
Miller, Millson, Morrison, b. Perkins, j. Perkins
Phillips. Pratt, Puryear, Rogers, Rowe, Ruiin
Sabin, Seward, Seymour, Shaw, q. Smith, w
Smith, smyth, Snodgrass, Tracy, Upham,
Washbuin and ID. b. Wright-72.
On motion of Mr. Jones of Tennessee. the ii
tie of the bill was amended so as TO read a
bill to grant homestead of one hundred and six
ty acres of the public lands to actual settlers"
The Union says, two amendments were made
by the Senate to the Nebraska bill, which seen
to US to place it in shape that it will be very
difficult for any friend of the principle of non-in
Prevention by Congress to oppose it. "The one
as substantially the same as one proposed in tn,
House of Representatives by Mr. English, making
''the summit of tie Rocky mountains the western
boundary of Kansas" The other was propose,
by Senator Badger, and is substantially the sam,
as one proposed in the House by Mr. Dean, de
declaring that the repeal Of the Missouri Compro
mise act of 1920 shall not be construed to reviv,
the Louisiana law'of 1903. We understand tina
these amendments have removed the objection
of several members to the bill, and that th,
strength of the measure in the House is thereb,