The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-04-29
THE HOMESTEAD BILL-soME OF ITS rs, DEPICTS Ec'rs

The writer of this has abored long and dilgcntlysome
ten years or moreo obtain law Of Congress to dsrib
ute the public lands among the peopeo those who need
land and the passage of the homestead bill through the
House OF Representatives encouraged to hope et
new era about TO open the landless that would do
much to aid the right progress of society
But since find by perusa OF the BILL that the land il
to be given only in alternate quartersecons which would
place but two settlers section about eight to ter
rtory Of convenient extent for school district and
very likely oneha that proportion would not have
families at first appears evident that the first settlers would
% deprived Of the privileges of schools unless the other
alternate quarersections should soon become settled and
few would buy land to settle if they get donated
to them by going little further Thus the settlements
VIII necessarily be- for Time too extremely sparse to sup
port good schools for other social religious meetings
II the bill passes as it passed the House
The settlers In the States have complained much
and with good reason of land spectators buying up good
lands and holding them at high prices until the abors Of
the settlers on the adjacent lands increased their value
as to enable the spectators to sell at high rates Such 1t
appears evident will be the effect of the present BILL if
passed into law the landthc other alternate quarters
would probably sell to SPECTATORS to be held for
higher prices the abors the settlers should the
value Of adjacent lands.
Where lands have been donated by Congress in alternate
sections railroads and other public improvements the
price of the other alternate sections has always been
doubled that government received the benefit Of the i'm
proyemens thus made and thus the settlers the ada
cent lands paid for the roads made but in this
the homestead BILL there is such provision for the gov
eminent to receive increased price for the other alternate
quartcr-secons appears tending only to benefit the
land specuator who may buy the intermediate quarterec
ons at 81 IS per acre. and when the settlers have made
good improvenenson their lands the spectators will
double quadrupe their Investments that after vhe
lapse of years Of prvaons in the woods prares apart
from socety-when other land be obtained near
except for moneythese intermediate quarters will finally
sell and fill up and after the children of the first settlers
shall have grown up in IGNORANCE the next set may indeed
have better advantages
The settlers had much better but eighty EACH
and be enabled to settle compac than double that guam
ty and be compelled to scatter extensive terri
tory Besides eighty is enough for each family in
great majority of cases and those who want
afford to pay for it,
One Of the effects Of giving large farms to induce good
farmers to sell and go West for speculation would surely
be reduce the price of land in the old States
suddenly and that probably the that the pas
sage of the bill in the House the members from States
East voted unanimously against the BILL and others nearly
unanimously.
Give but eighty TO each family and trust those
members will their opposition If not let it be grad
mated according the number in the family to forty
to each couple rather than it stands and
rather than it should fail altogether The interests of the
whole republic should be duly consulted and concated
so as to do the most good and the possible
When, long years agoI think it was l829-the farsee
ing Andrew jackson, in his message to Congress
mended that the public lands should cease to be
Of revenue that all might be provided with homes
he hardly anticipated the reservation of alternate quarter
sections for spectators
said forty fg family and a compact settlement is
better than 100 In alternate quarters and ii is too, for
Congress raise ii afterwards better than begin
and have to reduce It,
The passage of the bill to distribute land free for bare
cost to the landess to settle on in compact settlements Is
necessary act Of humanity May IL be
plished JOHN HARMON.