The Delaware herald., 1854-04-12
Tie EoInestead Bill,

ciety ofKew Castle county, State of Delaware
convened at the house Of John Foster in VIII
mington, April I, 1854, John G. Clark, ESQ,
the President of the Society i'll the chair, james
Brindley, Esq; Vice President; fumes Canby
was appointed Secretary.
On motion, resolved that Mcssrs. c. p Hol-
comb, ii. l. Dupont, J. T. Bird, $. Mcdaniel,
BRYAN jackson be appointed a committee to re-
port business for the consideration OF the Soc
ETY..
The committee reported the following rcso-
lutions, which after being read and considered
were unanimously adopted
WHEREAS, The public domain is sacred trust
held by the General Government for the common
benefit ofall the citizens and is valuable as
reliable source of revenue to the Government,
or fund from which to advance education or
other objects of National concern; land whereas
al system of pensions or donations of Revenue or
property by the Government to individuals is
opposed to the character Of our Institutions, un-
known III OUR past prosperous history, dangerous
as precedent wrong In principle aud Practi-
1 cally uncalled for in a land where none but the
slothful need want, where labor is well rewarl-
ed and persevering industry never fails to secure
a comfortable home. Therefore
Il Resolved, That tic proposition to give one
hundred and sixty acres Of land as proposed by
the Homestead Bill before Congress- to each
male resident in the country at the time Of the
passage ofsad BIZ who is at years of majority,
is the establishment Of system Of SrdtUIties Or
pensions in the most cxceptionablc form, since
it is giving without the prCtcXt Of claim on
the part OF those who are to receive; 1t IS vol
untccring the bounty Of the Government On the
suppos.tion Of an extended pauperisln winch
does not IN fact exist, it is giving to one citizen
j; freehold out ofthe public domain which another
Z starting from the same point has had to buy and
, pay for, because it Is only those who are seek
u inu trceholds !Or the first time now, the "i-nd-
. less" Of 1854, or those vino have their residence
: in certain sectional locations, that VII or can
i pi&ctcally avail themselves Of the benefit of
II this Bill; the statlstcs Of migration show tA4t
: but one million Of cmigiants had arrived in the
i, country up to lao, auI up to which tine -,
ii OOO,0G0 of acresof land had been sold by t.:
Government and paid for by our citizens, whc
emie raticn since that period has averaged near
" quarter ola million annually, and for Gov
eTnmcnt to give away land nGW, which It tOr-
merly sold to those then seeking "homes,' wlo
certainly had as strong claims as any more re-
Gently arrived, would be to act partially, ard
equity WCuld require to return oi the many NIL
. lions Of dollars previously GrawnIy the CoTcrg-
10 ment from oar c.,iz-as.
10 u. Ih.t ii th,s agraran precedent is estao-
' liaAed by Congress IA the middle Of the nine
- taeHtA century, oi giving to each male adult
!; who may i: IL the { u 4sTv, one hundred and
= sixty acres o. lana Oh p"t.. ci3 .l4nat!ns from
al our large CONN rcll c.t.aa CT other sectional
oi locations. VIA may H. the aa2anJs from the
he sane quarter bc.ore tl2 close OF the ceatrry,
- and II TIE pablic i.ui shall all have b-e3 given
- a,ray, Il lncv Wl.I b, r-g"r,.e. nee dstll G
tCn thet reius . taa ap sic MS the rcTeHae IL
at recty from tl.c treasury itself, whom the lands
Lo that ior many ye.cs contributed 20 suP?ly tie
-, treasury were freely gnc@.
49, 3d. That 70 argument can be found for the
NJ measure i'll any poke Oh settling more rapidly
,o the new States, since never during the pas. his
10 tor cftAc country was the.r increase greater CT
IL Their prosperity more gratifying, while ad lt.on
Ia al inducements, such lie oi,r o''lrce farms
w TO = large class Of citizens Ho;; VII engaged ii
~. t.e t.u5-s. in mlcAancal, agricultural ans
- other pIr.a.s, Ua4' most r'eusly in'ure IL,
- Oh States Ly wit. W..t. t0sc W.0se l~beuf
,o required an vel! reW.TLCG.
,ol 4th. That tie measure IS not necessary az
- means of ancoura -ing still .urthC emigration b,
vi conveying the idea to tie population Of Europe
49,, that Oh their arrival in ;hc United States the
VII! be provided by the Government VII
Inn. .'lIome'' paA .Frccho!ds,' and which idea, i
~, furnishing pr, c.Ge9t, this ill does dlrectl
+Ia hol out; the arrivals Of this population sue
., at present to Cyer-;aX our commercial marine
- crowding the ships in a manner often -csuiun,
st, in great mortality.
49,, 5th. That in reference to thc advantages t
,~ the proposed bcniciareStI themselves Ofthis elias
~ the measures IS of more than IOu3 ttuf expedci
o,. cy so far S !, cCrtemPlatcs engaging them
MI the actual tIlage CT tna soil 10 which the earl
sr pursuits and habits o. many woUli be altogeth'
NV. ursulted, ana the idea "a making poor man
.,n;r farmer hv giving hin "ilona" as It is Gale
~ or gjv.n- h.m one hundred ana sixty acres
I.o., wi land IL tae forest, and compel ~ h!m
;ai,i reside on it FIVE years without tie means or t.
-. knCT dge % improving the first acre Of It, al
II, y practical farmer knows must result In falur
Ioss and in making the poor maa still poorer, for
','. would probably leave him discoura ged and di
u hcartcned rs we'll as bankrupt
-: 9th That the cfcc:5 and fruits of his me
a., sure viii probably be, il successful, to give
16a, the first place a selection and appropriation
IL once, of all the best l1ni to the people in q
80, states or vicinity ofvhcre the lands lie, and
-, the end under different preteXts, Congress W
:, - be called on to modify the law in reference
20 actual residence, and the result VIII be that
), III "irecholds' Will soon be transmitted into lcl
~, script, flooding the country to the amount
, - two hundred million of dollars to be "operat
, , Hie in" by land warrant Brokers and speculate
- whose zeal for the success of this Bill is alrea
.,nh well known. d..
tPn, 7th That we respectfully suggest that
HI have not understood nCr do we believe the pc
L;nr pie generally have understood, that in vOtI
nins for our representatives, we were authoTIzl
ase them 10 give away eaci ms u.s. oae Ne ni.om =, y
class laIS WORTH u peOte ieli' 80
it may be there, any authority for their girl,
,oo land at all with or without the consent of th'
each NE ,., ,,,.,i ,r.,o M, -, a =
stioe p 1at 1 uie A''Is s'ss g
cide utterly oelus.te, ,lot Gu ,I g.
ow to ahlong o'le, mug .n"e y =
deem anu II is es ~ M
80 ture we protest against it-against the Cove
=" H. mcnt coming forward to create three hundi
NJ thousand free farms or any number of free far
Il W and diverting labor now well and better G
knife Pioycu eiele Slo e" % us tias ssi .iig n