Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-05-12
Speech of Senator Thompson. Of Kentucky
ON the Homestead Bill.

crs who may come here, upon then hiing II ue
claration of intention 10 become citizens. -
the bill aud especially 70 this amendment, ne
vns entirely opposed In the other end OF the
Capitol il had lately been declared that Propo-
sition Ia give lands for the support OF thfse IN
fortunate people. the insane who by Visitation
of God we're unable to provide themselves, was
unconstitutional, but the Senator from OHIO hnds
no such difficulty in the proposition 10 give homes
and lands 60 all the yagabonds' PanPerz anu
criminals which the arm OF public justice or Pc
litcnl events compel 10 our shoreshhd 10 me laie
aud law loafcrz oi our own country. lie haa
thought Of moving 10 recommit this bill. with
view of making it more equal ii its bountes. II
il be right and Just TO give lands 10 the lnndess
and homes 10 the homeless, why not give money
20 the moncylcssl If anything like Justice or
equality bo intended, why overlook the mechan-
los, the professional men, and all others who
know nothing of agricultural pursuits Why
shower all this b1unty upon those who can follow
agriculture lie had always understood that
the public lands were soemnly pledged for the
payment of the public debts. II this were 50,
he would like to know how they could be legally
taken while under mortgage, and gwen away To
persons who were aliens IN language and blood
TO h fcrs at home. lie wished to know any good
causc for offering this bonus to all those for
eigncrs who seek American shores-to all those
who leave their country, perhaps for that eonn-
some what liberal, yet not liberal enough 10 light
for liberal principles and institutions. Why Of
fer this bonus to all the lazy idle good-ior-noth.
ing, loafers at home who never had two hundred
dollars 10 buy farm because they were too IDLE
and lazy to work for it What good effect could
be accomplished by selling the public lands TO
such people TO get them to go there and set
tie upon the lands, you must say to them, here Is
a nice little farm for you, go and take il. We
l.. or In, Ip
able to buy one, or keep one when ii is given to
you. For that reason we will cover IT with II
sort Of bankruptcy to continue forever. You
need not be afraid to take it; neither the sheriff
nor the constable shall ever lay his hands upon
it. 1t is forever to be bankrupt to your credit
ors. Laughter, And it is men to whom such
inducements have to be held cut TINT are 10 I'LL
up, occupy and become communities OF new
States. What nice communities they will be,
the yagabonds aud criminals from Europe and the
loafcrs of our own country. Laughter and up
plausc. This bill wus unjust for another rea-
son. 1t was discrimination in favor of pau-
pcrs and oilers against the hard working and in
dustrious pioneers who have cut down the for
csts, paid for their lands, and settled the West
n States. The Industrious American pioneers
have been made to pay for their lands aud 1t Is
. wen away to the criminals, raga-muihns aud
paupers of the world, who are now lying and
which they will stick To till they eat 1t up
Laughter and applause. No President of any
purity under any circumstances or ylcssltndes
in any extremity or emergency, from Washing
ton to Fierce, has ever rought himself down
81 recommend any such measure as this. lie
objected to it as financial measure. All Eu-
rope was to bc engaged in contest such Us the
world never saw, and the United States would
have need of all its resources and means, 10 pre-
L.
maintain their rights Was this II time to squan-
der the public lands as bounties to the outcasts
of creation The action of the House with re-
spcct to public lands might appear strange
First they passed this bill giving away all the
public lands, and then passed another bill grad
uatug the price Of what they had already given
away. 1t was evident that they did not mean
this Till should become law. 1t was II popular
measure to be talked about, very we'll designed
To secure the reelection of some whose chances
were otherwise doubtful. 1t was measure cal
culatcd to please the cross roads, bar rooms and
whiskey boys, and its passage there would do no
harm for the house expected that the good sense X
propricty of the Senate would check it. Laughter
lie saw from newspapers there were propositions
pending to buy whole regions of territory
What for Was il to pay forit and then give
it away Another war might follow and IT was
better to keep all this land, and vote it away, Us
these days there was universal desire to ne
quire territories there was hardly old fash
toned Wing left who did not want to annex all
Canada, or swallow ono or more whole States of
Mexico. II they could not get them one way
they wanted fight. Now a-days, the American
people had become so becose that they much
rcscmhlcd certain kind of men who seemed to
thinks tina they would spoil about the head and
shoulders unless they had n fight ON hand
oh ! md VIII ha1 IN
be paid for either i'll purchase money or in the
War expenditures. Why it to be given u
way How did this proposition affect the old
States-the old thirteenl How did 1t affect
Massachusetts and al n. England Though
many things had occurred causing differences be
tween New England and the old Southern States,
still the recollection of Lexington, and Concord
and Bunker Hill were uneXtngulshed. Though
the old Puritan notions about Slavery and other
matters had not kept up with the progress down
South, yet the Revolutionary "reminiscences were
not forgotten. Obstinate and perverse, lad
dressing MIR. Everctt,) as you are we love you
still. You were obstinate to England be
fore you came here you were obstinate and
pervcrse towards her after you got here, and You
have been pretty much opposed to your own
Government ever since. Loud and continued
laughter. How does this bill affect the deseen-
duuts of those Puritan fathers whose blood Sc
cured the independence of this nation Under
its policy they are told they shall have none of
the public lands for railroads, ier churches, for
their deaf dumb, blind, sane for schools or
school houses. They are TO have mono of the
proc eeds of its sale they are to derive no bene-
fit of any kind from it but they are further told
that while none ofyou shall have any Of it, we
will give it TO some Hessan whose ancestors
butchered yours for hire in the days of the Rcyo-
luton. Applause. We will not give it To
your people for schools or school-houscs, but we