The weekly Placer herald., 1854-07-08
NUMBER 4s.

of September, 1841." (extended to Cali-
fornla and in permanent force there by
the act of 81 March, 1852 ssit became
private property, and was not the public
land' upon which the States could make
their locations according to the terms Of
that act; and that any subsequent relin-
quishment could not change its character
from what it was when the act was pas-
sed. In this view you (the Secretary,)
concurred, as did also the Attorney Gen.
eral; and the selections so made respec-
t'vely resisted and have not heen approv-
ed" ~
This is an effort to bring into iisreputc
and break down this policy, and thus de-
prive the State of California of the mu-
nticent land grant it is proposed to give
as has been done to other States, to aid
her in constructing thorough fares within
her limits. TO accomplish his object, the
libeler sligmatizes her Representatives in
| the Legislature as swihd ers and monoD-
ollsts, and by an easy transition according
to his logic, he classifes the States with
the most INSCRIPTIONS class of public
depredators. Following up the same as
saults he trifles with the rights of the pre-
e,nptors, and to make out plausible
case attempts to mislead the public mind
to the disparagement Of the settlement
rights of honest men.
The law respecting prescriptions, to
which | have adverted, dissipates the
false accusation and vindicates the pre-
emption to that preference which sound
policy has dictated, and which fortunately
is now placed beyond cavil or contradic-
ton by the settled decisions of the Govern
ment.
Another shameless falsehood in connection
with this subject which has been extensively
circulated in alifornia to deceive the people
is that bill granting donations to actual
settlers on the public lands in that State had
passed one house of Congress No such bill
has been introduced, during this session, and
of course has not even been considered in
either branch of the national Legislature. l
introduced BILL granting donations to set
tiers in California, soon after the State was
admitted into the Union. but could get no
action on it during that Congress, and soon
ascertained there was no hope of its passage.
offered substitute for that bill. which be-
came a law, and gave pre- emptions to settlers
on all public lands in the State out of the
mineral region. During the present session
introduced and passed through the Senate a
bill giving two years credit to these pre-
emptors but it could not be carried through
the House of Representatives. My object
was to get two years more time to have these
pre- emptions turned into donations, O policy
! that have always advocated, but which has
never as yet been adopted in any State in the
Union With the same object, introduced
the Homestead bill and advocated its passnge
not that the people of California will derive
any immediate benefit from it, for its opera
ton is mainly confined to lands subject to sale
at private entry, and there will be no such
lands in that State for many years-yet hav-
ing the principle established in regard to that
portion Of the public domain. hoped it might
be extendedd during the next Congress, so as
to include the settlers in California.
Another Misrepresentation industriously
circulated is that there is b,t small guam
tity of agricultural lands left in california
after satisfying present grants and private
claims and to give plausiblity to this state
ment the area of the state is represented to
be less than what it really is, and the rail-
road grants magn6ed by making the pro-
posed routes longer than they really are.
The extent of the agricultural lands in Cali
fornia is unknown at the present day The
whole State was looked upon as barren
waste when ceded to the United States. and
Mr.. Webster said in the Senate, our whole
acquisitions from Mexico were not worth .
dollar. The capacity of our soil in an agri.
cultural point of view, as far as experiments
| have Deen maQe, eXceeQS CnA' OF any pOrticn
of the Union, if not the world, and yet We
have but just begun its cufti walton The
State will be studded over with farms, even
to the mountain peaks. Every one must have
seen Monte Diablo producing wild oats in
abundance to it's summit, and that range OF
mountains to the Tejon Pass contains mil
lions of acres of agricultural lands, and val
| leys in the midst of the mountains not sur
passed in salubrity of climate and fertility of
soil by any lands on the globe railroad
Mt the foot of this range would, in short
! time cause these mountain valleys to be
densely populated. The same is no doubt
true of the range north of the Bay. ~ 80
This policy of granting lands to the state
of Calforna, to aid in the construction of
railroads, is not new in our brief political
J history. Two years ago, bill was reported
+ from the Territorial Committee of the Senate,
of which was a member, making grant OF
alternate sections for forty miles on each side.
to California, to aid in the construction OF the
Atlantic and Pacific railroad within her b0r-
ders, also introduced and passed through
the Senate, during that session. the bill
granting to the State to aid in the construc-
ton of q railway from San Francisco to San
Jose alternate sections for six miles on each.
side of the road the same bill in substance
that has passed the Senate this session. In
the fall of that year | returned home and
canvassed large portion of the State, and
heard not murmur of disapprobation as to
my action on this subject, Again. at the
| next session of Congress I offered n bill to