Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1855-11-03
IsECi.lf2>S WASTE
Of the Pubiic Lana, by the Present Ad.
minislration. oy Granting them
Away to FOreiSners.

# is the first duty of every good govern
mont, and especially of every free government,
to protect the rights of the poor: Legislation
for the benefit of the rich is the peculiar fact
of monarchicaI dynasties; the promotion of the
aristocratc principle by encouraging the accu-
mutation of large estates, especially in lands,
has been the chief cause Of the des,itution and
consequent ensIavement Of the people Of the
old European nonarchies. The process there
may be briefly described under the operation
of the feudal system; the lands of the State
were generally divided among the chief vassaIs
of the crown, or those, in other words, who
had most signaIzrd themselves by the robbery
and oppression Of the people, by the laws Of
entail, the laws against alienation and Of pri-
mogeniture, three immense landed estates be-
ing certain to remain in the hands Of the privi-
legged few, and the competition in the sale be-
ing TINS circumscribed. the great body of the
land being in tho hands of limited number,
the consequence has been that the prices de-
manded for it have been so enormous as abso.
lutely to exclude the poor from any interest in
the soil. Ttey and their children, from age to
age. have thus been compelled to till the lands
of the rich at such prices as the latter might
choose to give. A bare subsistence, won by
painful toll from day to day, and passed amidst
miserable destiiution and stupid ignorance, has
been their lot for ages.
In the United States, this state of things has
been happily heretofore impossible. The price
of lands has been so moderate that the poorest
man has been able to secure enough in his own
right Of his native soil to employ the labor of
himself and children; thus has he remained
freeman The cause of this has been that the
government, the largest landholder in the world
has BY placing low price upon the public land,
enabled the poorest of its citizens to become
par,icipators in the ownership of the SOIL
Large landholders have been unable to exact
their own prices because the competition of the
goaernme Mt has controlled the value Of land,
and 50 long as this state of things shall exist
the children of the poor will remain indepen-
dent; when it shall cease to exist, which it in
evitabIy will do when the government has par
ted with its great territorial possessions, thev
will bs forced to pay the enormous prices de-
| manded by the private landholder to become
his tenants or in other words, the slaves ofthe
owners Of the soil.
The proAigate waste of The public land has
been begun BY the present Administration, in
stead of being reserved for the poor Of our own
purchased it. 1t is to be squandered by reck-
less and ambitious politicians as fee TO pur-
chase the votes Of foreigners Twice has the
attempt been made BY the so-called Democratic
Congresses, to establish the policy of.giving
away the public lands to foreigners. and that
policy was actually engrafted on the legislation
Of the country at the last session ofCongress.
The second section Of "An act to establish the
offices of Surveyor General of New Mexico,
Kansas and Nebraska, to grant donations to
actual settlers therein, and for other purposes"
approved by Mr.. Pierce on the 22d July, 1854
is as follows:
sSec, g. and be it faher enacted, That to
every white male citizen of the United States,
white male above the age of twenty lone
years, who has declared his intention to be-
come citizen. and who was residing in said
Territory prior to the first cay of fJanuray, eigh.
teen hundred and fifty three, and who may
still reside there, shall be and hereby is donated
one quarter section, or one hundred and sixty
acres Of land. And to every white male citizen
Of the United States, or erery ,ohite male above
the age Of t,centy one years cho has declared his
intention to become citizen, and who shall have
removed to and settled in said Territory be-
| tween the first day of January, eighteen hun
dred and fifty three. and the first day Of Jan.
nary, eighteen hundred and fifty. eight, there
shall in like manner be donated one quarter
section or one hundred and sky acres, on
condition of actual settlement and cultivation
for not less than four years. Provided, how.
ever that each Of said donation shall include
the actual settlement and improvement Of the
donee, and shall be selected BY legal subdivi.
sions, within three months after the survey ol
the land where the settlement was made before
the survey; and where the settlement was made
E fter the survey, then within three months af-
ter the settlement has been made; and all per-
sons failing to designate the boundaries Of
their claim within that time shall forfeit al
| right to the same"
Thus our Government under an Administra-
ton falsely calling itself Democratic, has giver
one handred and sixty acres of the public land
to every uunaturalized foreigner, on the bare
conditions that he shall declare his intention tc
become a citizen, (though he may never actu.
ally become one) and shall settle upon the land
granted.
What consideration do these unnaturalizei
foreigners pay for the extraordinary privileged
granted them! None under Heaven except com
ing to ou: country! for be il remembered, tha
although they must declare their intention t
become citizens, there is no obligation for then,
moral or legal, to consummate that intention
the declaration being merely preliminary o
condition precedent to their obtaining the ben
eft Of the naturalization laws. II we fefec
for moment, that four-ffths Of the foreigl
immigrants to the country are born and bre'
Abclitionists, and on their arrival amongst ..
settle in the Northern States and in the ne,
Territories where the great battle Of Souther
Righta is to be fought, we will perceive th
two fold iniquity Of the enactment referred L
The public land, which should be held foreve
as the heritage Of the industrious poor Of on
own people. is diahopsstly appropriated BY
so-callen Democratic but really Abolition as'
foreign Administration, 40 = REWARD for Il
immigration Of foreign enemies Of our Soutf
ern institutions.