Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-05-27

able to presume that he would consume correspond
ing proportion Of home manufactures. Can that
proposition Be controyerted2 I think not. Then
we see on the one hand that we should derive more
revenue from graDtingthe land the principle laid
down in the bill, and also that We should open
market for articles manufactured in country.
Then taking both views Of the subject We see that
is an advantage to the manufacturing interest, and
that il is also advantage to the Government 50 far
as fmports are concerned. I should like to know.
them where can the objection be- upon the score Of
reveuuef
lam in hopes that the Senator from North Caro-
lima will withdraw his amendment for cannot think
he is serious His proposition would have tendeR-
cy TO cut off all the revenue from the public lands
to ood the market with land warrants to be sold at
nominal prices bringing scarcely anything even to
those to whom the warrants would be issued.
Mr.. CLINGMAN i viii say to the Senator that
when he is through I shall offer short explanation
of the reason why offered the amendment. l do
not desire to interrupt him now.
Mr.. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee. But, Mr.. Presi-
dent the question Of dollars and cents is Of no con-
sideration to me. The money view of this subject
does not influence my mind by the weight of feath
err. think it is clear, though; and this view has
been presented to prove to Senators that this bill
win not diminish, but, the contrary, viii increase
the revenue.
But this is not the important view of the subject
When YOU look at our country as it's you see that
should be interested in the country. By this bill
you provide man with home, you increase the
revenue, you increase the consumption of home man
ufactures and you make him better man. You
give him an interest in the country. His condition
Is better There is no man so reliable as he who IS
interested 10 the welfare Of his country. and who IS
more interested IN the welfare Of his country than
those who have homes When a mau has home,
he has deeper, more abiding interest in the coun
try and he is more reliable in all things that pertain
to the Government. He Is more reliable when he
goes TO the ballot box; ne IL reliable in sustain
ing the stability Of our free Institutions.
1t seems to me that this, without the ether con-
sideration would be a sufficient iuducement' When
We see the population that is aecumulating about
some of our cities, | think it behOoves every man
Whs is a statesman, patriot, and philanthropist,
10 turn his attention TO this subject have lately
seen some statistics with reference to the city Of New
York, in which it is assumed that sixth Of the
population are paupers; that two sxhs Of the popu
aiion are barely able to sustain themselves; leaving
one pauper to be sustained by every two persons in
the city of New York. Does not that present a
frightful state Of things? Suppose the population
of that city to be million: you would have IN the
single city Of New York, hundred and siGty-six
thousand paupers.
do not look upon the growth of cities and the &C
eumuation of population about cities, being the
most desirable object in this country. Here will
remark that do not believe large portion Of this
population if you were to grant them hOmestesds,
would ever 90 to them. have no idea that they
would for man who has spent most Of his life about
a city, and has sunk Into pauperized condition, is
not the man to 20 West, reclaim one hundred and
sixty acres Of land and reduce it to cultivation He
will not 20 there that condition. Though we are
satisfied Of this may not our policy be such as to
prevent as far as practicable the accumulation Of
such an unprOductive population about your cities
Let us try to prevent their future accumulation; let
these live have their day, and pass away-they will
ultimately pass aWay-but lei policy be such as
to induce men to become mechanics and agricul
turists Interest them in the country; pin them to
the soil and they become reliable and sustain
themselves, and you do away with the pauperism in
the country. The population Of the United States
being tWenty-eight millions, if the proportion of
paupers in the city of New York existed in the
country, you would have four million six hundred
and sxy-six thousand paupers in the United States
Do we want all our population to become Of that
characer Do we want cities to take control of this
Government? Unless the proper steps be taken,
unless the proper direction be given TO the future
affairs of this Government, the cities to take
charge of it and control it. The rural population,
the mechanical and agricultural portions Of this
community, are the very salt Of it. They constitute
the 'mudsils," to use q term recently introduced
here They constitute the foundation upon which
the Government rests; and hence we see the state
of things before US. Should not give the settle
mens of our public lands and the population of
country that direction which will beget and create
the best portion of the population? Is 1t not fear
full to think of four million six hundred and sixty six
thousand paupers in the United States, at the rate
they have them in the city Of New York? Mr.. JEFF
fersun never said truer thing than when he declar
ed thatarge cities were eyesOres in the body polite:
in Democracies they are consuming cancers.
know the idea Of some is to build up great pop
ulous cities, and that thereby the interests Of the
country are to be promoted. Sir, city not only
sinks int pauperism but into vice and immortality
Of every description that can be enumerated; and
would not vote for any policy that believed would
build up cities upon this principle. Build up your
villages build up your rural districts, and you will
have men who rely upon their own industry, who
rely upon their own efforts who rely upon their own
ingenuity, who rely upon their own economy and
application to business for support; and these are
the people whom you have TO depend upon. Why,
Mr. President, how was il in ancient Rome? know
there has been great deal said in denunciatiOn Of
aerariauism and the Gracchi, 1t has been said that
doctrine something like this led to the decline Of
the Roman Empire; but the Gracchi never had their
day until cancerous influence had destroyed the
very vitals of Rome;s and it the destruction of
Rome that brought forth Tibefius Gracchus. It was
10 prevent land monopoly, not agrarisnism, in the
common acceptatiOn-Of the teTm-Whieh is dividing
out lands that had been acquired by individuals
They sought to take back and put In the possession
Of the great of the people that portion of the
public domain which had been assumed by the cap
italists who had title TO it in fact. The Gracch
tried to carry out this policy to restore that which
had been taken from the people. The population
had sunk into the condition of large proprieOrs on
the one hand, and dependents me other; and
when this dependent condition vas brought about,
as we find from Niebubrs History, the middle class
Of the community all gone; 1t had left the eoun-
try; there was nothing but aristocracy the one
hand, and dependents upon that sristOcracy on the
other; and when this got to be the case, the Roman
Empire went down.
Having this illustriOus example before US, we
should be warned by it. Our true policy is to build
up the middle class! TO sustain the villages; to pop
uae the rural Districts and let the power of this
Government remain with the middle class. / want
no miserable city rabble on the one hand. want
no pampered, bloated, corrupted sristoerscy the
other; l want the middle portion of society built up
and sustained and let them have the control Of the
Government. I am much opposed to sgrarianism
any Senator on this floor, any individual in the
United States, and this bill does not partake in the
slightest degree of agrariansm but the contrary,
it commences with a at the precise point where
agrariansm ends, and it carries him up in an as
cendiug line while that carries him down. 1t gives
him interest in his country, and interest in public
affairs. and when you are involved in war, in in
suFreotiou or rebellion, or danger Of any kind they
are the men who are to sustain you. If you should
have occasion to call volunteers into the service of
the country, you will have population of men hsv
ing homes having wives and children to care for,
who will defend their hesrthstones when invaded.
What a sacred thing it is to a man to feel that he
has hearthstOne TO defend; home, and wife and
children to for, and to rest satisfied that they
have abiding place. Such man is interested in
dividualy in repelling invasion; he is interested
individually in having good Government.
know there are many, and even some in the
Democratic ranks whose a little timid in
regard to trusting the people with too much power.
Sir the people are the safest the best and the most
reliable lOdgmeut of power, if you have a pOpula-
ton Of this kind. Keep up the middle class lop off
an aristoeracy the one hand, and rahble on the
other let the middle class maintain the ascendeney
let them have the power, and your Government is
always secure. Then you need not fear the people
know, as have just remarked, that timid
in regard to trusting the people but there can be
no danger from people who interested in their
Government, who have homes to defend, and wives
and children t. care for Even if we test this pro-
position by that idea fself interest which is said to
govern and control man, 1 ask you if a man, who
has an interest in his country, is not reliable
than one who has none? Is not man who is adj