The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-06
TWO CENTS.

been taken from the people. The population lad
sunk into the condition of large proprictos on
the one hand, and dependents on the other and
when this dependent condition brought about
find from Nebuhrs History the middle class Of the
community all gone IL had left the country there
nothing but aristocracy the hand and de-
pendents upon that aristocacy the other and when
this got TO be the case the Roman empire went down
/ Having this lustrous example before us, should
be warned by it, Our true policy Is to build up the
middle class to sustain the villages to populate the
rural districts, and let the power of this government
main with the middle class ! want no miserable city
| rabbe on the one hand want no panpered bloated,
corrupted arstocracy the other want the middle
portion of society built up and sustained and let them
have the control of the government. / much op-
posed TO agaranism any senator this floor any
individual in the United States and this bill does not
partake in the slightest degree of agraansm; but,
the contrary, ii commences with at the precise
| point where agrarianism ends and il carries him up In
ascending ne while that carries him down. II gives
him interest in his country, interest In public
affairs; and when yon involved in war; in nsurrec-
ton rebellion, danger OF any kind, they tho
men who are TO sustain you If you should have
sion TO call volunteers into the service of the country
you will have population of men having homes having
wives and children to care for who will defend their
heartEstones when invaded What sacred thing it is
TO to feel that he has heartLstone to defend
home and wife and children to for and to rest
satisfied that they have abiding place Such man is
interested individually in repeng invasion he is inter
| ested individually in having good government
know there are many and even some in the demo-
ranks, whose nerves ilttle regard
trusting the people with too much power Sir the people
the safest the best and the reliable lodgment of
power, you have population Of this kind Keep the
middle class lop of an arsocracy the one hand and
rabble the other let the middle class maintain the
ascendency let them have the power and your govern
ment always Then you need not fear the peo
Pile. know, | have just remarked, that some
tmid in regard to trusting the people but there be
danger from people who interested in their govern
ment, who have homes to Defend and wives and chill
dren to for Even if test this proposition by that
idea of interest which is said to govern and control
man, ask you il man. who has interest in his
try not more reliable than who has none Is
man who is adding to the wealth of his country more
reliable than who Is simply consumer, and has
interest in I'll If we suppose man to be governed only
by the principle of sefnterest is he not more reliable
when he has stake in the country and is 1t not his
interest to promote and advance his own condition
Is it not to the interest Of the great to have every
thing done rightly in reference to government The
great Of the people hold office; they expect
nothing from the government The only way they
| feel, and know, and understand the operations of
the government is in the exactions it makes from
them. When they receiving from the government
protection in common it is their interest to do right in
all governmental affairs and that being their interest
they to be relied upon, if you suppose to
be actunted altogether by the principle Of self interest
1t is the interest Of the middle class to do right in all
governmental affairs; and hence they to be relied
upon Instead of requiring you to keep up your armies,
your mounted men, and your ootmcn on the frontier,
If you will let the people go and possess this public land
on the conditions proposed in this BILL you will have
army on the frontier composed of who will defend
their iresides, who will take care of their own
homes and will defend the other portions of the country
| IL need be, In time of war.
would remark in this connection that the public
lands have paid for themselves According to the report
of Mr. Stuart OF Virginia. the Secretary of the Interior
in 1850 it shown that then the public lands had paid
| for themselves, and sixty millions We have
ceived into the treasury since that time about hirytwo
million dollars from the public lands They have there
FORE already paid the government more than they COST
/ ,,No1Nta fho
that the public lands have been bought with the
treasure of the whole country. Besides, this bill pro-
vides that each individual making entry shall pay a
| the expenses attending it,
We see then Mr. President the effect this policy is to
| have on population. Let ask here looking to
popular elections oking to the proper odgment Of pow
Ell is it not time that had adopted policy which
would give interested in the affairs of the
try to control and sway our clcctons 1t seems to
that this cannot long be debated the point is too clear
| The agricultural and mechanical portion Of the commu-
nifty to be relied upon for the preservation and con-
tnuance of this government. The great mass OF the
pcope-the great middle class honest They toll for
their support, accepting favor from government.
They live by labor They do not live by consumption,
but by production and should consume small
portion of their production it is possible for us to
consume leaving the producer to appropriate to his
| own and benefit much of the product of his
own labor it is possible in the nature OF things to do
The great of the people need advocatesmen who
honest and capable who willing to defend them.
How much legislation is done for them? How much
is done for cassesY How little care seems to be
csed for the great mass of the people When we are
among constituents, it is very easy to make appeals
to the people and professions Of patriotism and then
do not to be personal or invidousit Is very
easy when removed from them short distance,
to forget the people and legslate for classes negecng
the interests Of the great The mechanics and ag
ricultnrists honest Industrious and economical Let
it not be supposed that against learning educa-
tion but might speak OF the in the rural DISTRICTS
in the language of Pope:
Unlearncd, he know schooiman' subtle art,
No language butfhe language of tho heart
by nature honest by experience wise;
~ Healthy by temperance and exercise
your public lands be settled let them be filed up let
do not claim to be prophetic, but have sometimes
thought that If would properly direct legislation
in reference to our public lands and our other
public policy, the time would come when this
would be the greatest government on the face Of
the Garth Go to the great valley of the Mississippi
take the western slope of the mountains to the Pacific
ocean take the whole of this country and find
that we have over three million square miles Throw
OFF eourth unfit for cultivation reducing the area
of the United States fifteen hundred million acres and
by appropriang three to person il will sustain
population of over five hundred million people; and L
have doubt, If this continent strained to its ut
most capacity It could sustain the entire population of
the world Lett go and carry out destiny; interest
in the sol let your vacant land be divided equally
so that have homes let them live by their
industry; and the time will when this will be the
greatest nation on the face of the earth. Let agrcu
essions and pursuits being subordinate to them for on
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