St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-03-03
Golsstuaro tbe Course of empire tahts its od(ap.

merely. My fcalty to that party can
not be questioned. But | am also
here with my colleague to represent
the interests of two hundred thousand
people of the Northwest and when .
fail to represent them honestly and .
faithfully, it is the simplest process
for them to tell me that | have not dis
charged my trust. They can, III that |
event, make their voice known through |
the ballot; and their suilragcs will |.
fall silently as the snowflake, but |
with the power and strength Of majcs
ty.
Mr. Chairman, am opposed, entire
ly, to the bill introduced by the gen
tlcman from Alabama, Mr. Cobb. II
think that any law repeating the pre-
cmption laws Of the country ought to
provide a grant to crery Actual SETTER
free Of cast, If one hDndrM ami @dy |
acres Of iond may be considered an
agrarian If that be agrarianism,
then admit the charge say, and
utter it here distinctly, that, in my
opinion, no man upon this broad earth
should be entitled to an acre of public
lands, unless he is willing to cultivate
and improve and enhance their value.
Mr.. Phelps, Of Minnesota-Will i'll not
my colleague go for this bill if he
cannot get a homestead bill?
Mr.. Cavanaugh-l will reply to my
colleagues question, that, as dera'er
resort, as a choice Of evils, would Of
course. select the least. If ! cannot
get such bill as desire, | will take
this bill with all its impcrlcCtions upon
its head. Neither gentlemen from
New York, Louisiana, Alabama, nor
! from your own State Of Kentucky,
Mr.. Chairman, nor from any State Of
| the Union, ought ever have been al
lowed to enter an acre Of land in Min
ncsota, unless it WAS their intention
to occupy and to cultivate it. Men
have been fascinated by land specuIa-
tions during this universal mania for
the acquisition Of public lands. They
have sent out their land warrants to
my State, and have located them over
the counties of Dodge, Of Mower, of
Houston, of Fillmore, and Of other
COuilItS itHt W Ill NhNS Nii1(.i AiAN
purchased for eighty and ninety cents
per acre. What amount has been ad-
: ded to the revenue Of the Government
from the entry of public lands Why,
sir, the Government has been SO mean
and SO penurious, as not on y to enter
on public lands with land warrants,
but also to deprive our land officers OI
their honest fees.
Suppose that | own hundred and
sixty acres Of land on which am set
tied fence, improve, and cultivate
that land. My honorable and dlstin-
, tinguished friend from Virginia is, let
us suppose, spccuiator and locates
, his land adjoining mine. BY the i'm
, provemcnt Of my land | enhance the
/ value OF my friends land and ii /
. wish to extend the area Of my farm
, and to buy the adjoining land, will
= have to pay five, ten, fifteen, or TWEEN,
, tv dollars an acre for it-a value Civ.
/ en- it, not by its owners industry, but
, by mine.
, Mr.. Millson-But the State levics
\ the tax in proportion to the enhanced
= value.
= Mr.. Cavanaugh-No sir; these lands
t are taxed as wild land, at the rate,
/. believe. of two dollars for every forty
l. acres. The gentleman is rcposlng II
his quiet, pleasant home i'll Virginia
surrounded by all Of those appliance:
= of wealth and civilization of which
y know the gentleman has just as keel
4 an appreciation as any one IN thu
4 Hall vet he will allow his lands t.
y. be idle, while my energy and my IL
N dustry and my money enhance tn
~. value of his land.
N Neither am l willing, sir, to contin
9 the giving Of the public lands only t
= the native born Of these States. Eve
~ ry man, no matter what his national
- tv, who comes to our common coul
. try, and swears allegiance to our Con
,n stitution, hail and welcome as an Il,
~ ccssion to the wealth and industry {
ho the nation no matter what c!lmat
NJ has blcachcd or Drowned his checI
" | do not stop to inquire if he spcal
of the Morse. Celtic, or Teutonic tongu
-, Enough for me to know that he is
W. man; and, though foreign born, is a
,m ~ tachcd to our institutions from chol'
and affection.
,ot speak, Mr.. Chairman, warmly
ne favor of this measure of giving Il
III III public domain to the actual occupai
If | speak warmly for my own State al
mn' ' people. In all my feelings and sen
e ments | am thoroughly western, al
,nn m particularly devoted to the intercs
of Minnesota.
,n If defeated now, | console mys
n5 with the reflection that the time W
;tb come, and shortly too, sir, when
,hn opinion advocated by me will be
ian umphant in this land, for | cannot
.on lieve that God rules this world ale
by imperial ukases, Executive proc
non nations, or acts of Congress.
,se Here the hammer fell.
my
Il The Colonization Society has be