St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-03-03
Qolitiital.
SPEECH OF
HON, JAMES M. CAVANAUGH,
OF MINI NESOTA.


Delivered IN The House Of Representatives.,
Janua,y 20, 1859.
The House being in Committee of
the Whole on the Presumption Land
System, Mr.. Cavanaugh said:
Mr.. Chairman, through the kindness
of my colleague, who has yielded a
portion of his time to me, | will detain
the committee a short time in the dis
cussion of the bill to which my col
league has alluded. !, sir, know
something about the pre-emption sys-
TEN in the West. | have seen it in
all its phases and forms. Sir, the
West has grown up i'll a wondrous
manner. 1t has grown up, as it were,
by magic. Take my own State for
an example, if you please, for the last
nine years. Why, sir, nine years ago
the census of that State, then Terri
tory, was taken, and its population
amounted to but little over four thou
sand. Now, it is a sovereign State Of
/ this Union, numbering over two hun
dred thousand free, intelligent, and in
dependent pcoplc-pcoplc who have
gone there hom the north, from the
south, from the east, and from the
west, carrying with them the inStltu-
tons of the several States from which
they cmigratcd; /; carrying with them
the Bible, the rifle, the AK, the school
house, and the church carrying with
them, also, the appliances of civiliza-
ton. And we have gathered up and
plucked from the broad prairics OF the
northwest, all independent and sove,
reign Statc-thc youngest born | ad'
nit, Of this Confedcracy, but which is
we can say, in the language Of oui
State motto, HEioHe dH Nord-" tho
Star of the North" From a strug
Cling Territory, we have formed {
, great State, adding another jewel It
the already splendid crown that gild'
:. this western hemisphere. How has
e. it been done? BY your spectators
T. or by your actual settlers Certalnl.
not 10y the gentlemen who fight tn
bulls and bears on Wall street; no
by the gentlemen who sell goods o.
10 II dia Wharf in Boston not by tn
r individuals who deal in cotton on tn
levce in New Orleans but by tn
brawny and strong arms OF the Labor
ing men who have gone there and res
cucd that Territory and its broa
acres from wild, but luxuriant growtl
and brought them into cultivation
who have made those fertile prairie
of ours bud and blossom like the ros
IS, and our vast valleys vocal with IL
-, hum of industry of an honest yeoma
=" ry. am, sir, Oh this question of tt
C. public lands, intensely radical.
is make no speeches for Buncombe, {
this or any other question. ! bclon
to the people, have sprung from thei
'e' and am here as their Representative
| have no ulterior views to subserv
| speak the honest sentiments of II
constituents, and | speak the hone
sentiments Of my heart, when | S;
s, that these public lands of ours belor
to the people only, and to the m
-. who will cultivate them.
ID Ny colleague has alluded to t
land system in our own State.
ign has alluded to the county Of Now
- lying directly west of the one in viii
l reside. have travelled over IL
county from north to south, from ct
to west. know ever quarter sect
IS and evey forty acres within the lin
of that county yet, sir, can ride
twenty miles there, and not see
ana house or habitation. The lands
, all entered and entered by who
boz, Has the Government of the Uni
York States, has the public treasury of t
ted Union, received its 81 ,25 per acre
- these lands Sir, the land-warr
ger dealers of New York, Boston,
y other large cities, have plastered I
g fair county of ours over with Il
% warrants owned by non-residcnts.
In the able and honest repor
YOUR conscientious Commissioner
the General Land Office, | find the
In. lowing figures That during the
T cal year ending June 30th, 1888, Il
were received, for sales Of pu