The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-02-03

should not be the policy, oi the government
that the lands Of the United States should
fall into the hands Of actual seitlersY In
my opinion, the opposite policy has too long
obtained in this country. We have hi,her-
to permitted large tracts OF our most valu'
able lands to fall into the hands OF specula.
tors-into the hands Of non-residents- men
who will not occupy or cultivate them.
Now, however. contrary policy has been
inaugurated, and l hope will be carried into
effect by the acts of this and subsequent Con.
crosses, that wise aud beneticient policy Of
extending ana charging the pre- emption
system as far US it can possibly be extended.
Permit me TO contrast the private entry
system, by which greater portion OF the
lands Of the Government ore now disposed
Of, with the pre- emption policy. When
once land is subjected 10 private entry, there
Is then no limit 10 the amount Il single iu-
divdual may enter. The man who has his
pockets filed with land warrants, may go to
your local land Office aud locate township af
ter township. This infamous appropria.
ton of the public land by one man, is not
! the only evil which flows from this system.
This system prevents there rich aud fertile
acres from yielding Of their abundance to
supply the wants and necessities OF man.
Broad miles OF prairie and woodland are
dead weight upon the prosperity aud growth
of the State The speculator appropriates,
for u selfish aim and object, what is the Ia.
borer's heritage. But, sir, there are other
aud more important objections to this pri'
vate entry system. Whenever large tract
of land is thus held by nonresident, it
operates us u pesthouse to surrounding I'M.
provements What true father or citizen
will settle for life near where speculation
has cursed the soil ? He can have no
home that is worth the name. lie ~ isolat.
ed--shut in by this land-robber on the one
side and that and-robber on the other. He
neither has, nor hopes to have, the benefit Of
common schools, in which he may rear his
children TO intelligence and virtue. The
music of the church bell he may never ex.
pect to hear. lie can have no towns, or
roads, or privileges, unless the wants OF the
agriculturist. the wants Of labor, compel the
emigrant to pay the price the spcculator
may demand.
In the mean time that isolated settler
grows old his children are sent forth uncu.
iured, and deprived Of the soiteniug intu-
ences of education or religion. This prodi-
gal land robbery reaches still further-,hc
State feels the blow, and instead OF being en-
riched by the non. resident apdholders, suffers
| in the rctarding OF its development ind pro-
gress. tn mix God for one consequence
sometimes flowing from this land greediness
| 1t operates like tho selfish wish OF Midas, 10
whom was granted the desire that oil he
touched might turn into gold. Ills cupidity
grutifed, he starved with heaps Of the gold
he 80 longed for all about him. These men.
having thus repealed settlement by their un
lawful avaricc, find that their lands do not
advance in price as they hoped. aud they
perhaps are compelled 70 sell at loss.
All this time the progress and the pros
perity OF the State are kept back; settle
ment seeks less favored localities; and while
the Spectators have cursed the soil this Gov.
eminent has afforded them the opportunity
to curse, they have not promoted their own
| prosperity. Ii il surrounding settlement
and Improvement that mainly make land
valuable.
have seen the fatal effects Of the private
entry system, in the vest, 10 such an extent
that | cannot refrain from calling the aten.
! ton OF the committee and the House TO this
subject. IN the States OF Michigan Illineis
Indiana and Wlsconsin. TO day, large tracts
OF the public lands are held by non residents;
by men who have no interest in common
with the people there; almost, in certain 10.
/ calities. to the exclusion OF the settler; aud
the poor man who comes from the east to
seek home in the wcst, is compelled. If bis
right 10 pre- empt IL not guaranteed 10 him
( 10 buy that home Of this class Of men, at
I five, ten, fifteen, and even twenty dollars an
acre, Just ia they may choose TO exact From
/ this cause, the western States are now labor
/ ing under mos, serious embarrassment. They
have not progressed az they should have
! progressed. There are communities in the
west in which you will fad large tracts al
most entirely uninbsbited; not because The
soil is un'ertile, nor because such tracts are
destituie Of advantages, but because the
Spectator hes preceded the settler, as he can
/ preccde rim when land is subject to private
4 entries, with bis carpet sack full u land wsr-
rants, and has taken up all the fair portion
Of the country. and lett the Sttler who couies
/ after him with bis ox-tesm and canvas
covered wagon, containing his housebod
goods and gods, 10 make bis bone only On
the refuse land.
Mr.. Chairman, there 10, in my own Stat
a very prominent and very marked ilus,ra-
ton OF this prodigsl system. There is 4
| belt OF land between the ~ Cfoix and tie
Mississippi rivers, beautiful, rich and fertile
It was early brough, ipto market, early sub.
jectcd 20 the system Of private entry. The
result was that II was located by speculs
tor ard now you may travel over it, ahd
you will 6nd here and there, at the distance
u three or four mlI's, struggling bogse,
without the convenience Of schools OF
churche,, OF any other convenience while
RICH, across the river, on the western bank
Of the Mississippi, there is land Of preeSiy
the same character, which wss settled uDdsr
The pre- emp,ion system there, air. We have
counties % populous a. the oldest ssitl.d
} agricultural COUNTS 10 Illinois. or Iod.ana.