Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-05-13
From the Republic.
Buchanan's Land Policy.


braska) Republican Tho corup, practi.
ees Of the officers OF the Government here
detailed are enough to damn any party
forever in thu eyes Of the people, u Il can
be believed tina, they ara winked nj by the
appointing power. The President should
BE- made cogniIant Of the proceedings. and
II the guilty officer. are no, at once reno.
we'd. 1t will be positive proof Of his approx
al Of their conduct. What say. the Con-
.titution2 Where lies the hult' Who
was the dilatory party-tbo President. the
General Land Of6co here. or the local OH.
GERS in Nebraska?
The coolest piece Of eTrontery we have
seen for some time j. charging upon brokers
and bankers the evils and expressions nri'-
ing from forcing the public lands into mar
ket. Why did tho banker lend the pre-
cmptor money to buy BIZ. land. Was it be-
cause tho lender compelled him to buy. or
because James Buchanan compelled him ?
james Buchanan ordered the lands OF Ne
braska to be sold alta time OF unparalleled
pressure in the money market. and in d.
rect opposition to the almost united wish
and interest Of tho settlers. Tho settlers
pe,itioned for more time. for little delay
until money could he had but no, they
could not DO needed. They delayed pre-
smpting many Of them waited until tho
las, month many waited until the last
week some until the last day. hoping
against hope. that the sales would be poet.
poned. Tslegraphic dispatches finally re-
ported tho sales postponed; private letters
reported the sales postponed hut the land
Office here knew nothing about IL. and men.
poor men. were actually compelled TO bor-
row money on the very day preceding the
public sale, to prc.emp, their land, or REX
a total loss. Then, and no, till then when
the lsst poor settler, on the last hour Of the
last day, bad paid hi. money did this land
Office announce ,ha, the public sale was
postponed. Then and not I'LL then, when
every settler had been compelled to p"y up
when every hardship that a public sale
,alo could iulict vas endured and past re-
call, was the sale postponed. and tho bal
Anee Of the Territory cheated Of every adj
vantage sale could confer. The farmers
were stripped Of their money, bot the CT.
ties were ulll robbed Of their title. some
four thousand lots IA this place alone we've
left as u temptation to thieves, and q bone
of contenimtnt to intt,n land Office and
fee their attorneys. And Why was tho
notice Of the postpOnment delayed; Simply
thai governmtn, officials might get their
Per cenIagc ON entries. And why. after all
this was the sale itself pO',poued' Simply
that the vast amount OF property embraced
in city additions should DO left open for
jumper. and thieves. and thus fee the han.
gers on Of corrupt Administration, and
perhaps divide with them the spoils.
There are some startling facts connected
with the history Of land aud city entries in
this region, which we will IL need be, re-
late. The oppression OF the Admini.tra.
ton was in ordering the sale during panic
but the corruption Of the Administration
was in Withholding the notice Of postpone
men, until the whole evil was inflicted. II
pse.emptors paid high rates Of interest, IL
was not because men offered 10 loan at high
rates, bot because James Buchanan com.
p,lIed hem 10 pdyH or 10" their lands.
The honest prc-emp,or was charged with
the usual rates OF interest and high rs
they were at that time. they were precisely
the same tina, was paid by other parties and
loudly offered rs proof Of Western profits.
The speeulltor paid high races willingly
for money, when he could double those
rates in speculation. Ii was optional with
him but the poor farmer was driven by the
cruel policy Of the land Office to pay these
rates or lose his all. To The honor Of the
settlers. be it known that they are punctu-
ally paying the liabilities thus cruelty and
unnecessarily forced upon them, while tho
rascals who are raising hue and cry about
high rates are seeking to repudiate both
interest and principal. Either the Depart.
ment at Washington failed to send duo mo-
,ice OF the pos,ponemeni. or this Office fail.
ed to publish it. In either case, every
hardship suffered by tho pre'emp,or since
July. 1858. is cbargcable alone, to the
Democracy and Democratic officials"