The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-09-09

of Free Homestead Act. And we believe
it was during the same Congress that Mr..
DAWSON, a leading Democratic member
from Pennsylvania, introduced and urged
through the House, a general Homestead
Bill. 1t was not then party question, but
the bill received cordial support from Dem
ocrats in different sections of the country.
1t was defeated in the Senate. Mr.. GROW
and the Republicans stole their Homestead
thunder from Mr.. DAWSON and other
prominent Democrats. But, perhaps, Sen
ator JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, who is one
of the most popular Democrats of the South,
has the best claims to the paternity of the
Homestead Bill. He has been its earnest
and unwavering advocate for several years.
In the last Congress Homestead Bill
was supported by Democrats as we'll as
Republicans. The ablest speeches made in
its behalf were, by such Democrats as Sen
ator JOHNSON, of Tennessee, and JOHN
COCHRAN, of New York. The members
from this State did their utmost to carry it.
However, it did not receive the full support
of the Democrats, as party, nor of the
Republicans as party. 1t was not party
measure.
A Democratic Congress has recognized
the principle of Free Homestead in ap-
plying it to New Mexico and we have no
doubt it will readily extend the same measure
to settlers in the valley of the Mississippi as
soon as we can convince them of its neces-
sity.
The foregoing facts in our political history
expose the concert and dishonesty of the
Sham Republicans in assuming to be pecu
liar friends of the Homestead act. In the
very last Congress they tried to pass an act,
virtually equivalent to their old distribution
theory, granting the public lands to the
several States to establish Agricultural
Colleges. If such measure had passed, the
fairest portions of our public lands would
have been snatched away from the future
settler and held for years as source of
speculation to the old States. A more ru-
nous and disastrous blow to the Northwest
could not have been given. Thanks to the
Democracy it was defeated. 1t was in a
speech against that pet scheme of the Re-
publicans, that Senator RICE made the
wise remark, that the best way to encourage
agriculture would be to give 16O acres of
land to every actual settler, rather than to
donate it to the old States for Colleges.
No great and benefcent policy was ever
perfected in day. Our present land sys.
tenn began with the sale of whole townships
at auction! Under the influence of Demo
cratic principles it has been gradually i'm
proving and has already resulted in the
most wonderful development of the North
west. Its friends have had to withstand the
greed of the distributionists, and their de-
risive complaints of Partially to squatters,
and encouragement to foreigners. But they
stood firm, and are now able to point to the
noble results of an adherence, amidst
clamor and abuse, to sound principles. They
need only refer to the past for guaranty Of
the future. They have reason to be proud
of the position their party has occupied on
the subject of public lands, and while they
hear the Sham Republicans on every side
claiming to be the especial friends of a
Homestead Bill, they will look upon their
pretensions as evidence that the party " con-
ceives no imposture too monstrous for the
popular credulity."