Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-04-23

but we do say that It is not possible that the
Republicans of Minnesota should be so lazy,
or SO laundering, or SO unwise in their nomi-
nations, that the popular vote, honestly taken
and counted, shall not show q majority on
their side.
This statement is not lightly made. We
would far sooner alarm our friends in the N.
w. than to lull them into indolent security.
We mean to exhort them tountiring vigilance,
but we would have that vigilance mainly di-
rected toward watching the ballotboxes. Let
no illegal votes be polied, and no bogus re-
turns be trumped up, and Minnesota will 90
Republican by an Overwhelming majority.
For the people of that State are half of them
squatters, nearly all poor. Many of them are
absolutely unable to pay 5000 in cash for
their several quarter-sections, and will not
be able for many months. Meantime, they
live in perpetual danger Of falling into the
open jaws of land monopolists and speculat-
ors. Probably Ten Thousand Minnesota vo-
tiers, present and prospective, are living under
that harrow to-day.
Now, these people are generally intelligent
but even the most ignorant can be made to
see and know that the Republican party is
| committed by its National Platform, by the
persistent action of its Members of Congress,
! by it's consciousness that belt of freehold
cultivatOrs of quarter-sections in severalty
would afford the strongest possible barrier to
| the Extension of Slavery, to the maintenance
and prosecution of the Free Homestead poll.
cy. The Democratic party, on the other
| hand, by its alliance with and dependence on
| the Slave Power, is inextricably committed
| to the opposite policy. Individual Democrats,
yielding to local pressure, may vote on this
point with the Republicans; but the majority
must 60 as they are driven. 1t is no secret
that the President would have vetoed OF
| pocketed the Homestead Bill had it passed al
the late Session That bill Tin substance) is
| destined to become law ; but it cannot till
there shall be Republican President in the
| White House to sign it. But the fact that il
is to pass-that a powerful and growing party
is devoted to its triumph-to-day checks the
| plague of land speculation and keeps the
clutches Of the monopolists off the home Of
many poor squatter whose presumption has
expired. And these men, for the sake of the
good thai has been, and the greater good that
is to be realized, will not vote against the
party which saves them from spoliation o.
their homes.
What the Republicans of Minnesota have
mainly to do is to cause certified transcript
to be made from the official Journals of Con
gress of every proposition made in either
House at the late Session with regard to Free
Grants of Public Lands to actual Settlers
with the votes taken thereon, printing the
names of Republicans uniformly in italics and
those of Americans in small capitals, so thai
each reader may see at a glance how each
party voted on every division. Add to this
the speech of Mr.. Cavanaugh, in which he
warned his Democratic brethren that they
were killing their party in the North West by
opposing Free Grants of Public Lands to Ac.
tual Settlcrs-that it could not live there un.
der that policy-and send the record into
every og-cabin in the State. Then take 81
lent but effectual measures to detect and de.
feat false voting and false returns at the Fall
Election, and the State is safe by a majority
of thousands.