Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-04-18
Ihe Standard.
REMARKS or MR.. CLINGMAN,
OF NoRrH-cARoLINA

n REMARKS OF MR.. CLINGMAN,
OF NoRrn-cARoL1NA,
besirersa IN tas. Senate March 22d, 1860, on the
Homestead .B;H
Mr.. Clinsnan offered the following amendment to
the bill:
Strike out in the first section the words ITO en-
ter one quarter section of vacant and unappropri-
aied public lands, or quantity equal thereto, to
be located in a body, in confo nifty with the legal
subdivisions of the public lands and after the same
shall have been surveyed" and insert, in lieu there
Of "to have Issued to him or her, by the Comms.
sioner of Public Lands, a warrant for one hundred
and sixty acres of land, to be located in the same
manner as that under which the bounty land war
rants heretofore issued have been located on any OF
the public lands of the United States subject to en-
try, the applicant being required to make proof IN
support Of his claim, in such manner, and under
such regulations as may be prescribed by the Sec
rotary Of the Interior to make the section read
That any person who is the head of family, and
citizen Of the United States SHALL from and after
the passage of this act be entitled to have issued to
him or her. by the Commissioner of Public Lands,
warrant, &C."
After the amendment had been read, Mr. CLING
NAN said:
Mr.. President, I think that on this amendment
being understood by the Senate, every Senator who
is in favor Of the principle of the bill will adopt 1T;
at any rate ain confident that every Senator who
favors such proposition ought to support it. l am
frank, though to admit in the outset, that have
been opposed to this policy OF giving away the pub
lie lands. In my judgment, the public lands stand
on the same footing the other public property OF
the Government, and ought to be used for the Gov
eminent can make no distinction between dona-
tons of land and donations in money take this to
be a naked donation While, therefore, fyou leave
it to me- would retain all the lands for the use OF
the Government so as to keep down the public tax
es nevertheless, there seems to be disposition on
the part of many Senators here and there clearly Is
manifested in the other wing of the Capitol dspo-
ston to give away large portion of the public pro-
perty. If that policy is to be carried out, let US
look for few moments and sec if my amendment
does not fortunately, free the subject from all the
difficulties that are in the way of it.
Senators will sec that the present homestead bill
is liable to two or three objections One objection
is that it operates very hard upon the settlers. Un
der its provisions man is obliged to e. on public
land and work upon it for five years. He must go
into the woods, make some outlay of capital, labor
there continuously for five years before he gets any
title believe if he happens to remit his abors for
only six months, for any unforeseen cause he loses
the benefit of all that he has already done. 1t is
hardly necessary for me to say to gentlemen that
our Americans who are of changeable minds and
rove up and down the country, do not like to be
tied down to any place for long while; and it may
happen that man may settle in location which
he finds to be unhealthy, and after two or three or
four years. it may be necessary for him to cmigrate
to some other. Under the existing bill, as under
stand it. he loses the benefit of all that labor he is
not allowed to sell it; he must 60 off, and some
body else comes in. The Senator from Ohio Mr.
Pugh] said, in the last Congress, that those men
who went into the Territories and lahorcd there
for five years, really put work the land than
it was worth. Under his view, therefore, take it
he will see that my amendment is what they ought
to have. Ifmy amendment be adopted, as soon as
the settler goes and takes his position the public
domain, he is "monarch of all he surveys he has
a title at once he may improve it. he may live on
it forever, or he may sell it. My proposition, there
FORE is clearly better for the settler than the orgi
nal bill.
Well, what is the second objection to the bill,
which strikes every mind with great force? Here
is land belonging to all the people of the United
States You say that those who go and settle on it
shall have one hundred and sixty acres each but
nineteen twentieths of the American people never
expect to 60 there. l do not suppose that out of
every fifty men whom I represent, more than one,
if one, expects to 60 and take the benefit. Why
should the other fortynine lose their share of the
will appeal to the Senators the other side Of this
Chamber; take, for example, the twelve New Eng
land Senators; there is no public land in New Eng
land; and the only way any New England man can
get foot of it is to expatrlate himself and 20 to
the West Now, is it right to drive our people
from New England, or North Carolina, or anywhere
else, to enable them to get their share of the pub
lie property? 1put it to every gentleman on prin-
ciples Of justice. You may say that all have an
equal advantage in this that any man has the right
to 60; but remember what it costs man to move
his property and pull up stakes Suppose should
advocate a proposition that the Secretary Of the
Treasury should give ten dollars to everybody who
would apply at the Treasury tomorrow, or next
week. 1t might be said every citizen of the United
States may go in and get his share; but we know
that men living at distance could not 20 without
loss, and the effect would be to give the money to
men living in this locality, and to exclude Others
So, if you pass the provisions contained in this
original bill, you give the lands to those who hap
pen to live in the States, and you exclude eve
rybody in the old States. l should like to see any
man 90 before my constituents and address an as
semby, and say to them, ~ have given away a
part Of your property'to the in the new States,
and refused to give you any portion of it unless you
emigrate.' Everybody sees that it is grossly un-
just 1t is not only unjust to the individuals, but
unjust to the States. What right have you to dis
crminate between the States and to try to drive off
their people? What right have you to impose a
burden on my constituents and say that they shall
submit to these things emigrate to distant coun-
try? The force ofthis is so obvious that it seems to
me that ought to strike the mind of every Senator
Again, sir, there are classes of men who cannot
avail themselves of it. The mechanics do not want
to abandon their business and turn land owners
Go up to Massachusetts, where hundreds and thou.
sands Of men are now striking for higher wages.
should like to how the Senators from that State
or any other State in that region, would 90 before
their constituents and say to them: "You com
plain that you nave difficulty in making living
well, we have taken portion of your property ant
given it to men in the West, and if you choose t.
leave your own country and emigrate out there
you can have a share of it." The great BODY o
those men who would say at once: ut does no
suit us to leave our country it does not suit us t.
engage in farming"
My proposition, then, Mr.. President, fortunate],
gets lis out Of all these difficulties. Pass it ans
the Secretary issues his warrant to every man il
the United States who falls within the provisions O
the bill; that is, every man who is the head of
family and who is citizen That will include tn
shoemaker in Massachusetts, and New Hampshire
i iko has