East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-09-06

hereafter or have been heretofore, so
that it shall be general principle, a.per-
manent policy looking to the future.
"Mr. CoLLAMER-If il is arranged in
that manner, what will become Of those
who have gone on the lands in Minneso.
Ia, for example VIII the Senator's
amendment reach those people, and en-
able them to take the land at a quarter
of dollar, as well as those who may 40
hereafter?
"Mr. DouGLAs-Precisely. What
desire is, that every man now on the pub
lie lands that have been surveyedand that
are liable to the provisions of this bill,
and also all that have gone on to land
not surveyed may take it under this bill
as soon as il becomes surveyed, and also,
that all persons who shall, hereafter go
on the land may take it under this bill as
soon as it shall be surveyed. That is
what desire to see in the bill.
Mr.. WADE-I believe that is right
Let us have a vote. / believe that the
proposition of the Senator from Illinois
is right, and | want vote.
"Mr. DoUGLAs-I will stop right here
il we can get vote.
Mr.. DAVIS, of Mississippi, raised some
objection to the proposed amendment,
to which Mr.. Douglas replied as follows
81 have listened with interest and
pleasure to the very clear exposition of
the land system given by the Senator
from Mississippi. 1t is true that this
amendment to this bill will make rad
ical change. The change is simply this ::
AS the land system now stands, the spec
ulator and the actual settler are on terms
Of entire equality, taking the land at 81 20
an acre; but, according to the proposed
change, the Spectator will be required
to pay 81 % an acre, and the settler will
only pay twenty-five cents an acre. The
! legal effect will he to make one dollar an
acre difference between the man who
buys for speculation without settlement,
and the man who settles upon the land
and makes it his home; and that is my
object in the amendment.
Mr.. Pugh though the amendment might
give the SPECTATOR undue advantage over
the settler, to which Mr.. Douglas re-
Piled
"The effect Of this amendment is that
there shall be one dollar ali acre differ
ence between the SPECTATOR and the set
tier; that the actual settler may take
land ut twenty-five cents, and that the
speculator shall pay Sl,25. But the
Senator from Ohio says the SPECTATOR
will send in advance his agents to 60 and
get claim under the homestead. Sir,
do you think that, in order to reduce a
tract of land from 81 % an acre to TWEEN
ty-fve cents, the Spectator will send his
agent to hold the land FIVE years, and pay
five years salary, in order to save 500
No, sir. You protect the settler against
the SPECTATOR, by requiring five years
residence under the bill, and cultivation
upon the land, The Spectator cannot
bear the the expense of keeping a settler
for five years in order to reduce the
price. 1t would cost him three times as
much as he would gain by it, This bill,
therefore, furnishes the only efficient
preventive against this system of fraud
and speculation that L have seen de.
vised.
81 am aware that the effect of this bill,
with my amendment, will be to make the
public lands cease to be large source OF
revenue. | do not think the country
will suffer by withdrawing that source oil
revenue, aud for this reason Any one
who will trace the report OF the sales o.
the public lands for the last thirty years
k,,1 tlat fr,y yaS
prosperous, whenever money was plenty
and you had a surplus revenue in the
treasury that you did not know what tc
do with, your land sales ran up to ten
{ twelve, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five
million dollars year; but the moment {
revulsion came, and money became scarce
and your imports began to fall off, the
land sales stopped; you could scarcely
get q dollar into the treasury, during
= the year you needed it most. This
. source Of revenue failed you when yor
wanted it. 1t creates a surplus wher
the surplus becomes curse to you, anc
fails when you need it to supply the de
ficiency in the treasury. This very sys
tenn of public land sales is one Of thu
l causes of pecuniary revulsion in th
: country I; and it VIII benefit the country
: benefit the treasury, benefit the CONNER
5 cial community, and the moneyed affair
q of the entire Union to have this system
i cut off 1t will remain partially unde
, the bill where lands are entered for spec
$ ulation, but it will be cut off in regard t.
c the actual settler lie pays only TWEEN
ty-fve cents an acre, which is about tn
+ cost of the administration of the Ian
$ system.
d "Mr. MAsoN-I wish to ask the Sena
tor from Illinois whether the effect G
G this amendment will not be to enabl
5 pre-emptioners whonow are such to max
t their pre-. emption lands at quarter of
n dollar an acre?
IS "Mr.DoUGLAs--Unquestionably."
i The amendment, however, was los
= by vote of 26 ayes to 81 nays y vot
; was then taken on substituting the Hous
= bill for the Senate bill, but it was r,
' ected by the following vote:
} YrAs-Mcssrs. Anthony, Bingham
: Cameron, Chandler, Clark, Collame
! Dixon, Doolittle, DoUGLAs, Durkee, Fo
u = ter, Grimes, Hale, Iiamlin, Harlan, Kins