The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1860-03-22
The HoSncstcnd Law and the Pncific
ISntIrOad--iHr. Grows Speech.

IsniIrOad--Ar Grows Speech
Mr.. Grow, of Peunsyl lvania. delivered speech
in the House of Representative at Washnnton.
last week on the Homestead bill, which is highly
commended as one Of the most instructive OF
the many speeches made in Congress upon that
subject, He gave historical sketch Of our
Public Land system-~a sketch that must he We
required much research, and is both interesting
and valuable
From his statements, IL seems that the Fed
eral Government. by tessions from tie original
States'ani by the purchase OF Louisiana ,Florda
California, New Mexico and Utah. has acquired
exclusive OF wafer, 100000 900 acres oF pub
Tic lands. or these there have been sold li7,
J99,274 acres; while there have been granted
aud donated 10 individuals, companies, corpor-
ations end Stat .24l T7105l acres. This lcnvts
undisposed OF in the possession Of the Notiont
Government, LOCI 1868 acres OF land
Looking at the grand total. Mr.. Grow esks
-" What disposition shall be made of this
vast inheritance = Vast indeed il is. and we
can form but very inadequate idea Of the
teeining millions 1t may yet, and et no distant
day, contain. Reject holf Of this land as worth.
less, and we have remaining more than five
bundled million 0cres for cultivation and set
tlcment Allow e family Of five persons 10
each quarter section OF this land, and il would
make 3, l25, 600 farms with a population upon
proportion Of numbers for tho non-farning pop
uation which always greatly exceeds the agri-
cncultural, and 1t is not an unsife estimate to
say that our unsold public domain would sus-
tain population Of forty OF fifty millions.
To what object can our immense patrimony
be dedicated so noble and 50 bcneicent as fur
nishng homes for the honest, Woodworking yoo.
manry of the country The promoters aud the
opponents Of ihis wise and beneGcent policy are
Iaa ihaI h,,A ~. tla IL
sage from his speech:
"Three times, within the present year,
Homestead bill has passed this House and been
defeated by the Democratic majority in the Sen.
ate. On the vote on the Homestead bill last
Congress ont of one hundred aud thirty Demo
Gratis, hut ihirty-One voted for il ; and in the
test vote between taking up The Homestead bill
nfter it had pussed the House and only reuuired
the vote of the Senate to make it law, so FAR
ns Congress was concerned, or to take mp the
bill for the pnrchosa of Cuba, but one Democrat
voted for the Homestead and only six at any
time; while every Republican in the Senate and
every one in the House. wtho SINGLE exception
was Tor the Homestead OF all of the Repre-
seniatvcs OF the slave States but three in The
House voted for it; and but two at any time in
the Senate. So the Democratic party. as a par
ty, arrayed itself in opposition to this bcnifceut
policy. The Republican party on the other
nhni, ~ committed to TINS measure by its votes
Congress, by its resolutions in State Conven-
iions, and by its devotion TO the great central
idea of its cxistcnCe-the rights and interests of
free labor"
The subject of Pacific Railroad is closely
connected with that of the public lands. All
the bills that have been introduced into Congress
this session looking to the promotion of this
enterprise, and their name, according to tn
Washington correspondent Of the New York
Tribune, is legion prouidr for the donation to
that object .! u norton of the public lands
Wisv,y, or unwisely the curreGt has always ran
steadily in this direction. But the present al.
vocates of this great project. do not like its
earlier friends propose to rely soley,nor indeed
chiefly, upon grants of land for carrying it
through.
All the recent Pacific Railroad bills. il is said
look to the loln Of the Government credit, as
well as To a donation Of its lands. to aid in oc-
C mplshing Tho enterprise. And in view of
prties in Congress, and especially in the Sen
ate, the project takes now as il has always done
torked aspect that is, two lines, Southern
and Northern are usually embraced in the
same bill Rut it is doubted by many conver-
SAINT with matters at Washington, whether eth
er a Homestead or Pacific Railroad bin can
pass this session. while Others feel sanguine of
the succesS of both. The Republican members
are urged to support both these measures, in
good faith, and with the earnest determination.
to carry both, If il be possible. at the present
session,--COlumbuS Fact.