The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-07-19

all lands that have been exposed to sale
Tor thirty years, and for Eve years Of that
period offered at twenty-five cents per
acre. This, too, is not in the nature of
ag;f. but an Abandonment of property to
the States that has ceased to be Of val.
ue to the Government. This feature Of
the bill was defended by the Senator
from Alabama Mr. Clny) with ability, on
the ground that, after lands had been cx-
posed to sale for thirty years at graduated
prices, running down to twenty five cents
per acre, the entire proceeds of sales
would not defray the expenses of land
Offices. Hence it would cease to be of
value to this Government Certainly no
one can pretend that this Governmen, has
no power to abandon worthless property.
2. His second objection is that this
bli would prove unjust and unequal IN
its operation among the actual settlers
themselves; that those who have hereto
fore sett'"'on and purchased public lands
have paid 81 25 per aero and if you now
reduce the price to sixty.two and half
cents or or twenty five cents per acre, you
treat the first purchaser unju~tIy, and
YOU will be required to refund to them
the difference. Well, sir, such an argu-
'nrnt scarcely merits moments thought
1t implies the declaration that Congress
has no power to reduce the price Of pub.
lie property without rcfunding to all 9TH
ers who may have bought at higher
rate. And that, too, in the face of his
own declaration, contained in this same
veto message, that the price was hereto
fore reduced from 81 to l,2j aud vet
no one has heard cla,nor, or even re-
quest to have you refund from the Treas,
ury to the first purchaser the difference
in price Of seventy-five cents per acre.
! 3. His third objection is that this bill
wrll do great injustice to the old soldiers
who have received bounty land warrants,
by reducing their value in the market.
Now, sir, when these bounty land war
rants were authorized to be issued they
were not assignable; it is merely grant
to the old soldier of the right to enter a
piece of land without pay it was dona.
,ion Of land to the soldier Tn" warrants
were afterwar Is made assignabe. for the
benefit Of the soldier, who could not or
would not select and enter land. Who
ever dreamed that by this act makiru
/ land warrants assiynoLie Congress cuter-
ed into an implied obligation to maintain
their value in the market, by withhold
ing lands from market at less than 81 %
per acre. ? Neither the Congress nor the
Executive seemed to think so when the
graduation bill became law.
! T. His fourth objection i. that this
bill would be unjust to mechanics and
other classes Of citizens. than agricul'ur
modes Of life. How so? Is it not broad
enough in its provisions to embrace ell ?
Every head of family, a citizen of the
United States, or who has declared his
Intention to become such, may settle on
and occupy his homestead, whether farm.
or or mechanic, lawyer or doctor none
are prohibited. Ifthcy decline to do so
1t Is not the fault of the law; nor does
the bill require any oae to change his
calling as prerequisite to settlement
5. His fifth objection is that the bill
would be unjust to the old States, in d.
mlnlshing the marketable value of their
lands,and holding out premium to their
children to cmigrate to the new States
This may be very good argument when
addressed to the State pride of the Rem.
resentatives of old States, but not very
cred'table to their humanity. Who arc
the citizens Of the new States? Your
sons and dauohters-the children of YOUR
people at home . And the President Of
the Republic invites you to adopt a policy
that will retain them around the old
homestead and worn out lands, to struo.
gle with pcnury and want--to become
the hewers of wood and the drawers of
water, Of hard hearted landIords-ratber
than to send them to the fertile lands Of
the new States, to build up for themselves
fortunes and happy homes.
6 His sixth objection is tina, this
bill will open one vast field for specula. !
ton. Large numbers of actual settlers
will be carried Gu. by capitalists upon
agreements to give them half of the land
Tor the improvement of the other half"
This objection will excite the rdicule Of !
every settler in new State who sees il
low much would it cost the capitalist to
remove families from the old States to !
the unoccupied public lands in the new
States and Territories, and maintain them
until they can cultivate crop and live
No Ole dhe WIN 1bfttefa' tnan l, can be done
for less than 500 per family. In what,
then, will consift the spectators profit?
lie will advance SlO0 or SO, to transpor,
family, and keep them on 100 acres Of
poblc land during period Of five years
for the privilege of entering so acres es
the land at 20 cents per acre, in pursu-
ance OF a secret bargain made with the /
settler in violation of law and consequent ,
ly void when he can 90 direct to the
land Office and order his SO acres without
delay and hazard for 800.
!. HIS seventh objection is the al.
legation that the bill discriminates against
the native born citizen in favor of the
foreign born The Senator from Ohio
has characterized this objection as be-
meath the dignity of legal quibble.--
And no one doubts that the President
gives this par. of the bill construction
not intended by the framer of the bil,or
either of the Committees on Public Lands
or any one member Of either branch of
Congress and hence, if susceptible of
such construction, could be remeded
by the passage Of joint resolution in
less than thirty minutes.
JJ;s o;ch,b obiection is an allcra