The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1860-09-05

we can get vote.
In reply to Mr.. Davis objections to the
proposed amendment, Mr.. Douglas said /:
al 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 radi-
cal change in that system. / do not
wish to disguise from any Senator, nor
from the country, the full extent of that
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 Mt
81 20 an acre; but, according TO the pro-
posed change, the SPECTATOR will be re-
quired to pay 81 20 an acre, and the set
tiers will pay only twenty-five cents an
acre. The legal effect will be 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"
In reply 10 Mr.. Pugh, Mr.. Douglas,
aftef showing the beneficial effects of the
presumption system, and the advantage
it gave the settler over the Spectator,
said:
The effect of this amendment is that
there shall be one dollar an acre difference
between the Spectator and the settler;
that the actual settler may take land al
twenty-five cents, and that the speculatol
shall pay 81 25. But the Senator from
Ohio SAYS the Spectator will send in ad.
vance his agents to go and get n claim
under the homestead Sir, do you think
that in order to reduce tract of land
from 81 % an acre TO twenty-five cents
the Spectator will send his agent there
to hold the land five years, and pay five
years salary in order to save 800? Nc
sir. You protect the settler against the
speculator, by requiring five years residence
under this bill, and cultivation upon the
land. The speculator cannot bear the
expense of keeping settler for five year:
upon the land in order to reduce the price
1t would cost him three times as much a:
he would gain by it. This bill, therefore
furnishes the only efficient preventive
against this system of fraud and specula
ton that l have seen devised.
| am aware that the effect of this bill
with my amendment, will be to make The
public lands cease to be a large source o
revenue. / do not think the country vii
suffer by withdrawing that source of rev
enue, and for this reason: Any one whc
will trace the reports Of the sales of The
public lands for the thirty years, will fine
that whenever the country was prosper
Gus, whenever money was plenty, an(
you had surplus revenue in the treasu
ry that you did not know what TO de
with, your land sales ran up to ten, TWEEN
ty and twenty-four million dollars year
J but the moment revulsion came, an(
money became scarce and your import.
to fall off, the land sales stopped; yol
could scarce get a dollar into the treasu
ry during the years You needed it tn,
: most. This source of revenue failed 20,
when YOU wanted it, and poured in upor
you when you did not want it and die
not know what TO do with it. 1t create.
surplus when the surplus becomes {
curse to you, and fails you when you neeC
it to supply the deficiency in the treasu
E ry. This very system of public lane
sales is one of the causes of pecuniary re
vulsions in this country; and it will ben
eft this country, benefit the treasury
benefit the commercial community, ant
the moneyed affairs of the entire Union
TO have this system cut of. 1t will re
main partially under the bill where lands
are entered for speculation. but it will b,
cut off in regard to the actual settler
He pays only twenty-five cents an acre
which is about the cost of the admins
tration of the land system.
Mr. Mason-I wish to ask the Sena
tor from Illinois whether the effect of thi
amendment will not enable the pre-emp
tors who now are such, to take their pre-
emption lands at a quarter of dollar M
acre.
Mr.. Douglas-Unquestionably.
The amendment proposed by Mr., Doug
las was lost by vote of 20 to 81. A
, vote was then taken on substituting tn
) House bill for the Senate bill, but tn
: amendment was rejected-ayes 25, nay
80. Messrs. DOUGLAS, and HAMLIN
voting in the affirmative.
Mr.. Douglas having endeavored to i'm
! prove the Senate bill-having voted il
, favor of substituting the House for tn
! Senate bill-but failing in both-urge'
the passage of the Senate bill as the bes
r which could be obtained, as follows:
Q al desire to say word in this stag
7 Of the proceeding. If the object of tn
friends of the Homes tead be truly anC
t sincerely to promote the interests of tn
D settlers on the public lands, l do not thin
r that there can be moments hesitation i
vofino. for tho Kill a. =, 49,, .iools Lo(or