The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1860-09-27
THE HOMESTEAD MEASURE.
wEaO are 6ts Friends J?

THE FEOWEsTB3AD MEASURE.
who are its Friends
1t is important that every poor man
every laboring man, should know
who are the friends of the Homestead
measure. This measure is designed
especially, to elevate the condition Of
the industrious poor laboring classes.
Let the record of Congress show, who
advocate and vote for the Homestead,
and who oppose it, The Homestead
is one OF the cardinal doctrines of the
Republican party; it occupies prom
inent place in the Republican platform;
it has always been unanimously sus-
tanned Ply the Republican members Of
Congress. Let any one consult the
record ofccagressional proceedings,
and be l,ill find the Democratic party
vote inv ariably against the Homestead;
except few Of ghe Representatives,
mostly from the Northern States.
Yet it has been claimed by some of
Wisconsin Democratic Journals, that
the Democratic party is friendly to the
Homestead. We avail ourselves Of the
following concise, but faithful history
o. the Homestead bill before Congress
at It's last session:
On the 9th OF March, 1860, Mr.. Low
ejoy, as Chairman OF the Committee
on Public Lands, introduced into the
House a Homestead Bill, which was
passed on the 12th Of the same month
by vote Of 1l5 yeas, to IS nays.
Every Republican present voted for
the bill and every Democrat but q
voted against 1.-THE Democrats favor
ing the bill, except 3, living in the new
States, where the measure was 50 pop
ular that they dare not go home after
| opposng it; and they felt safe IN yOt>
/ ing thus to saUe Themselves, as the
/ Democratic Senate and Democratic
/ President would never allow the bill to
! become law. Had their votes been
as necessary to defeat it as those Of
many Of them were to force the Eng
/ lish fraud thr0' the House, there is no
doubt chat they would have been had,
and no SIS, 600 would have been wasted
a single lobby either.
The House bill, passed by the heavy
majority stated, went to the Senate,
where it wasat once emasculated of
all its benehcent features. and trans>
formed into something entirely differ
ent from the original bill. 4 new bill
was substituted for it by the Senate
Committee, and when this bill came
up for action, Mr.. Wade (Republican)
Of Ohio, moved to substitute the House
bill for it, which was lost,ayes Is, nays
|3I. The yeas were all Repu65jcan8,
except one, (Douglas) and the nays
Of Ohio. The Senato.s bill then pass
ed that body-44 to s. Most OF the
Republicans voted for it, because they
thought it elter to let it pass and trust
to a contest between the two Houses
for It's amendment, rather than there
to defeat it entirely
The bill went to the President, who
returned it to the Senate with his Uoto.
/ The question, "ShaIl this bill pass not
withstanding the objections of the
President was put and lost-yeas %,
nays l8,--two- thirds not voting in the
affirmative. Ofthe yeas, 10 were Re
Ipublicans, INCLUDING Mr.. Hamlin,) and
8 were Democrats. The nays were all
Democrats, except Mr.. Crittenden Of
Ky. Fifteen Democrats who voted for
the bill on its passage now abandoned
it and voted to defeat it. Had these
remained faithful to their former posi-
ton, the bill would become law IN
spite Of the veto; and there is good rea-
son for the belief that their former
votes for the bill, as well as that OF Mr..
! Douglas, were given because they knew
/ the President would veto the bill, and
thus give them an opportunity to pres
vent the measure from becoming law.
I It is an important fact in this connec-
ton, that Mr.. Douglas did not vote on
! the last occasion. This vote was Ia
ken during the sess on of the Balti-
more Convention, when Mr.. Douglas
ingenuity was taxed to It's utmost, IN
1 devising schemes for promoting his own
interests, and he had no time Tor look
ing after those Of the Iaboring men OF
the country.
4 In order that the reader may under>
stand the difference between the two
/ Homestead measures before the last
Econgress,below viii be founda synopsis
Of the House bill (RepubIican) and the
Senate bill Oemocratic)
l. is to the Lands Opened for En-.
try.
The House bill provides, all Gov.
eminent Lands shall be aojthdr0aon
J from naarket, and no longer exposed