Red Wing sentinel., 1860-05-30
THE HUMI!S'rEA ID BILL. AND SENA.
TOR RlCE----

THE tiOMESrEAD ID BILL. AND SENA.
.-----.----r rOs RICE.
The closing debate in the United States
Senate on the homestead bill was the most
interesting debate we have read for long
time. We would very much desire to give
it entire and shall do SO, during the cam.
paign. This measure was most ardcntly
and dcvotedly supported bv Mcssrs. Doug
las and fice, who, by every means ir their
power, contributed to reform our present
land system. The bill before the Sen.te,
was restricted to lands subject to private
entry. Mr.. Rice proposed to amend it SO
that its provisions should apply to lands
within the Statcs," surveyed prior to
January lst, 1862, whether subject to private
entry Or otherwise. ....-.. ..-.......
Mr.. Douglas proposed to amend by put
ting it within the States or Territories, y
and said:
| Think the heaviest taxa ION in America, is
in the Territories OF the United States, and
for this simple reaso, the first settlers are
sparse I; they arc scattered over large ex.
extent Of country. They have, in the first
place, to tax themselves for their roads, for
their bridges !; for their court houses Tor
their school houses for all their public
buildings and they have to be constructed
ut once. The rate Of taxation is necessarily
heavier on them than it is the people Of an
cid community the number Of persons to
bear that taxation is smaller, and hence the
ratio Of an individual is much larger
| Mr. MASON. Allow me to ask the Sen
ator question. may be misinormed
but my impression is, that the Federal Gov
crnment bears all the expense Of the public
buildings in the Territories. including their
houses and the buildings in which the
Legislatures assemble.
Mr.. DOUGLAS. The Senator fran
Virginia is unfortunately under very great
mistake. This Government has usually
made an appropriation Of twenty or thirty
thousand dollars, and in some instances
gone to an abuse in the amount, for the
capitol OF = Tcrritory--the building in
which the Legislature meets. BY the Ell
ersy and perseverance Of the Senator from
Minnesota, when he was a Delegate, he got
through an appropriation for a pen'tentiary
Tor the Territory Of Minnesota bat Con.
gress has never appropriated IL dollar for a
court house in any one Of the Territories OF
the United State. ../ .,r
Mr.. RICE The Senator is right, with
one exception. lie gives lne credit to whicI
ann not entitled. approved the measure
t" which he refers but merely wish ia
say that it was my predecessor, Mr.. Sioly.
VIII" obtained thai appropriation. .
Mr. DOUGLAS. 1t shows that was
willing to do justice TO the Senator from
Minnesota. Thought it was he, for I an,
Bound to say that no man was ever more
energetic. or more successful in securing ap.
preparations for his people than he was for
Minnesota when it was Il Territory, and he
was its delegate. am bound to say fur.
thermore, that I do not think that any man
ever lived who felt the grievances Of the peo
! pie Of Territory as he felt for them while
Minnesota remained in that condition, and
have no doubt he still feels for the set,
tiers in Minnesota, which was so recently a
Territory. But, sir,J do not think those set
lers are better men in Minnesota, since it he
came State. than they were when it was
a Territory. do not thi nix the fact that
thoy have been received into the Union has
changed their character or their merits. or
!casht to change the policy Of this Govern.
ment in respect to the terms and conditions
upon which they are to purchase or become
1.-The owners Of the public lands.
The suggestion has been made here, as &
reason f,r this discrimination against thu
settlers in the Territories, that Congress.
bears the expense Of their roads. Sir, this
is very great delusion. 1t is true thai
Congress has once and while made appro'
priations for roads; il the Territories, but
they have been military roads. Once in .
while one has gone under another than the
War Department bu: the rule has been
to construct only military roads by this
Government. | have always been under
the necessity, as chairman Of the Committee
on Territories, when defended road ap.
preparation, of saying that it was for militia
Try purposes that it ran to Fort Ridgely,
or ran from Fort Leavenworth, or that it
connected with Fort Kearney, or thatit con.
nected the settlements with some of the
military posts, and that it was necessary
for military purposes. 1t is on that ground
that once and while an appropriation pass
ed for a military road in the Territories, and
once and awhile. ty oversight, it has gone
thro' without the word military being in
/ but those roads Go not amount to one in q
thousand ofthe roads in any one Territory o.
the United States. These are mere excep-
tional cases. The county roads !; the reigh
borhood roads the making Of ferries
the erection Of bridges all Of these expen.
ses a,e borne by the county treasury.
Mr.. COLLAME ..I"w is it about post
roads ? >el:i 't Ne .A,'.-'l :
Mr.. DOUGLAS. Those that are used
or,post roads are made by taxes imposed
on the people Of q Territory by their owl,
action and when you find that there is q
county organization with only two hundred
voters in it, that county may be fifteen
miles in diameter. Those settlers may be
scattered all over it, and it may be lei,
miles from one house to another but it is
just as necessary for them to- have bridges
,;cross the creeks, or roads through the set
tlcment, as if the country was densely pop
fulated. They are under the necessity o
making the roads. The two hundred
voters nsake the roads that are necessary
for the ten thousand voters when they be
come q State. This taxation is borne b,
the first settlers. They need the roads the
first year as we'll as afterwards, aud hencs
there is no people IN the world 50 scysrel,
taxed, who cxpend SO much time and s.,
large a proportion Of their money Tor these