New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-06
GREE HOMES FOR FREE SrEN"-sIR. GROW S
sPEEcH-THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
49,. . c,..oI forx.sroodart

sPEEcH-THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
From Special Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, March s. 1860.
The speech Of Mr.. Grow, on wednesday last, in
defense of the policy of "Free Homes for Free
Men" is deserving of wide circulation. 1t is one of
the most instructive of the many speeches delivered
in Congress upon that subject As an Introduction
to the discussion of the main proposition, he gives
an historical sketch of our Public Land system,
which shows good deal Of research and is at once
interesting and valuable.
From this sketch it appears that the Federal
Government, by cessiOns from the original States,
and by the purchase of Louisiana, Florida, Califor-
MIA, New-Mexice, and Utah, has acquired, exclu-
siye of water 145O, 600, 600 acres of public land.
OF these there have sold, 147, 0o9, pa acres while
there Lave been granted and donated to individuals,
companies, corporations, and States, 24l, 770,052
acres. This leaves undisposed of, and now in the
possession Of the National Government, one thou
sand and sixty-one million one hundred and forty
one thousand six hundred and seyenty-hve acres.
Let us invoke the aid of the familiar nine digts,
and see how huge this residue looks: 1,O6l 14l,675
acres of land
Looking at this grand total, Mr.. Grow then asks:
" What disposition shall be made of this vast In
heritance Z" And be says " This is a question
" of no small magnitude" He might well have
used much stronger language. Ones mind Is lost
in the contemplation of the teemng myriads of
people who could dwell happily and cOntentedly
upon this immense domain. Reject half this land
as worthless and you still have more than five hun
dred million remaining for cultivation and sell
tlement, the soil az good, probably, upon the aver
age, for agricultural purposes, as that OF New-En-
gland. Allow to family of five persons quarter
section of this land, and it would make 3,l25,OOO
farms, with population dwelling Immediately upon
them, ofneary sixteen millions. Add the usual pro-
portion of numbers for the non-agricutural pOpua-
tlOn--the merchants, mechanics, manufacturers,
labOrers professional men of all classes, and those
following other pursuits and no pursuits-and these
always largely exceed the owners OF the soil and
their families-and il is safe to say that our unsOd
public domain would sustain population OF forty or
fifty millions
Having mapped out this subject in all its vast
proportions, Mr.. Grow proceeds to argue the Home
stead policy This he does with q research that
proves that he has thoroughly examined 1t, and
heartiness that shows that his whole soul is alb
sorbed in il. His speech, ike the sublect-mater it
expOunds, exhibits in harmonious proportions the
principles of far-seeing craftsmanship, and the
teachings of a warm humanitarian philosophy. To
what object can our public domain be dedicated 80
noble, so benefcent, as furnishing homes for the
honest, Woodworking yeOmanry of the country
J hose who, on the one hand, do all in their power
to promote, and, on the other, to oppose this wise
and humane policy cannot be better described than
in the words of Mr. Grow himself. He says
"Three times, within seven years homestead bill
has passed this House. and been defeated each time by
the Democratic majority in the Senate. On the vote
on the homestead bill in the House. ast Congress, out
Of hundred and thirty Democrats, but thirty lone
voted for it; and in the Senate, the test vote
between taking up the homestead bill, after il had
passed the House. and only required the vote of the
Senate TO max il a law, so far as Congress
seIned take up the bill for the purchase of Cuba
but one Democrat voted for the homestead and only
Blk at any time while every Republican in the Senate
and every in the House. with q single exception,
for the homestead. OF all the Representatives of
the Slave States, but three in the House voted for it,
and bur two at any time 10 the Senate. SO the Dem
ocratc party party arrnyed itself in opposition to
this beBehcent policy. The Republican party on tho
other hand is conn tiled TO this 10y its vots
in CongIess, by it's resolves in State Conventions and
by iis devotion to the great central idea Of its exist
ence-tbe rights and interests of free labor"
Let the people, and especially the aboring masses,
whose support the Sham Democracy ia won. TO coyet,
contemplate this caim but most potent statement OF
| the case!
Cosely connected with this subject Of the public
lands is that OF the Pacific Railroad All the bli
that have been introduced this sion intended t.
promote this enterprise, as well as all that hay,
heretofore been introduced-a.nd their name is le
gion-proyide for the doDe.tion TO that object OF I
| portion of the public lan.is. Wisely or unwlseiy
the current has always run steadily in this dircc