New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-01-30

readily pay for them, lands to-day as cheap. al
things considered, in New-Jersey az IN Illnois-ir
Western Pennsylvania as in Wisconsin. II q farm
that will grow fifty bushels per acre Of Corn, OF
their equivalent in other grains, is cheap at $2C
per acre in Iowa, il would be dog cheap at 5000
per acre in Connecticut. Good land is cheap al
most anywhere, to one who is able to pay for aud
knows how to work it,; but he who IL blessed with
six or eight young children and little property
can grow into farm more easily and surely than
he can earn one, unless he is a remarkably good
farmer and calculator. Throughout the more thickly
settled States there are hundreds of thousands who
find children accommodating around them much faster
than prOperty--who are barely able by the utmost
diligence TO fill the mouths that turn to them Tor
bread, and TO whom q season of pecuniary revui-
sion, hard Winter long sickness, months lack
of employment, conjures up vision OF the Aims
House. Make the Public Lands Free, and tens OF
thousands of these will find means to reach those
lands. will make their homes upon them, and there
worry through the first few years Of privstion and
hardship and gradually grow into competence and
comfort: whereas they might work hard all their
lives in the Old States and be laid in pauper graves
at last. Tens of thousands of young men, ak on
shoulder and a few dollars in pocket, would strike
off for the Public Lands if told that they could each
have quarter section for nothing, and would not
only hew out for themselves homes from the wilder
ness, and rear up families to succeed them as farm
ers and artisans, but would leave more chances,
steadier employment, and better wages behind them
in the Old States. If the passage of the Free Land
bill should induce One Million persons to migrate
within the eext ten years from the Old States to the
New-a fair proportion of them from the cities and
their neighbOrhood- hold that the interests of
the seaboard would thereby be promoted almost
equally with those of the West. The crush of COM
petition in these swarming hives of population would
be somewhat lessened in intensity; and those we
missed as competitors would reappear to us in the
more benignant attitude of customers. For every
new smoke rising from a rude chimney on the
prairies bespeaks a new customer to the looms OF
Lowell and the warehouses of New-YOrk; every
new county settled and rendered fruitful in the
West implies new factories in Philadelphia, new
founderies ii Pittsburgh. And taking off the crush
ing Land charge, making the ouartersectiOns Free
to settlers will enable them to buy Of US sooner and
more abundontly than they otherwise could do. We
believe, for nstance-and we cite our own case as
an illustration of the general truththat there are
Twenty Thousand settlers in the New States who
are not but would be subscribers for THE WEEKLY
TRIBUNE if the Free Land bill had passed last
Session-who are not, simply because the necessity
of paying for their lands exacts their last dollar.
Many of them could pay 81, 900 ten years hence
easier than $500 Immediately on planting them
selves on the tracts which require time, work. and
means to render them productive. Let us resolve
that they shall have fair start-that air, earth,
and water shall be theirs without price-and we
NAV thereafter draw on them for revenue to sup
port the Government and arms to defend the
Country.
Fraternal affection and mutual good offices be-
tween the East and the West--National growth and
healthfu xpansion-stability in the Tariff and the
Industrial interests dependent thereon-the diffu-
sion and fortfcation Of Free Laborin short, every
consideration Of public policy and National wel-be-
ing-seem 70 us to demand that the Freedom of the
Public Lands be emblazoned on the flag and cher
shed in the hearts of the mighty host now gathering
10 take possession of the Federal Government and
WELD it in the interest of Humanity, Justice and
Freedom. We trust the present Session will not
pass without determined efforts to engrait the Free
Homestead policy upon the statute-bOoks of the
Union.