New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-21
TIKI HOMESTEAD BILL.

The House OF Representatives, has finally con-
sen,ed TO take halfoaf rather than no bread with
regard to Free Homesteads 1t was bought best
to submit to flag ant wrong rather than subject
the pioneers of Nit nesOta and Kansas to the calamity
of being Invested of the homes which are their oil,
vet which they are utterly unable to buy OF the
Government in the present dearth of money coupled
with low prices for their products in those frontier
regions. As we understand it, sc tiers on odd
numJt,td sections only now in possession of Public
Lands are to retain their presumption right to pur-
chase the quarter-section which they have respect
lively entered at 621 per acre. and are botto be
harassed by public sales to the highest bidder for
period of two years from the signing of this act
Heads Of families may hereafter occupy and
preempt any quarter section open to private entry,
and nav purchase the same at any time within two
years for the t2I cents per acre aforesaid. The
Senate refused to allow single men to occupy and
preempt on the same terms, and refused to allow
settlers on even-numbered sections to preempt and
buy their quarter.sectiOns at the reduced rates,
and the House gave way on this, as on the other
points, to save what they could.
we 90 not OiJfcl 10 IihinR luis rs an lnStaii-
meDt especially it must prove heavy blow to
the present mOnopOl'sts of large bodies of unim
proved lands, aud to the great gamblers in land
warrants. We believe it will reduce the price
such lands aud such warrants very materially
Bnt, gentlemen of oil parties understand that thi
bali loaf ia accept only for what it is aud thai
the friends OF the Free Homestead principle will
not rest till their whole object is attained. 1t is
not the paltry ten eh lngs per acre hitherto exact
ed Of pioneers by the Government that is specially
ohjecti nable: it is the tempt'tion held out to
fore stall and mOncp"lzers OF Public Lands that
is to be abolished. Had Congress from the first
allowed every pioneer to take one quarteT-section
of the Public Lands and no more, authorized him to
prompt occupy, ard Improve it for ten years
opd then required him t, give 81 IS per acre
for it, with interest at the rate of tea
per ceot thereafter until paid, the policy
might have been deemed rigorous, but not
hlgbting. But allowing anybody to buy up Eve,
ter twenty, fifty thousand acres of Public Lands
for ten York sh llings per acre-or, with Land
WaIrsbts, at a cost OF, five to eight shlliDgs-and
hold those lands waste and useless until settlement
and impro, erueDt around them shall have raised
their value to fve ten, twenty, thirty dollars per
acre--thls is the crying evil of our past system;
ard for t1is the bin just enacted affords but
partiOl remedy. Public Lands for the LaUdless
not for the monopolsts and f,restallers of whole
counties-ths is the essence of the Republican
demand; aud it viii have to be conceded. The
places now filed by Messrs Thomson Of N. j.,
Bigler of Pa, Bright of Ind, Rice OF Num-,
GWin Of Cal, and Lane of Oregon, are soon to
know them no more forever, and will be filled by
men who realize and depOre the evils whi,h not
ouly the New States and Territories but the whole
country suffers from Land Monopoly. Let no one
doubt that The nelt four years will see them fully
ard finally overcome.