St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1860-07-05

agreement whichever half of he@unofFer-
cd lands ds3weaehose, and we es'took the odd
numbered sections The reason for this
Was, that, the 10Th section Of q township
being reserved for school purposes by our u1
land laws, the four adyointng sections 10
it, on the north, west, east, and south, ,sare
sections I, As, II ,, and 2l all odd-number-
ed sections, which are thus saved for home
stead settlers, who have reserved for them
'18S out Of s96 disposable sections in each
township Of six miles square. 3'a3s :12Sasw
a5 OnEall these lands, actual settlers who
are heads of families, are allowed, after
having occupied the lands for five years,
to purchase at Is cents per acre, which is
about the average cost price Of the public
lands to the Government. -. We struggled,
Of course, to include an young men over
FL who are not. heads of families, and to
adopt the Free Homestead principle of the
House bill; but on these points the Senate
was inaexible, and, wesptook what we did
because it was the very best We could get.
The Senate. bill originally provided that
the Homestead settler might acquire title
to his land at any time by paying full Gov
ernment prices; but des,ringE to- promote
actual settlement, We, now, provide that he
cannot do this till after he has been on the
land 6 months. When he stays, ay1I q OF Ills
family, if he deceasea, the full i've years he
obtains it at 25scents per acre. The Sen
ate have also agreed to strike out. the
eighth section Of their bill, which made, it
imperative upon the President to expose
all public lands to sale within two years
after they shall have been surveyed, which
we held would be peculiarly oppressive
upon the pioneers who had gone to the
frontier to settle upon the public lands, and
to which we could never have consented.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, I desire to state, in
conclusion, that the compromise We have
made on this subject is not in accordance
with what ! should desire, to have passed,
if I had the power to frame the bill myself;
but it is the very utmost we could obtain
from the Senate, as now constituted. - The
Senators who served with us on the Con-
ference have been notified by me, and also
by my colleague (Mr: Window Of Mime
sofa, that we regard this as but q single
step il advance toward law which We
shall demand from the American Congress,
:enaeting comprehensive and liberal
Homestead policy. This, We havo agreed
to as merely an avant courier. We shall
demand it at the next session Of Congress,
and until it is granted; until all the pub
lie lands shall be open to- all the people oi
the United States; and I, state; this pub
licly, that no one shall regard US as .estop.
ped hereafter, because We accepted thif
hall. way measure rather than to allow the
whole to fail: 7 should have added that
all persons, whether citizens or those who
have only declared their intentions, are
allowedsto go on the lands, under this bill
but are required to perfect their. naturali
zatiop before the five years expire, and The
patent issues: I now demand the previous
question on concurTring On tie report of tht
Committee, and passing the bal as thu:
amended. 54<srz% s. :tu.ds iti szss:iss 21Gal(({S
MR. FARNsw01TH-7-l desire to ask 7tht
gentleman from Indiana whether this bill
confines its benefits to those who are head,
of families. S2S'Et:. 1T ft;9st 1oS s'1; ;;255
s:>MR CoLrAx=-It does; because we fail
ed, despite sour utmost efors, ,ajn procuring
its extension to all; but we shall appeal (
the young men to demand of those VII,
make and who execute tie laws, that tn,
system inaugurated by this bill, shall ;,
tWidened so asato admit them to its benefits
and Twill join! them ia this demand. ,sr,
+ & Mr.. GlRQW II Just desire to say that W
have taken this bill, not because it is wha
we want, but on the principle that trhalf