Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-04-10
Tpc momostcnd BllI.
To the Editor OF the Empire

To the Editor OF the Empire;
The first communication upon this subject
wrote 80 hurriedly, that | forgot to mention
tion another means Of squaudering the public
lands, uselessly to the Government aud iniu-
riously to the people. | refer to the act Of
March 3, 1855, giving warran. for l6O acres
TO every one who shouldered mosket either 10
the war Of 1879 or 10 any Of our numerous In
dian brOils since. Having had some personal
experience with these bounty-land claims. as
they passed through the Pension Office, hes
itate not to declare il as my candid opinion
that there never was an easier opportunity Of
fered to dishonest persons to defraud the gov>
ernment. In fact, It is my belief, from what
have seen and heard, that greedy claim agents
at Washington had more TO do with the passage
Of that act than the vsunted solieilude to pro
vide for The "old soldiers" A more laborious
set of men of sharper sight and quicker scent
never existed anywhere. Their ways and
means to tap Ence Sans strong box are muls
tifarOus and hidden, and though unseen and
unheard Of for a time, they never cease to be
quietly at work Having sucoeeded in their
bounty land scheme, and enriched themselves
and their kilh, they are now hammering away
upon another. II is To grant life pensions to
all the surviving soldiers of the war Of 1912
or their widows and minor children II this
should ever succeed perhaps three.f of
the money would flow into the pockets Of
these claim agents, and for that reason only
they have pressed II ou The last three Congress
es. For the peoples sake, and for the old sol
diers' sake, too, | hope they will never succeed.
But this is only en- paSsanL
There is no Disgusting the fact that this
bounty land warrant system IS a squanderng
Of the public lands. 1t has helped the actual
settlers but little But It has created a new
stock-jobbing commodity, aud has given re-
newed life and activity 10 ruinous speculation
in paper town lots. Some 2G millions of acres
are covered by the land warrants issued. Not
one tenth Of this immense quantity of land
reached the settlers. There may be about obe
half Of the amount still floating about among
bankers and brokers as msrchantable paper
on which to speculate, the balance was located
mostly by companies in large tracts, covering
thousands Of acres, towns villages aud cities
laid out, and thus, as far as in their power,
large quantity of the best arabic land is with
held from its legitimate agricultural employ
meDt. And agriculture, after all, is the foun-
dation Of nations power and wealth Cities
Leeming with palaces will crumble to dust,
when the wealth engenderng stream Of agr-
cultural produce flows no longer by their doors.
Commerce and manufactures draw their life's |
blood, their nourishing strength, from agri
,ulture. Based upon it, they grow and adj
inslly slarve. Already now we have too many
owns aud cities in this country. Within the
asst ten years the population of our cities has
increased at larger ratio than the population
II the country. In some sections the agriculS
ural population has aotually diminished,
While that of towns and villages and cities has
increased. The amount of produce in com
,arison with the actual number of acres In
has become less by heavy percent
Ige, If held against the figures of ten years
go. 1t is beyond my present purpose to en-
er into disquisition SIS to the probable causes
# this condition of things. IT is enough to
inow that what have stated are indisputable
acts, and hence it becomes the imperative
luty Of our law makers to turn their attention
o the agricultuIalists Of the country. They
ave spent years in what they call "fostering''
he manufacturing interests of community.
n almost all The States they have tsmpered
nth the medium o exchange, creating ficti--
ious cunency--they have piled one upon an>
ther, ch Srter of banks and banking associa,
ions, and have clamorously nurtured the "al-
nighty Niger" to preserve the sacred tRberA
acle Of Freedom" from the rapacious clutch>
6 Of the "Slave power" But in few places
oes Il seem to have entered their minds that the
eople's representatives. are chosen to he the
uardiaDs of the peoples interests. Under
hese influences agriculture has suffered, and
Uttered immeasurably. Had the condition of
ur farming population in 1857 been comparas
lively as good as it was in lS47, the recupera.
i've power Of the country would have more
uickly overcome the sad effects of our last
nanciAl revulsion, and we would not now
hree years after, still feel its prostrating in
uences.
From the submersion Of every thing 10
he whirlpool Of party politics. their center
eing Washington, ii has become customary
ow-a-dAys, TO look TO the Federal government
)r every measure calculated to ameiorate the
onditiOn Of the country. Slate Legislatures,
be true and immediate representatives Of the
Overeignty Of the people, have dwindled
to fna -. |
ION with "The Congress" What has been .
he great fear of the trainers of our government
SENS in a fair way TO come to pass-the State l
overnments, once the repositories Of the peo.
les power and the tribunes of the peoples I
ghls, becoming mere municipal corporations, s
hile the great archives at Washington absorb a
Il. That the public mind has thus far ais
,ady been corrupted, there can be no doubt 1
his very question, am now discussing, of
Homestead bill, is proof of it. Look into S
ly paper that you will, when speaking upon
lis measure, the idea underlies their argu- h
snt, that il Congress were to pass Home
cad Law, il would be panacea for all evils, h
nancial, commercial and social, and the dawn
the millennium would be upon us instanter. Al
is true, such a law as that proposed by Sem n
or johnson, with one modification could do
uoh good. But congress cannot do all it has
ower only within certain limits, and State
gislation must supply the most efficient part.
is true, that from the previous legislation Of q,
ongress have referred to, such law as that a
opposed has become almost a necessity; but !,
en- il the local Legislature were to remain idle Al
ID not enact the rennlrad measures 10 CARY