The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-08-31

vate the earth, would be furnished with a
reasonable quantity by our government (if
unable to buy), without money and without
price. The bill now under consideration
did not (said Mr.. ST. effect or propose to
effect this object; but it was more favor
able and just bill to the new States than any
which had ever before been introduced
into this House with any prospect of its
being passed into law.
The President of the United States and
the Commissioner of the General Land
Office, had strongly recommended the gradu-
alton and reduction of the price of the pub
lie lands. They deserved and would receive
the thanks of thousands of the hard>labor-
ing and meritorious cultivators of the soil,
for their very liberal just and statesmanlike
expositions of the true policy Of the govern
ment in regard to the disposition OF the pub
lie lands. No unprejudiced mind could
read the message of the President, and the
very full and lucid report of Judge Shields,
and for moment doubt but that it was the
policy of Congress to pass the bill under
consideration. If it should become law,
it would enable thousands to become the
owners of land who are now tenants at-will
to the wealthy and aristocratic landlord. 1t
would be the means, in many cases, of dis
pensing comfort and happiness to thousands
who are now ground down with poverty and
wretchedness, and had no courage to strug-
gle against the ills of life which the working
classes were destined to encounter; and
aside from the merited blessings it would
confer on so many of our patriotic citizens,
who at an early day penetrated the wilder
ness, inhabited only by the red man, and
whose labors and toll had caused the vast
wilderness to blossom like the rose it
would (said Mr.. Smith, be matter of poll
cy to the government to reduce the price to
the actual settler of the lands which had
been long in market, and remain unsold."
This shows how the bill was regarded in
Congress. On the 18th of July, it passed
theHouse, DOUGLAS, SMITH, McCLERNAND,
ANDREW JOHNSTON, and others votang for it
and HANNIBAL HAML1N, AsHMUN, President
of the Republican Chicago Convention,
ALEXANDER RAMSEY, and others whom we
now recognize as prominent Republicans,
against it. The bill went to the Senate,
and passed that body, with amendments,
but was returned to the House, and on the
9Th of August (see Con. Globe--1st sess.
xxx Con. l845-46) it was killed by the
following vote, on a motion to lay the bill
on the table:
YEAs--Messrs. Abbott, Anderson, Arnold,
ASHMUN, Barringer, Bell James Black, Blan-
chard, Brodhead, Milton Brown. Burlington, W.
w. Campbell, j. H. Campbell, Carroll, J. G.
Chapman, Chapman, Cooke, Cranston. Crozier,
Culver, Garrett Davis. De Mott, Dockery, Dun.
lap, Edsall, Ellsworth, Erdman, John H. Ewing,
Edwin Ewing, Foot, Goodyear, Gordon, Ora
ham, Grider Grinnell, Grover, HAMLIN,
Hampton Harper, Elias B. Holmes, Hough, j.
W. Houston, Samuel D. Hubbard. Hudson,
Hungerford, Washington Hunt, Charles j. In
johnson, Jooseph johnson, Daniel P. King,
PRESTON KING, Leib, Lewis, Levin, Long,
Mclean, McCrate, McHenry, Mc1lvaine, Marsh,
Miller, Moseley, Moulton, Niven, Norris, Pen.
dleton, Pollock, RAMSEY, Rathbun, Ritter,
julius Rockwell, John A. Rockwell, Root, Runk,
ance, Truman Smith, Albert Smith, Stevens,
Stewart, Strohm, Strong, Sykes, Thibodeaux,
Thomasson. Tilden, TOOMBS, Trumbo, Vinton,
Wheaton, White, Williams, WILMOT, Winthrop,
Wood, Wright and Young--104.
NAYs-Messrs. S. Adams, Atkinson, BedIn
ger, Biggs: James A. Black, Bowlin, Boyd
Brinkerhoff Burt, Cathcart, Reuben Chapman,
Chase, Clarke, Cobb, Collin, Cullom, Cummins,
Cunningham, Daniel, Dobbin, STEPHEN A.
DOUGLAS. DrOmgOole, Faran, Fickln, Garvin,
HARRISON. Harmanson, Henley. Hoge. Isaac F.
Holmes, Geo. S. Houston, Edmund W. HUBBARD,
Hunter, Andrew johnson, George W. Jones,
Seaborn Jones, Leake, La Sere, Lyon. Lump
kin, Maclay McClelland, McClernand, McCOn.
nell, j. J. Mcdowell, James Mcdowell, Nc
Caughey, Mckay, J. P. Martin, i. Martin. Nor
ris, Morse, Owen, Paris, Payne. Perry, Petit,
Phelps, Pisbury, Reid Relic, Rhett, Roberts,
Sawyer, Seldom, Alexander D. Sims, Leonard
H. Sims, Simpson, Thomas Smith, c. B. Smith,
Stanton, Starkweather, Jacob Thompson, Thur
man, Tibbatts, Towns, Wentworth, Wick and
Woodward--79.
1t will be seen that at that time, DOUGLAS
and HAML1N antagonized, the former sup
porting the interests of the people of the
West, and the latter opposing them. One
was for cheap lands for the landless; the
other was for making the lands source of
revenue to the Federal Government.
DOUGLAS INTRODUCES THE FIRST HOMESTEAD
BILL EVER INTRODUCED INTO THE U. s.
SENATE.
On page IS, of Vol. 81, of the Congress
sional Globe, for the first session of the
XXI Congress, lS49-'50. we find that
on December "a, lS49:
"Mr. Douglas gave notice that be would
tomorrow, or at some early day thereafter,
ask leave to introduce bills of the following
titles:
"A bill for the benefit of the Territory of
Minnesota
"A bill granting l60 acres of the public
land to the actual settlers who shall reside
thereon and cultivate portion thereof for
the period of four years,
"a bill granting to each of the States IN
which the public lands are situated guam
tity of land equal to one township in each
several district, to aid in making geologi
cal survey of such States, respectively.
On December q, lS49, see page 81,
same volume, we find the following entry:
"Mr. Douglas, in pursuance of notice,
asked and obtained leave to introduce "a bill
granting l60 acres of the public lands to
the actual settlers who shall reside thereon,
and cultivate portion thereof, for period
of four years. which was read twice by its
title, ordered to be printed, and referred to
the Committee on Public Lands"