The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-05-31

0puITlD8 up tno DIooAjyA P0oPio W iIooe mc1r
sures of retaliation, and see whether 1t will not
be wiser, by timely concessions, to secure the
already handsome gains which the cent and .
half rate gives then.
The CovoDE CoxxIrrss AND TEHUANTsrnC.-
No better evidence of the unworthy spirit
that animates the Covode Committee, and d
the purely personal and spiteful aim Of It's Ia
bors, could be desired than Il presented In tie
examination of Mr.. Eiwood Fisher, and his to-
tmony in regard to the Sloo grant of the Te-
huantepec route.
The evidence Of this witness, which has been
90 much psraded - damnstory to the sdninh-
trstion Of Mr.. Buchanan, has been completely
refuted by the very documents and official In
structioDs which he cited. His citation before
the committee, and the Importance given to his
testimony, prove the scheme OF that body to
be to hunt up every disappointed speculs,sr
and politician, and set forth, In IN Official form,
under the sanction of Congressional commit.
tee, the outpourings Of his spite against those
who have refused to serve bis purposes and for
ward his views. The facts in regard to Mr..
Ewoed Fisher and the Sloo Tehuantepec grant
are these:-Mr. Fisher was the appointee Of
Sloo a. one of the trustees Of the old LsW
steamship mail contract line to Havana and
Aspinwall, out of which Sloo obtained Q
living, and the limited means for pushing othec
contract speculatons. With this capital be de-
termined to make bold push for the Tehusa-
tepec grant
Proceeding to Mexico, he succeeded In making
bargain BY which he obtained the grant, Goa.
pied with the condition of cash payment Of
5000, 900 into the Mexican treasury To raise this
money Sloo drew bills on his house In New
Orleans, which imaginary firm consisted Of
himself alone, and gave them to British mer.
chant in Mexico, with the grant as collateral,
and with power TO sell the same In case the
bills were not paid. Under these conditions
FalconDet paid the 100000 to the Mexican
government and Sloo went to New Orleans for
the purpose of negotiating the redemption Of
the grant from Fslconnet, by the payment Of
the bills drawp for the sum advanced. There
he endeavored to carry outthis object by part
ing with only small interest In the grant; but
this scheme failed, and the bills were oil pro-
tested for non-payment. Falconnet never 70.
ceived . dollar Of the money hs advanced,
and to save himself was forced 10 put
the grant In the market for sale. II
was purchased by Mr.. Hargous, Of Mexico;
who endesvored In good faith to form Q CON-
pany To carry out the work. Sloo still claimed
to hold the grant, and got up company also,
and IN effort was made TO get English capital
into the concern. This scheme also failed, and
Sloo claimed that be had been cheated out o(
everything. In al these proceedings Mr..
Fhhsr was engaged from the beginning, and
be Il wonderfully irsse with ths administration
for having instructed our Minister In Mexico
TO do whatever could be properly done BY hin
towards having route % important TO Ameri.
can interests opened at an early day.
DEATH or THE HOMESTEAD BnI.-Thsre
never was o greater humbug than the pro-
position Of the black republicans TO give
away the public lands 10 settlers under certain
conditions and restrictions. The whole object
Of the measure il . political one, and II Is en-
tirely delusive In it, character. By 1t the
black republicans hoped 10 get the votes Of
the German and Irish citizens In the coming
election, and they VIII now proceed 10 harp
upon Che fact that 1t was killed By democratic
votes In the Senate.
That the whole thing 10 delusion and q
snare, got up for political purposes only, L
evident from this fact: By the terms of the
bill the patent for the land cannot be issued -
any settler until be has resided upon and cui-
tivated the same for the term of five years in
mediately succeeding the time of filing the
afHdavit" Now, any man who settles upoa
and clears, fences and cultivates one hundred
and sixty acres Of land, confers upon II a much
higher value than one dollar and q quar-
ter an acre, long before five years have
elapsed; yet, II be takes land under
the Homestead bill, he acquires no
title to It, be Il bound "a slave TO the laud,
for the full term Of 1--WE year,; be cannot seli
bis improvements II be wishes 10 do 20, nor
can be redeem his obligation under the bill BY
paying for the land. These evils have all been
encountered under similar measure In the
State OF Florida, and more than half OF the
lands were abandoned by the occupants with
in two years, and those who did not, prayed
the Legislature 10 be allowed 10 obtain their
titles by paying The government price In cash.
The whole thing IL political snare set for
the vote Of the German citizens, and II they
look fairly at the bill they will fnd that IL con-
tains no advantage for them. The man who
has industry enough TO cultivate land In our
new and unsettled country, for half the term
set BY the swindling Homestead bill, will make
II far more valuable than the price set BY the
and Jet he will not be able 70 re-
deem the fruit Of his labors and secure them
10 bis family against the contingencies that
time may bring up. Moreover, the bull opens
-. ia. a, a.~s~~h,e localities TO the immi.