Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-06-26

SChOolSeanu iald the lou!iuaI'oh vi prosperous
Commohwcalths. Is it just, is 1t equal, that,
after they have accomplished all this by their
labor. new settlers should come IN among them,
and receive their farms at the price OF twenty
five or eighteen cents per acre! surely the
old settlers, rs Il class, arc entitled 70 ut least
equal benefits with tie new. II you give the
new settlers their lands for = comparatively
nominal price, upon every principle Oh equality
and Justice vow will he obliged TO refund, out
Of the common treasury, the difference which
the old have paid above The new settlers for
their land. -,
2 This bill will do great injustice TO the old
! soldiers who have received land warrants for
| their services in fighting the battles OF their
country. 1t will greatly reduce the market
value Of these warrants. Already their value
has sunk, for one hundred and sixty acre war
rants, TO siXtv,sevcu cents per acre, under an
apprehension that such L measure as this might
become n law. What price would they corn
mand, when any head Of a family may take
possession af 4 quarter section Of land, and not
nav for it until the end Of five years, and then
at the rate of only twenty-five cents per acre =?
The magnitude OF the interest to be affected
will appcar in the fact that there are 0utStanl-
inr unsatisiied land warrants reaching back to
the last var with Great Britain, and even rev.
olutionarytimcS amounting, in round numbers,
to seven and Il half million acres.
1. This bill will prove unequal and unjust
in its operation, LeCa1Isc, from Its nature, it's
confined to one class Of our people. 1t ga
boon exclusively conferred upon the cultirators
of the soil. whilst j: is chccrlnlly admitted
that these arc the most numerous and useful
class of our frllow-citizcnS. and emincntly hc-
serve all the advantages which our laws have
already extended 10 ,hrln, yet there sso"l'i he
no new legislation which would operate to the
injury or embarrassment of the large body of
rcspectablc ~artizans AMI laborerS. The mecha.
mic who cluigratcs TO the West, and prirSueS his
calling, must labor long before he CAL purchase
n Quarter section of land; whilst the tillcr Of
the soil who accompanies him ob.nins a farm at
once BY the bounty of the Government. The
numerous body Of mechanics in or large CT
tics cannot, cYcn By emisrlting to the West,
take advantage Of the provisions Of this bill
without entering upon = new occupation. for
which their habits OF life lG.'e rendered them
unfit.
). This bill is unjust TO the old States Of the
Union in MANY respects and amongst THESE
States, 50 far rs the public lands are concerned,
SIC HAY enrmeratc every State east Of the Mis-.
%sissippi, with tic exception Of Wisconsin and
Il portion of Minnesota.
1t is :, Common belief, within their limits. that
the older States Of the Con(eleracy do not de-
rive their pronortionate benefit from tic pub
lie lands. This is not i just opinion. 1t is
doubtful whether they could be rendered more
beneficial to these States under any other Sys-
TEN than that winch ut present exists. Their
proceeds 60 into the CONNIE Treasury To at
complish the object; Of the government, and in
this manner all the States arc benefited in just
proportion. But III give this comIlsn !llterl.
lance away would deprive III" old States oil
their just proportion Of this revenue, without
holding out any, the least, corresponding adj
vantage. Whilst it is our common glory that
the new States have become 80 prosperous and
| populouS, there is no good reason why the Old
States should offer premiums to their " cItl-
zcnS TO emigratc from them 10 the W9T. "inat
land OF promise presents in itself sufficient NJ
luremeats to om Young and ~cntcrpriSing cltl-
zcnS, without any adventurous aid. The oller
OF free farms would probably have Il powerful
effect in encouraging emigration. especially
from States like Illinois, Tennessee, aid Ken
lucky, TO the west Of the Mississippi, and could
not fail to reduce tic price OF property within
their limits. An individual in States TINS
| situated wCai,! 10: pay It's fair value ;nr land
when, hy crossing The mississippi, i,c could so
upon the public lands, and obtain Il farm almost
| without money ard without price.
Il. This bill will open one vast field Tor spec
ulation. Men will not pay 81 - for lands,
when they can purchase them for one ilitE Of
that price. Large numbers Of actual settlers
will be carried ont hy capitalists upon agree
ments to give them hail of the land for the
improvement uf the other half. This cannot
he avoided. Secret agreements; ri this KIND
will be numerous. IN the entry Of gradu2ted
lands, the experience Of the Land Office ;GSti-
tieS this objection.
T. We ought ever - maintain the most per-
feet equality between native and nalnralized
| citizens. IlrY arc equal and ought always to
remain equal before the laws. Our laws wei
come foreigners to our shores, and their rights
will ever be respected. Whilst these are the
sentiments on which | have acted through life,
it is not. in my opinion, cXpcdicnt 10 proclaim
to I'LL the nations of the earth that whoever
shall arrive in this country from 4 foreign
shore, and declare his intention 10 hrcomc I
citizen, shall receive i farm Of one hundred and
sixty acres. at 4 cost Of twenty-five or twenty
cents per acre. il !Uc will only reside OIL it and
cultivate il. The invitation extends to all; and
if this bill brCoiacS . law, VIC may have nIl-
mcrous actual settlers from China, and other
eastern nations, enjoying its benefits on the
great Pacific slope. The bill makes n diSlinc-
ton in favor of such persons over native and
naturalized citizens. When applied 10 such
citizens, it is confined TO such as arc the heads
Of families; but when applicable TO persons Of
foreign birth recently arrived on our shores,
there is no such restriction. Such persons
need not be the heads Of families provided they
have filed a declaration Of intention To become
citizens. Perhaps this distinction was an mad.
vcvtencc; but it is, nevertheless, a part Of the bill.
s. The bill creates IN unjust distinction be-
tween persons claiming the benefit Of the pre-
rmplion laws. Whilst it reduces the price o!
the land to existing pre.einptors to sixty-two
and Il half cents per acre, and gives them a
credit ON this sum fer two years from the pre-.
sent date, no matter how long they may have
hitherto enjoyed the land, future prc-cInptors
will be compelled 10 pay double this price per
acre. There is no reason or justice in this dis.
elimination.
>. The effect Of this b!!! OIL tie public reye-
nue. must hc apparent to ali. Should It be.
come law, the reduction Of the price Of land
to actual settlers to twenty-five cents per acre,
Will, Il credit OF five years, and the reduction
of its price 10 existing pre.elnptors 10 sixty.two
AMI Il half cents per acre, with 4 credit of two
wears. will sr diminish the sale Of other public
lands us to render the expectation Of future re-
venue from that source beyond the expenses Of
survey and management illusory. The Sccre-
,ary OF the Interior estimated the revenue from
the public lands for the next fiscal year, at
ST, coo, GOO, OF; the presumption that The pre-
sent land system would remain unchanged.
Should this bill become law. he Goes not be.
licye that 81 ,0On, 900 will he derived from this
source.
10. This hill lays the axe nj the root Of our
present admirable land system. The public
land is an inheritance Of vast valuc to us and
to our descendants. IT is i resource 10 which
VIC can resort in The hour oC difficulty and dan
yer. 1t has been m~iIasei heretofore with The
r,.,.,S, wisIhu un1r,. ~,.yistinn l. wS In this