, 1860-03-27
THE HOMESTEAD BILL AND THE
SOUTH.

We have On moro than one occasion alluded
to the fact, that the slaveholdng interest not
/ only controls tho South prescribing its poll
tics, furnishing the politicians and monopoliz-
lug all the Offices, County, State and Federal
but that no other interest is allowed any con-
siderable degree Of prominence aud considcr1-
tion-llat when Southern politicians speak Of
the South they mean only the Shareholders,
when they refer to tho rights Of that section,
they include only the rights, real or assumed,
Of tic slaveholdiDS class-in word, that the
Shareholders constitute the South, and that
the South as a political entity, merely SYM
bolizes the Shareholders. Ill the clamor that
is raised at Washington aud throughout the
country, by political leaders, over the assumed
Infringement Of the rights Of the South, is
simply 20 much said aud done in behalf Of the
slareholding class. Within the lifetime Of the
present generation no Southern Representative
has made speech in Congress the object Of
/ which was to advance the interests Of the
great ron-slayeholding masses Of that section;
nor has any Southern Statesman in tho period
alluded to, ever presented, advocated, or voted
Tor bill designed to Improve the condition,
restore the political rights, or in any way elc-
| yate the non-slaveholdinS whites Of the South,
| They are, iufact as completely without voiccor
Influence, or representation in our National
Councils MS the people Of Timbuctoo.
4 recent striking illustration Of tho total
abnesation Of the political rights and material
interests Of the 100000 non-s1ayeholders Of
the South, is to be found in the united opposi-
ton Of the $4,000 shareholders to tho Home
stead Bill. To no other class Of equal numbers
does that bill promise so much MS to the non
slavcholdiug population Of the slave States
offering them, as it does, means Of escape
from the presence Of tho evil which paralyzcs
their energies: strikes down their political
status, and holds them in abject political: vas
salage But the principal Of the Homestead
bill is against the expansion Of slavcry-itcuts
up the public domain into smhl1 farms, con-
dltion adverse to that institution; and South
cru men rise in their places in Congress and
denounco the bill as hostile 10 the South, and
cast solid rote against it. "Neyer," saws
cno Of their newspapers Twas there a more
"odious and iniquitous bill passed by any de-
"lbcratiye body on the face Of tho eartA."
And the reason why it is 50 characterized is
because its advantages arc designed especially
for tho Six million Of non-slavcholding whites,
rather than Tor the thrco hundred
and fifty thousand Shareholders. Says the
Richmond 1Vhig:
Under the provisions Of this Homestead bill,
the public lands, comprising over one thousand
millions Of ncres, and belonging equally to al
the States. are g'rvn away to all manner Of per
sons, and for the exclusive benefit of the NUrt.-
ern States. They are given not only to native
born citizens, but to all persons who NAV file q
declaration Of their intention to become citizens
at future day-thus embracing in the terms
sands Of foreigners who annually land upon our
shores. And thus goes the vast aud magnificent
public domain, to tie strengthening and enrich
sng Of The NertAe1-n Skatts at ths t1pfnse Of tie
Southern, 1tyiaia included.
There it is: Tho South is made up Of tho
shareholders, aud the shareholders constitute
tho South. The niggcrlcRs whites arc not
taken into the account ut all. Will tic free
laboring mon Of the North give their influence
longer to sustain political organization, whose
sole object is to extend into all Our territoric.
an institution in whose presence the interests
Of the FREQ laboring masses are ignored and
their political rights trampled in the dust? .
THE MISSOURI RAILROAD LOAN.
There is hitch in the Missouri Railroad
Loan bill, which recently passed both branches