The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-07-04
A Righteous Veto.

The Constitutional Democracy will join US
in congratulations over the defeat ofthe :mqul-
tous measure known as the Homestead Dill
through the intrepidity and frmness OF the
Executive.
The effect of this, ami Is kindred measures
is to throw open the public lands, without
money and without price, to the hordes "ho'
under operations ofthe Emigrant AID SYSTEM
are sent from the Northern States to popu-
late them under freesoil auspices In the
race of emigration thus encouraged by 1eder-
nj legislation, the South having no redundant
nonnlat,on and not devoting her energies to
the propagation of single idea, is greatly at
a disadvantage with her sleepless adversary.
Consequently she can enjoy under the Home
stead system, comparatively none of the bene
fits Of the public domain to the purchase of
which she contributes more than her just
proportion of blood and treasure.
That such schemes should find favor with
Black Republican House of Representatives,
cannot be a cause of wonder The sole aim
of the infamous community of knaves, sec
tionalists and fanatics who compose that body
is to destroy the equilibrium of the sections
and supplant the institutions of the South by
preventing their expansion and girdling them
with destructive elements. But we cannot
understand how it is that body like tie
Senate, having an effective and what is consi-
dered, a reliable Democratic majority, should
have permitted the measure even tho in
modified form, to pass the ordeal Gifts intelli-
gence, conservatism and patriotism.
The following is brief statement, furnish
ed to our hand by an exchange, ofthe reasons
assigned BY the President for yetoing this bill.
The first alone-its unconstitutionality-
would have been amply sufficient to have
justified his course:
''His first is a constitutional objection to the
power of Congress to give away the public
lands, to States or individuals The second
objects to its unequal operation among settlers
giving the same advantages to late settlers as
to the original pioneers who first settled the
country when a wilderness. The third COM
plains of the injustice to the old soldiers who
have received land warrants for services the
value of which is deprecated by this legisla-
ton. The fourth objects to the partial ope-
ration Of the act, in comforting benefits on the
agricultural class alone, out of the common
property of the Union. The fifth reproves it
as unjust to the old States, who are deprived
of their fair interest in the proceeds of land
sales as part of the resources of the treasury.
The sixth reproves the chances for huge
speculations which the bill creates.
"The seventh notes an incongruity in the
bill, by which citizens must be heads of fami-
lies, to entitle them to the benefits of the bill,
while there is no such restriction on foreign
ers. The President finds fault, too with the
discrimination in the favor of persons who
now have presumption rights, who are INDUCED
with reduction of price to 621 cents per
acre, and two years credit thereon, which no
future pre-emptance is to have. The ninth
objects to the effect on the public revenue,
which the Secretary of the Interior estimates
will be reduced thereby, from the estimated
income of 100000 next year to $1,000, 600
loss of 100000 on scanty revenue
Tenthly and lastly, he argues that the bill
overthrows and abolishes the present land
system, which has worked so long with ad-
mirable success, and universal popularity.
"The message was debated in the Senate
at some length-Mr. johnson, of Arkansas,
| in favor of the veto Mr. johnson, of Tennes-
see, against it Mr.. Harlan, of Iowa, consider
ed the objections in detail, disputing them
one by one. The vote was finally taken, with
the following result
YEAs-Messrs. Anthony, Brown, Chand-
| Ter, Clark. Doolittle, Durkee, Fessenden
Fitch, Foot, Foster, Gwin, Hale, Hamlin, Har-
lin, King Lane, Latham, Nicholson, Polk
| Pugh, Rice, Simmons, Sumner, Ten Eyck
Trumbull, Wade, Wilkinson and Wilson'S
NAYs-Messrs. Bragg, Chestnut, Crittenden
Davis EtzPatrick, Green, HemphilI, Hunter,
Sebastian, Wigfall and Yulee.-l6.
MessrS. Douglas and Clay, SlideH and
Bingham, and Toombs and Collamer, were
respectively announced as having paired off.
Mr.. johnson Of Tennessee, who had at
first voted in the affirmative, changed his vote
and as soon as the result was announced moved
a reconsideration of the vote just taken.
The true vote, therefore, was 80 ayes to
20 nays-not being two-thirds, the bill was
lost