Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-04-18

molly uaAts Lldb lLcAE Is DupllC atiN
lie spirit in the country that wiz rise above this
agitation and the purposes for which It has been
kept up.
But the Senator from Virginia informed us that be
had had flood Of light shed on him. Irepeat that
I was highly gratfed to hear him say SO, and re-
cur to il now more from the fact OF being grahhed
at it than anything else. He seemed to rise and /
come forward into the discussion with that kind OF
renewed energy, Information, and light that Paul /
had when he was travelling from Jerusalem to Dd- /
mascus, and was struck blind with the retulgence /
Of light thrown on his mind; but Paul inquired Of 1
the Lord what he would have him to do. Whether /
the conduct of the Senator from Wisconsin has had
the same Influence on the Senator from Virginia,
will not undertake to say; but if it improper
and dangerous to associate the homestead measure |
with Black Republicanism. it rs commonly called,
or the Republican party, l will say-for l do not
the term IN dePlsiOn-WOuld 1t not really be /
dangerous and Objectionable to receive a flood Of
light from Republican? One Of that party has
shed light this occasion as the Senator from Vir
gina admits VIII the Senator receive light from
such a sO1rcey
But when we come to examine the homestead
proposition, where do we start with il! want the
Senator's attention. We start with it in l79l under
the administration of General Washington, and
think he was from the Old Dominion. In 1871, the
first homestead proposition introduced, and, in
the language of the law, it was enacted:
That four hundred acres Of land be given to
each Of those persons who in the year 1888, were
heads Of families at Vincennes, or the Illinois cOun-
OF MISSISSIPPI, ana Wll0 since nave
removed FROM one of the said places to the other;
but the Governor of the Territory northwest of the
Ohio is hereby directed to cause the to be laid
out for them at their own expense &c.
That law makes use Of the word give and It
received the approval of General Washington.
think it is toerably good company. Tennessee IS
willing to be associated with Washington and espe-
cialy upon homestead propositions. That law was
! approved by the immortal Washington. think he
was about as great man as any Of the modern
! lights aud far rs l am concerned, prefer fol-
lowing in the lead of the larger, instead Of what
consider the lesser. lights. What next do we mud
on this subject? Mr. Jefferson recommended, IN one
of his messages to the Congress Of the United states
| the homestead policy. In the administrations OF
Washington and Jefferson. this policy was maugu-
/ rated by this Government prefer to follow the
/ lead and be associated with Washington and JeIef-
son. than the lights that now shine from the Olu
Dominion There are fOrty-fOur precedents OF laws
/ approved and sanctioned by various Presidents,
/ running through every Administration, from
| Thomas Jefferson down to the present ume' carry
/ ing out the same principle. Where did TINS pOhcy
have its origin? Where did 1t startg Its very germ
| commenced with Virginia. and 1t has been followed
/ up and brought down TO the present Tune. but,
| without dwelling on all the cases, Will reies 10
/ what was done in 1850. The fourth section OF " An
act to create the office of surveyor general Of public
lands in Oregon and provide for the survey, and
to make donations to settlers on the said public
! lands approved in 1850, is in these words:
CSC Ind belt further enacted That there shall be- and
hereby granted every white settler occupant Of the pub
lie lands half Indians included above the age OF
eighteen years. being citizen Of the United states, or having
made declaration according law Of his intention to become
citizen who shall become resident thereof on or before the
day December $780, and who shall have resided upon and
cultivated the for four consecutive years and who shall
conform to the provisions Of this act the quantity Of
naf section or three hundred and @enty ace Of lana,
single and married he shall become married
within from the LIST day Ct Decemoer leIO me quantity
self half to his wife, TO be held by her in her own
| nght."-StatateS az Large, vol. 9, p 49,
There is a homestead bill There is a grant Of
gi,y bsrr1 and Ia married
! and three hundred and twenty acres to single
man. not being the head Of family. but twenty-one
! years of age. That was passed in 1870. l should
ike to know where the vigilant and watchtul Sena-
/ tor from Virginia when thai law passed. 1
presume that this flood of light had not then been
she'd He did not see its bearings and tendencies
/ he seems to understand and see them now. How
did the Senator vote upon that question. suppose
the Senator knows, for surely measure so lmpOr-
tant and embracing principles so sacred and vital,
/ could not have passed through this body without
/ the Senator knowing how he recorded his vote.
| Where was this faithful sentinel that should have
/ been standing upon the watch-tower, and should
have sounded the alarm and aroused the people OF
the United States the dangerous nrOads that were
! beng made on their rights and institutions Where
was he Did he speak? Did he say yea or may,
| either by speech vote? No; but he sat with his
arms folded. and allowed this infamous measure,
| this .'agrariEn measure, that was to work such
dangerous influence upon certain institutions OF the
country to pass without either saying yea or nay.
/ There was one homestead proposition passed in
1850. Yesterday quoted law passed in 1854, AID
It seemed to be difficult for Senators to understand
it. One Senator understood it one way, and anoth-
/ er understood it another. Sometimes 1t Is n good
/ plan TO examine. and see how thing IS. One SAID
that the law OF 1854 was to give hOmesteads in New
{ MeXicO and If they were given to New Mexico, and
| not in Kansas that would change the principle
| Now. should like to know the difference in prin-
/ cple. But let US see how the thing stands. read
one section from the act Of 1885, and before could
Tho Ms
| souri, M Greenl took the floor and made an issue
with me; and then the Senator from Virginia re
sumed the floor. and did not permit me to read
/ another section, and make 1t understood. The act
of 1854 is entitled An act to establish the offices Of
surveyor general Of New Mexico Kansas, and Ne
braska grant donations to actual settlers therein,
| and for other purposes" Well. what do find in
the second section Of that act?
Sec . And Be further enacted That, to every white
citizen Of the United States every white male above the
wntyone years. who has declared his intention TO be-
days January 1853, and who may lie still residing
there there shall and hereby IS donated one quarter section
or hundred sixty Of land. And every white
age otEenyone years who has declared his intention to be
and sstte in said Territory between day January, ISIS
and day January, s55 there SHALL in like be
condition actual settlement and cultivation for not less than
| four yeass.-btTtut6s dttarge vol lO,P. Jus
There is /. clear and distinct grant: but the an
! swer is that it not homestead. because the
grant was made in New Mexico. Would there be
any difference in principle, between holding out in
dUcements to go into New Mexico to free homes, and
holding out inducements to 60 anywhere else! What
! is the difference? Even in regard to New Mexico
| where there was a prospect OF slavery, here was
bill passed inviting settlers to 60 into the Territory
and take the land free; and to carry out this very
disastrous idea in reference to slavery that the Sen
1 atOr from Virginia speaks Of. And where was he.
Yesterday when we referred to it, the Journal was
produced to show that there vote taken on
it, and the answer to the principle and the inconsis-
tency was exhibiting was, that donated was bad
English as if thereby to escape from the incOnsis
| tency in which the Senator was involved.
! Mr.. MASON. think if the Senator heard me,
he will recOllect that said did not remember how
| / had voted upon that law, but the probability
was that ! had voted for it but far from at
tempting TO escape from any responsibility to my
/ vote, distinctly declared that 1t matter Of
not the slightest consequence to me, far that
| policy was concerned how l voted, and that pre-
/ sumed | voted BRIT
! Mr.. Johnson. of Tennessee Wei. it is home
stead proposition embracing the precise idea of this
measure and going to greater extent, being more
! enlarged than the bill now under consideration.
The Senator sat by and permitted bill to pass so
obnoxious and disastrous, as he now say eSpe-
clay in reference to the slavery interest and that,
too with his great literary qualifications when the
bill not only established the homestead policy, but
he actually permitted it to pass in bad grammar
| Mr. MASON That was wrong admit Laugh
Mr. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee. But let us travel
on a little further That was in New Mexico.
Next we come right over to Kansas, now in the
midst of the Emigration Aid Society, and how it
operates when we get over into Kansas. We find
this is the law providing for preemptons there
i read from the same law which | have just
quoted
sSEc u Aad belt TaJ6er enacted, That ali the lands
title has been, shall e2nguished within
said Territories Nebraska and Kansas shall be subject to the
operations preeEptOn Of 9TH September ISL and
under the conditions restrictions, and spulauonS therein
toned PrOUids AO3rsD, That where unsurTeyed lands
are presumption, notice Of the specific tracts shall be
filed within three after the has been made in the
field" sc Statutes at large, vol. TO- p. $40.
These acts were referred to by the Senator from |
Ohio Nlr PuGD the other day. lie was referring |
to them in the range of precedehts in the speech |
that he made on this subject indicating the meas
ure against the objections that were made both as
10 its expediency and consututionahty. lie refer
red to this as one of the precedents, and made an
argument tpcrmiC me to say here in parenJhesls) /
that cannot be answered Some may attempt as |
some have attempted. to answer 1t; hut it cannot .
be answered. Why try to associate the measure .
with prejudices that may exist North or SOUTH II /
it is unconstitutional come up and meet II on CON
stitutonal grounds. If it Is neXpedient and dam
gerous show it to be so. But here is presumption
granted in Kansas. and when: In 1894, at the time