The register., 1860-04-12
The Homestead Scheme,

AAOAAASSSSeS&A
During the present session of Congress, it
would seem that the negrophilist legislators
from the North had almost forgotten their lc-
gitimate theme--the woes of the Southern
slave--in the ardor of their efforts to trump IN
plausible charges of pcculaton and cxtrava-
gance against the Administration and its ap-
pointecs. Investigating committees have grown
to be quite the rage in the lower House. Hon
orable gentlemen from rural districts, whose
chief merit before their constituents consists
in the vehemence of their denunciatious
| OF the constitution, the Supreme Court
and every other authority which their fathers
were wont to hold most sacred, fad themselves
suddenly transformed into inquisitors concern
ing the official integrity of the best and purcst
statemen i'll the land. Long and gravcly they
ponder over every charge which personal NAL
ice could frame, or Congressional impudence
prefer; and the outbursts of their yrtuous in
dignation are systematically spread before the
public by the Abolition journals, as "astound-
ing disclosures of''corruption in high places"
Ihereupon Seward and his followers roll up
the whites of their eyes and exchange mutual
glances of holy horror in a singularly express
i've way; giving lis very plainly to understand
how differently they would act, should the
dear people see fit to trust them with the man
agcmcnt Of federal affairs.
In the mean time they have given us fair
sample of what they would consider an honest
policy, if invested with the control of the pub
tic purse-strings in their strenuous odvocacy
of the misscalled Homestead" bill This
measure has been brought up under different
forms in both Houses of Congress- The Aboli-
ton papers have pufed it. the Abolition ora
tors have culogised it, and the whole strength
OF the Abolition vote will lie brought out to
sustain it. 1t has been informally adopted as
one of the main fcatures'of the Abolition Mat
form, and the sewarditcs hope that, in places
which arc not yet ready to indorsc Helper and
John Brown, it will serve as q hobby-horsc on
which they may ride into power. The pro-
posed scheme contemplates giving away the
public lands belonging to the government, at
merely nominal prices and to merely
nominal settlers. The unappropriatcd domain
OF the United States constitutes q yerv imnort-
ant source of the public income To donate
these lands, then, according to the programme
laid down by the Abolitionists in Congress
would be simply to give away without any
reasonable equivalent, a large element of our
revenue, to forward the interests of Black Re-
publlcanlsm. Thus while the scwardites affect
to be so terribly scandalizcd at the individual
subscription of money among Democrats to
uctray the expenses of the Connecticut cam
palsn, they are themselves striving to filch
from the Treasury q vast bribe, which they
| nope will insure the success Of their cause
in November next 1t is mere Dretence TO
allegc that the adoption of this "1Iomcstcadn
measure will promote the settlement of the
Territories. None know better than the Black
Republican leaders, that is calculated to
benefit Spectators and sharpcrs only. The
provisions requiring actual settlement would
be easily cvadcd In fact, the price of the
public lands is already quite cheap enough
and is never complained of by bona .fde settlers.
1t is only those who hope to amass quick for
tunes by spcculating in '.homestcads," and
those who are seeking to make political capi-
tai from the same source, that are now press
ing the expedicncy of the bill.-N 0. Cour.
--
ROBERT j. WALKERS LAST ArPEARASCE--By
the rules of the Housc'of Representatives adop-
ted at the last session, no one is allowed admit
tancc to the floor except Members and Sena-
tors. During the recent contest for Speaker,
where there were really no rules, q great MANY
persons contrived to smuggle themselves in
One day small, nervous and somewhat shabby
individual walked up to the door and endeay-
ored to enter without even the ceremony of
asking leave, when the following collouuy en-
| sued:
Doorkcepcr-Holl on thcre are YOU Mem
Der. Senator or officer of the House?
| Small man-No; am an ex-senator.
| Doorkeeper--EN are not admitted.
~ small man--But am an ex-Secretary of the
| Treasury.
Doorkceper-Can't help it, but you have no
right to go in.
Small man (eXcitedly) -Confound it, I am
|eN-GovernOr of Kansas
Doorkeeper (mildly, yet frmly)--But you
can go Ill unless you are member.
Small man (savagely)--Wcll, sir. take nv
name in to Mr.. am Robert ]. Walker,
sla aud !he NIUE man brldled up in a state |
of great indignation.
Mr.. - came ont. and the small man went
in under his protection. After he had dsap-
peared, l remarked to the doorkeeper. "You
did not know that gentleman. reckon ~
Doorkeeper (snickering)--O yes. knew the
htle cass we'll enough but wasn't going to let
him in without an introduction.
--~~--.~o>.--
NESSFr AVN E,cu1 II,>.,,,, &c.,, VI
BALES COTTON BuRNEp.--Loss Of Life-The pur-
SER of the steamship Florida which arrived
here last evening, reports that on the night of
the Sd inst. the bark Fanny Holmes Capt.
Smith, of New York, loading at Apalachicola
Tor antwerp: was discovered on fire about /
eleven O'Clock that night. The mate thought
it originated in the lower hold. She had $50
bales cotton on board at the time. which were
all lost One of the men was sleeping between
decks at the time Of the fire, and was burned
Ito death D:lgQ, 7tt inst