Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-10-26

4H
The pext feature Of the Republican bill wa
that any person, acitizen, or who has declare
his intention Of becoming a citizen, may ente
upon these lands. What do the Democrat
say? The Democratic bill said, "any citizen.
6 This party claims to be par ercellence tn
], guardian, protector and defense of the foreign
r born citizen; yet I want my German friends
y and Scandinavian friends, aye, and my Irisl
]. friends, and citizens of foreign birth from
Q whatever Cline to this refuge of the oppressed
e you have coihe, tofnotice how the Democratic
party Disseminated against you, and said yo,
: should wait FIVE years to get your papers, ant
| then, after waiting five years and gin:
f through this initiatory process Of culture, yol
! might have an equal opportunity with thu
r native born citizen. Now, my Irish friends
con you "Hooray for Doogias?" [Uproarious
laughter.]
/ We proposed free Homestead bill--ir
substance free, charging only ten dollars fol
the expense of the surveyor and receiver,
was made in good faith. The Democrats
proposed in their bill to charge twenty five
cents per acre. Mark it, now-twenty-fve
cents an acre for the refuse land, when you
can go to our graduation lands and enter them
=
lands. Laughter and applause Now, say
again, if you want to "Hooray' for the Dem
ocracy, you may do it; am not going to
coax the lrishman, or German, or American,
to vote that they may go there and settle
these lands. If you do not want to do it, you
need not do it. have no more interest in
the matter than you have. have always
loved the Homestead bill, ever since knew
| oL1,, L,,k a., ,ok
more than you do, and if you want to vote for
the Democratic ticket, if you are determined
to be guided by blind prejudice and zeal for
a mere name to vote down principles that you
love, and keep yourselves off from those rich
domains that God has spread out for you to
occupy, you must do it. Applause.l l
shall not scold or coax you; if you have not
sense enough to know where your interest
lies, you had better 60 and vote the Democratic
ticket. Laughter and applause.
Here then | can call the attention Of the
Democracy. count over on my fingers the
leading features of the Republican Home
stead bill First, any person over twenty
one years of age, while the Democrats say
any head of a family, as contrasted with
this first feature second, we say any of the
public lands, while they say, such lands
only as have been offered for sale; third, we
say any one who has declared his intention
of becoming citizen-they say any citizen;
fourth, we say free gift, virtually-they
say quarter of dollar per acre for the
refuse lands. These are the features in con-
trast Of the Republican and Democratic
Homestead bills. .......
We sent up our Republican bill that we
had passed in the House, to the Democratic
Senate. They evisceratcd it, and made it a
mere skeleton but we even accepted that
determined that it should not be said that
We voted against bill headed Homestead
bill, and hoping that it might be the basis
of some future action, moro liberal and mu-
nifcent We asked the Democratic Senate
for bill and they gave us skeleton; but
we accepted the skeleton and sent is up to
White House, and Democratic President
vetoed even that. Laughter and applause.
Why did you veto it, Mr.. Buchanan ? Oh
because we want the proceeds of the public
lands for the support of the government
The President virtually acknowledges that
the measure is one benefcent and just to the
people, but then it is going to injure the in
terests of the government.
American citizens, | want to ask you
what our theory of government is ? Is there
a ruling class in this country? Is there
an aristocracy whose peculiar interests are
to be looked after to the detriment, and
even to the sacrifice, of the interests of the
people? Or is our theory of government
this: that is simply an agency, through
which the people exercise their power for
their own good? That is the question:
There is ruling class in Europa govern.
ing class whose interests are distinct and
separate from the interests of those who are
subject. did not know that such was our
theory of government. do not know it yet;
still Mr.. Buchanan says in substance "This
measure which veto is good measure for
the people, but it is bad measure for the
government say if thing is good for
the people, let them have it, and let the gov
ernment take care Of itself. [Applause II
La other words, | mean that the government
is not an end, but the means to an end
that the government is designed to be the
instrument for doing good to the people or,
to state it a little differently, the people
through the government propose to do good
to themselves This is cur theory and idea |
of government. What do you want with
this money Mr.. President? "Oh, I want it |
to pay the army How much about
fifteen millions" What else do you propose
|
navy" How much for both together p
"Some thirty or forty millions, ifyou please
How much, Mr.. President, do you get from
the sale of public lands ? "About million
and a half" And he can't spare it! No
he is going to wiring it from the hard handed |
settler who goes forth to the wilderness with
his family and all he has on earth in his
covered wagon, wanting only little piece of
Gods wide and bounteous earth that he
may till it and rear his children on it, and
by the labor Of his hands and the conduct of
his life become man among men. But
poor as he is, Mr.. Buchanan must have his |
last dollar and quarter, and Mr.. Buchanan, J
like old Shylock. cries out 81 want my mon.
ish.' Great laughter.
Citizens, we pay something over thirty
millions every year for the army and navy
The whole income from the sale of public
lands, in prosperous times, does not ordinar-
lily exceed million and q half, | think!
am not accurate to dollar, perhaps no. to
thousand. But you pay this immense sum
for the support of the army and navy. Now
suppose the army were annihilated, and the
navy sunk like lead in the mighty waters
and they did not put it in the papers, would
you find it out for twelvemonth? laugh.
ter Would you miss it No everything
would move on, and your commerce on these
vast inland seas would pass on in safety and
flourish as it now fourishes. Insurance on
inland or foreign commerce would not raise
one quarter of one per cent, if the navy were
annihilated, and you would be just as secure
| IN your homes without the army as You are
now. Did you ever think of that Fl?
| A VoicE-"I did" .. q
Mr.. LovEJoY-Well, youare thoughtful
man. [Laughter.] Now, do not propose
to express any extreme or ultra opinions
1t is contrary, as you all know, who know
me at all, to my usual ideas and impulses,
because | am conservative and NATIONAL
Laughter and cheers.] But do say that
you might put down the expense of that ar
nv and navy by as much as ten times what