Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-02-01
The Homestead Bill.

Those proposing this measure have cool
ly assumed that it is one of benevolence and
Justice, whereas it is one Of injustice and
evil. The proposition is ir, substance that
the Government shall donate lands in the
west to those who will settle upon them
And this is to extend not only to citizens
of the United States but also to foreigners
before naturalization. In other words,
all the immense domain of the Unned
States is to be, hereafter, given array, as
rapidly rs settlers can be induced to 60
upon it.
So great a change in the policy Of the
Governments regarding the public lands,
challenges examination and judgment.
Government lands have heretofore been
put in market at one dollar and twenty five
cents per acre, in convenient quantities, ,and
upoH any that remained unsold for some
time the price has been reduced. Tpe
privilege of priority Of right to purchase
has also been secured to actual settlers over
others.
The proceeds of land sales have gone in
to the treasury of the United States to the
average amount of three millions of dollars
yearly, constituting revenue to reimburse
The Government for outlays in acquiring
the lands, for the expenses Of their survey
and management, and for the cost oil pro-
yiding local governments pending their set
tlement.
1t is manif st that it is not necessary to
give away the lands in order to secure
their settlement. The whole history OF the
Territories contradicts such pretence; nor
can it be claimed as probable that settle
ment will stop in future unless such in
ducement as the one proposed be held out
BY the government. 4 he utmost that can
be alleged, is, that by this IN asure settle
ment may be accelerated to some extent
But dissatisfaction with the rate at which
States have grown up in the west would
be unreasonable ind eed and therefore there
appears no reason !or attempting to stln-
Gate their growth by extraordinary meas
ures.
Again; whatever lo,s the treasury sus.
tains by Withdrawing the proceeds OF the
land sales, would have to be made up by
increased taxation upon the people of the
country. 1t is proposed that a4 shall be
taxed to buy lands of the Indians, to
manage our land system, to provide gov
ernments for the Territories, to protect
the frontiers from savages &c. aud then
that the lands to which these outIays re-
late shall be given away to settlers al
though they can reasonably be made to
contribute to ease the Treasury. L his is
neither justice nor policy.
The public lands are also strong prop
TO public credit, ,and to squander them is
TO weaken the government.
And yet this Homestead project, was
enc of the leading measures of the Repub.
licans and endorsed in their platform iu
1850. Free Farms," LANDS for the
Landless, "Homes for the Homeless, y
these were the cries gotten up to delude
the ignorant and win votes The poor
were to be made rich by Government gift:
if they would only put the "free-farm par
ty in power
1t would be we'll if the fact were more
thoroughly comprehended than it seems
to be, that the government can have moth
ing 10 bestow which it does not obtain il
some way upon trust, from the people
1t follows, that it is no part OF its business
to make donations, and that at is an out
rage upon the equal rights of all and es
sentially unjust, to appropriate the public
property without an equivalent, to indi-
yiduals or class.
1t Is likely that the enormous pressure
upon the Treasury for war outlays, vii
prevent the passage of homestead bill "a
this time, even by Republican Congress
But the measure has been proposed, and i
deserves to be kept in mind and steadily
opposed as one of the unjustifable and III
furious measures Of the party in power
1t constitutes one of the just objections t.
that party AMI is a good reason for with.
drawing power from its hands at the earli'
est opportunity.
The Presidential Question.
The Democratic - Pottsvi,le- Standard