The Goodhue volunteer. [volume] (Red Wing, Goodhue County, Minn.) 1861-1864, 1862-05-21
PuhlicsLands.
The Chicago Tins sdep'ores The passage


,f the Homestead Bill, and saysS: .El
1.-THE public credit needs allsthe basis It
can have to stand npon. = r. - We have
always doubted the wisdom of tho PRINCIPAL
of free lands. 1t is the nature Of men to
prize lightly that which cost them nothing,
md We think it is the experience of those
States that have adopted the plan of giving
away their,lan that it has retarded rather
than advanced heal,hrul settlement of such
lands" So
We assent to the proposition that, the
public credit needs the widest possible basis
to stand upon. But it is by no means clear
that that basis is circumscribed by bestow
ing the public lands freely upon the indus
trous Citizens of the Union, who, under
some form or other mist ultimately sustain
the credit Of the Government. The resour.
ces from the public lands. after all the costs
and expenses have been paid. are much less
than many suppose. And it is questionable
whether an annual Government tax on the
land would not be more beneficial to the
Government, and surer guarantee Of full
treasury, than the constantly diminishing
receipts from the sale Of the land. 4.
The second proposition mag also be true
in some degree, hut it seems to US it can
have no application to the case Of claimant
under the homestead bill. BY that per-
son is obliged to live on the lands series
Of years before he acquires title; 50, al.
though the land in the first instance may
cost nothing Of any importance, vet it
seems to us man will prize the home
where he has spent in hard labor, weary
years for the purpose Of obtaining it, by no
means lightly.
We think the Times is certainly mistaken
in the conclusion that that the experience Of
any State has been contrary to the wisdom
Of bes1owing the lands in the judicious way
provided by the Homestead bill. Firstly,
because it has never, in any single instance
been tried. And We need not 90 on 10 the
"secondly." II it has lot been tried, all
the conclusion that can yet be reached in
the premises, must be deduced from the
facts that are known to exist in connection
with the Opposite line Of practice, and from
the etfert Of the bill, not as has been mani
tested in its operation, but AZ it presents it.
self to the judgment and the reason of mon
Now what are the facts in relation to the
former practice We need look only a,
our own county to see the result. Thou
sands of valuable farms, which as many
industrious men would before this have
settled upon had they been vacant, are held
by non resident capitalists, causing tho tai
on those honest, industrious men who have
ben fortunate enough to get farm, to be
'unreasonab!y high, while those thousands
are either drawn off to some other place to
seek cheaper lands, or are included in our
non producing floating population. These
lands Will remain vacant. TO tho great detri-
ment OF the county and the State to the
still greater dctriment Of the actual settler.
until land shall gradually raise in value 20
that it can be sold at an enormous profit to
the Spectator. Now let US suppose what
would be the result under the homestead bill.
In the first place no SPECTATOR or capitalist
would get any Of the Land, because it could
not be bought for money-nothins but labor
could purchase it; therefore whatever DOR.
TO" OF it passed out of the hands Of the
Government would 90 into the possession
OF person who was an actual :ettler there
on. Secondly, all who want home could
under that act. get it !; and all who have
actually wanted piece of land for the pur.
pose OF home for themselves and families
IN this county, could have got it for nothing,
Or at moderate price. Our prairies would
have been studded with wealth producing
arms where now all is bleak, dreary and
wild.