The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1864-05-24

: these localities would doubtless now
occupied by prosperous and extensi
communities. who would annually col
tribute in taxes far more to the suppo
of the Government than was realize
from those sales. Our public lands al
valueless to the Government without Gu
tivation. Any other policy is unjust te
ward the hardy pioneer of civilization
injurious to the public interests, an
would present serious obstacle to th
growth, development, prosperity, an
greatness Of our commen country.
BY this policy the oppresssd poor a
the Old World are invited to happy an,
independent homes in the New. The,
in turn contribute TO the growth, wealth
and greatness Of the nation. In th
midst of this desolating civil war NOR,
than two hundred thousand Of the poo
of other lands, within the last year, hav,
sought an asylum among US. invited by
our free institutions and liberal policy
and it is estimated that during the com
ing year nearly double that number will
seek our hospitable shores. Hon. Rob
ert j. Walker, in a recent article, has
shown that if we compute the annual i'm
migration for the next ten years as dur.
ing the decade from 1850 to 1860, and
estimate the value Of the labor of each
immigrant at thirty three cents per day
it would give us grand total in 1870 OF
81, ,43O, 1000, 900. or enough in twenty
years TO pay our entire national debt. We
need their labor to till our fields, to re
plenish our Treasury. and enrich our
commerce, and therefore should, by our
laws and our policy, give them encour.
agement.
Land monopoly, with its attendant
evils, has ever been the bane Of empire.
The republic of Rome furnishes us a
familiar example. In the early days Of
the republic labor was esteemed honor
able. The cultivators Of the soil were
esteemed worthy of the highest places in
the republic. Afterwards the reins of
power passed from the hands of the mid
die classes the proprietorship of the soil
passed from the many into the hands Of
the privileged few. The people having
thus alienated the true inheritance Of
power, their own homesteads, soon be-
came prey to the contendng factions,
who controlled the wealth of the State,
and the greatness and glory Of the impe.
rial republic passed away forever
The successive revolutions in Mexico
have been but a struggle of the people
against the lordlings of the soil strug-
gle Of the Liberal party who sought to
foster and cherish republican institutions
against the Church party who owned The
greater portion of the soil and wealth of
the country, and who used their wealth
and power 10 Cypress the people. The
Liberals finally wrested this wealth from
the Church party, and used it for the
benefit OF the State, and the Power now
ruling that country has not yet deemed it
prudent TO restore it. The fate of Mexi-
co shows how impossible it is to maintain
a permanentrepublican Government over
the few selfish, proud aristocrats who
own the soil and wealth of the country,
even without the demoralizing and az.
sravating evils of slavery.
Who does not believe that il the land.
ed proprietors who own the great body
Of the English soil could upon so ne
principle Of justice be induced to share
it with the homeless and landless class
there. much OF the misery, want, and
that now afflicis a great
portion Of that people would be averted,
aud the greatness and glory Of the king
dom thereby advanced =?
In prosperous State labor must not
only be free. but the cultiya,or Of the
soil must have proprietary righ, in the
soil itself. In the rebellious States the
not only owned the soil but
the labor that titled it. Labor thus de-
graded became dishonorable. Here the
poverty Of the many, with it's evils Of
want, of ignorance, and dependence, was
10 be found side by side with the excess
i've wealth and opulsnce OF the law. The
poor whites, ignorant Of the blessings Of
free Government, yielded their assent the
first moment the shareholders, their
sought TO overthrow il. The
words Of General Marion. himself
written TO Baron De Kalb,
presents true picture Of the lower class
Of The whites in all the southern States.
of Carolina, he says:
'' The people form two classes the rich aud
the poor. The poor are very poor the rich
" no have slaves To do all their work, give them
no employment 1.-THE little they get is laid out
in brandy. not in books and newspapers
hence they know nothing of the blessings Of
our country or of the dangers which threaten
il enjoying none of the benefits Of a free gov
ernment they can not appreciate its blessings,
and feel 20 interest in fighting for IFS prescrva
tion,
This is a truthful picture of the South
TO day. The wealthy and intelligent few
have controlled and directed the poor
and ignorant many, and have thus led
them into tho vortex OF revolution
causeess as il is wicked. We must con.
quer the oppressors OF this people
Their oppressors conquered, the Gov
ernment should extend TO them It's fost
ering care and protection; should en-
courage labor and protect all in the en-
joyment of its fruits. We must restore
the grea, body of that people BY the es
adjustment in those States offree school.
and freq churches This can only n,