Nebraska advertiser., 1865-01-19
Speech of A. s. HOlladay en- the
Herd Law.

10 Committee OF The Nholes on the 14th,
ias,., for the consideration of Council
Bill No. z. "a bill to encourage agricul-
.ure, promote the growth of timber and
fruit trees,and restrain stock from running
at large in the Territory of Nebraska"
with the pending amendments reported
by the committee on Agriculture, A. S.
Holiday. of Nemaha, said;
Mr.. Chairman i: Has Nebraska made
that progress commensurate with her
natural advantages of soil, climate and
geog raphical position? Clearly she has
not. Other Territories, not her equals,
hav We grown and increased in population,
and long since entered into the sister.
hood of States.
And, now, why has Nebraska been
outstrlpped and left still in her ~swadlhg
clothes +? Her citizens have not Slept on
their posts"-have not relaxed their
efforts in turning the tide of emigration
to her beautiful 1anGs. Again, | ask,
why ali this Is it the fault OF Ne6ras-
klans ? / answer no! The early set.
tIers have long and faithfully worked TO
10 swell our population. Is II to be lard
at ths door of the general Government!
| also emphaGcally answer no! Our
present noble aud patriotic Administra-
uon has bene6tiently said TO the home
less: &c and fnd homes in The West, al
most without money and without price ,
ali has been done for Us that can be Gone
20 Increase our numbers. The emIgranl
hearing Of the generosity of the Gov.
e1nmenl-that he can have . home on
any Of the public lands-gathers up The
fragments of a wrecked fortune, and
comes to Nebraska /; he finds every stick
of timber, and even every twig big
enough to chaslise a child with, owned
As he beholds our almost boundiess ocean
of PRAIRIE, his heart, buoyant with the
expectation Of finding a home, sinks
down deep under the chilling waves of
despair His resources are limited. He
admires the country, but csnnot obtain
the object for which he came, and must
settle elsewhere. - s'1'
Let US LOCK facts in the face. Some
thing must be done, and that speedily, or
a decrease in our population instead OF
an increase, must be the inevitable re-
suit. We see that Homestead Laws and
Emigration Societies have been and are
sill futile in opening up The virgin soil
OF Nebraska. Ten years have elapsed
since our Territorial birth and still we
wear the paraphernalia of infancy. The
cause OF our feeble condition must be
apparent 10 all. We want population
we wan our lovely valleys and WIDE
spread savanas dotted over with the hab.
JlalIons Of the industrious farmeT-Uc
want to rise from a condition of Terri
tOrial dependence to one of dignity aud
independence among the Union of States.
Taxing these and many other thoughts
INTO careful cons deralion, | am forced
to the conclusion that, sooner OF later,
the bill now pending, or'a similar one,
must become law of unavoidable neceS-
sity. The groves of timber along the
Missouri are fast becoming exhausted.
aud egen fuel is a matter Of ser ious con-
sheraton in many parts of Nebraska.
Omaha is not the only place where fire
wood is sold al exhorbilant prices. Other
regioIs begin TO comprehend its scarcely
aud 10 smell "greenbacks'' in a green
co,ton' wood pole. Yes, l doubt moi, this
day many Of our citizens are shivenng
over a handful of exp1ring embers. and
cannot be comferted because of the high
price of fnat There are. deublless. very
many cases Of aCrnal suffering arising
from a deficiency Of the necessary fuel,
or from a want of the means 10 procure
1t. ' t~t
Another fact should not De disregard
ed nor forgotten. A large number of
our farmers must make new fences, be-
lore they can successfully cultivate and
raise another crop. Others will be COM.
PEELED to do so in a few years, as their
old fences will soon be. worthless, and
not fit for the purpose.
The present system of fencing is in
adequate, and the consequent destruction
of grain, annually, immense. The loss
one year would, perhaps, herd all the
10 Nebraska for FIVE years. One
ofsPawnee county says he lost,
asst season, enough to ray for the herd
ng of all the stock in the county for one
year.
With such facts, glaring and p%alpable.
$ it not astonishing that objections are
Urged to the passage of the Law? Bnt
hese, believe, are made generally by
nen who have been fortunate enough 10
'btain a few acres of timbered land. To
UGH directors let me repl! in The words
q VI II "a 49, ~ .~A+"-a