Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1868-08-21

nounced by the party as scheme OF
"Demagogism." Of "Agrarianism." oI
"Free Scilism," and not even "Abolition
ism" itself was more bitterly loathed aud
execratei, This was logically inevitable.
The slave power owned the Democratic
party. body and soul. but the slave power
itself could not live Without the aristocra.
tic icothoiu Of large landed estates. z A
/ policy, therefore. which recognized the
honorsbleness Of toll. and the common
and equal rights Of the millions on the
lands OF the Government, must OF necessi-
~ be fatal to slavery, IL sanctioned. The
step once taken could never be retraced.
This the leaders perfectly understood, and
the rank aud flc faithfully followed them.
Repcsted efforts TO carry the homestead
policy we're renewed during the Admins.
trations Of Pierce aud Buchanan, but In
every iusta uce, ~ the Congressional record
will show, they were defeated by Democrs-
tic opposition. A homestead bill did
finally prevail 10 both Houses toward the
close Of the Thirty sixth Congress. n suf.
hcieut number OF the betterc class OF Demo.
Gratis joining the Republicans to accom-. .
plish the purpose, bu, the act was vetoed
by one James Buchanan, whose chosen
bedfsllows were such men ss Davis, Floyd
and Thompson, and who gloried In wal.
lowiIg In the mire Of Democratic deprayi-
~, while bending his oowardly back un-
der the lash OF his Southern drivers. just
as often - they sew Q, TO command him.
AT last, under q Republican admins.
tra.ion, the homestead law OF 1862 was
enacted; and the only honor that can be
accorded 10 the Democratic party IL, that
iis opposition, which was shown on the
final vote In both Iiousss, had gradually
grown smaller and smaller, a. tho suprem.
aoy OF alavery In the Uni,ed States con-
tinued 10 be threatened, Such 10 the ugly
and damaging record which history must
write down against the party. whose lead
ers NJ New York have added 10 their 9th.
or sins that OF the most trsnspsrent dem.
sgosism 10 dealing with the question Of
our public lands. a.e
rnn SOUTHERN HOMESTEAD pILf~
But the Democratic record on tho home
stead question does not end here At the
close of the rebellion. there remained. In
the Staies OF Alabama, Mississippi, Louis
lana, Arkansas and NJ rlda. about forty-
six millions Of acres Of surveyed, unsold
public lands. just a. poou NJ the land OF.
iees In these States could be got IN run
ming order, the whole OF these lands would
be liable 10 be bought up In large bodice
by rebel speculasors and monopoIists, The
men who has secured 10 cruel monopoly
Of swamp lands. and whose greed and ra
pacity remained ~ untaned by their de-
feat as their hatred Of the negroes and
their contemptfor the poor whites, would,
Of course, spare no opportunity In tho
way Of their further argrandizement. One
Of the hrst duties OF the 30lh Congress
therefore was to deal with tho practical
question thus presented, and bill was
accordingly reported from the House Com.
mitiee on Public Lands extending the
Homestead law over these regions Ia eigh.
ty-aore allotments, and forbIdding. abso-
Intely, all further sales. The effect of this
would be 10 dedicate 10 actual occupancy
and tillage the whole Of these millions of
acres, In the interest ofthe landless poor,
black and white, and in the interest Of
the nation itself. through the increase Of
its productive wealth. Dividing the ag-
grerate of these lands by so win give
575, 900 homestesds TO that many heads
of families; and allowing each head of
family to represent, on an average, hve
persons, these lands wonld give homes and
shelter 10 2975. 900 people, who must else
be the mere supplicants for such fhvors as
a relentless landed aristocracy may see fit
TO bestow. If We suppose one half Of
these lands unfit for cultivation, there
would still remain enough to supply near
ly n million and half OF the homeless
poor in these States; and l think | am
safe, therefore. in saying that Of all the
measures that have been proposed in any
quarter looking to the regeneration of
these blasted regions, this may fairly be
regarded as one Of the most bene6cen,
and far reaching. II would lay the foun'
dstions Of o true democracy, and a gen.
uiue civilization. where the curses Of chat
tel slavery on. the one hand, and wages
slavery on the other, have so long weild-
ed their baleful power through the mono-
poly of the soil. IL, would furnish a
blessed outlet through which the helpless
poor could escape from the threatened suf-
location and death, aud at the sane time
point the way TO other measures Of relief,
still more prophetic Of new heaven aud
n new earth in these latitudes, founded on.
the ruins of the past. The bill passed
the House, and in modified form went
through the Senate; and greatly TO the
general amazcment il was signed by An.
drew J ohnson, who just ut that time seems
to have been "clotbed and in his right
mind" or, al least not quite so drunk as
| be had been on other occasions. Under
this law, the poor Of the South, whether
white or black, are selecting their home.
steads. building their cabins, putting up
their fences, and thus slowly but surely
hewing out their way to independence;
while becoming the natural allies Of the
public good. They have already reclaim
ed and settled many thousands Of acres,
and their progress will be more and more
rapid as the rebel element of the South
shall be subdued. The policy of the law
has been, and doubtless will continue to
be, obstrucied; but il will be carried out;
aud just so far aud 80 fast as this shall be
done, il will undermine the great landed
aristocracy which brought on the war, aud
is now tho only obstacle to lasting peace.
Gentlemen, what is the Democr re-
cord on this most righteous and perfectly
unobjectionable measure, proposing to
save forty six millions Of acres of land
n a A a. a A a