The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-05-31

in the States of Indiana and Illinois put
together, had been granted to private
corporations by the Congress of the
United States, in fourteen States of the
Union, up to the time of that report
Since then what enormous grants have
been made! Since then twelve million
acres or more have been granted to the
Union Pacific railroad; seven or eight
millions more to the Central Pacific rail.
road twenty millions, at the very least,
to the Northern Pacific railroad; and
nov before us are dozen bills or more
by which it i, proposed to grant subsi-
dies to railroads running in every direc-
tion over the continent, and thus to alb
sorb over hundred million acres more.
| ask, has not this policy gotie far
enough2
! am no enemy to railroads. Ipassed
over the railroad to California last sum-
mer,and ] confess that every mile trav-
elea my heart throbbed with prids at the
thought that there was such great struc-
ture as that spanning this continent
wish it well; wish every one of these
improvements well; 1 wish the new
States we'll They have no better friend,
to the extent of bis poor ability, on this
floor than / am; but wish the people
well too, and their interest is paramount.
And now, sir, what makes me oppose
this bill is this: the greatest source o.
prosperity this country has ever had, ex,
cept the freedom we enjoy, has been our
cheap lands; and indeed it may be al
most said, and said with truth, that but
for our cheap lands we never could have
had or maintained our freedom. 1t is
that cheapness of land which has ena.
bled so large a proportith of the Amer
lean people to. betome owners of real
estate, which has enabled even the hum
blest of men to stand erect on his own
acres and say "Hcre Is my own home,
and here no man dare melest me; this
cabin, humble though it be, is my own
castle, and the Government itself dare
not invade it; this land / will leave to
my children after me, aud they will be,
as am now,frcc and independent tillcrs
of their own soil" TO this fact, more
than to any other of material nature,
are we indebted for that honest pride,
high spirit, independency of character.
self-respcct, and obedience to law that
distinguish our people.
Blu. now, Mr.. President, every year
makes it more and more difficult for q
poor man to get farm; every year
makes.it more difficult for poor me.
chanic to get tenement; every year
land is more and more engrossed, and
the price of it enhanced uLtil it is out
OF the reach of the poor.
Sir, do not let any mam tell me what
an immense domain we have; do not lei
him overwhelm me with figures of the
thousand and edd millions ofacres whit b
are still unsurveycd or undisposed Of
Rather let him go over that vast terrific.
ry lying between Nebraska and the State
of California; let him see what desert
it is; let him see how nothing short OF
an interposition of Providence itself can
make it such country as that which
lies to the east of 1t; let him remember
that on every continent IN the world
there is just such an arid desert as that;
that there is just such desert in Asia,
just such desert, and worse. in Africa,
just such desert, not SO bad, it is true,
in Europe; let him recollect that it is q
part, as it would seem, of the economy
of nature that there shall lie such vast
regions unfit for agricultural pursuits
regions where there may be some grazing
of cattle, some nomadic life, but h,re 8
dense, settled, and highly civilized pop
ulation is never found to exist
Iknow it is very easy to say that We
can achieve what no other people hav,
ever been able to achieve. l never ex
pectto live long enough to see that fiat
:ering unction which We habitually lay
to our souls cast aside. I do not cxpec
to live long enough to see the self low,
and self-satisfaction of the American
people obliterated in the least. / know
that every year as We grow we become
more and more and more self compla
cent; but there are barriers of natur,
that no self complacency, that no self-es
TEEN, that no self-confidence can over
come; and such a barrier is to be fount
in the desert that stretches its arid vast.
throughout the whole length Of Nortf
America. Why, sir, say that the good
lands of this country yet belonging te
the Government are comparatively small
in amount, and every time you give 2or
tons Of them away to private corpora
tons, and enable them by your so doing
to double the price of the lands, just il
that same degree do you make it harder
and harder for the people of this coun
try to obtain homes for themselves AND
their children. 1t is mainly forthat rea
son that oppose this policy.
Here I beg leave to repeat what 1 said
to the Senate before when this bill was
up, in the few remarks / then submitted
At the risk of repetition, l beg leave to
speak it, for / want, Senators,to impress
it on your minds. You have only to
look at the census returns, you have on
ly to look at the computation made by
Mr.. Kennedy in his preface to the last
census report, or anybody can make the
computation for himself, to see what
will be the population of the United
States in the year 1900, only thirty years
from now. 1t will be one hundred and
six millions and that without taking in
to account any Chinese immlgrating at
all. Leaving that out and taking the
increaseof population according to the
test that, has been so uniform from 1890
to this day, in 1900, only thirty years
from now, we are to have a population
of one hundred and six millions. In
less than sixty years, in the lifetime, per-
haps, of the youngest Senator on this
fooEif we have the good sense to hold
together, we shall have population OF
two hundred millions under this Govern
meut. Where then will be your land for
the landless? Where then will be your
homes for the needy? Where then will
be that independent agricultural popula-
ton, the very best reliance of the coun-
try for its virtue, its prosperity, the sta
bility of its institutions, its religion, and
its happiness? Where will it be