The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-01-21

return. Exclusive OF the land already
granted to railroads and promised for vari-
GUS purposes we have a clear six hundred
millions Of acres Of the best farming land the
sun ever shone upon. This is public land
it belongs to the people. II can be had
for nothing by all who choose to settle on
it. Why is it not settled sooner Because
the voice of the people has not been listen
ed to with sufficient attention. This land
might be sold for five dollars an acre with
out any difficulty, if the government would
adopt the means to make it saleable. To
divide this land into farms of twenty acres
each (thus ielding thirty millions of new
farms which would support an additional
population of five hundred millions) and
place house and farming implements on
each farm would cost the people very little
more than the woman suffrage movement
will cost them. A few years ago some
people organized what they called GA Ma
tiOnal Homestead Association" and applied
to Congress for authority to operate, but a
fool OF a representative mustered the big
gest word be knew, and called the National
Homestead Association ian eleemesynary
scheme" and that Of course settled it. The
country members thought that anything
that was "eleemosynary" must be terrible,
and so they refused to vote for it. What
ever individuals may do in this direction il
is certain that more attention to the home
stead laws must become the policy Of the
government.
Well, now Victor p, let us drop this
matter. You know very we'll that we must
look after No. and let No. 2. take care
of itself. Every tub you know must stand
on its own bottom. If you 90 on in thi,
ridiculous way people will laugh at you
and call you second Galilean then you'l
be erucifed, you know, in the newspaper,
and on the play bills, and people will say
''he saved others, himself be cannot save.
and all the vagabonds in the city will b
Running TO you to have you do somethins
for them, and after all one Savior wa
enough for this world-a second Savio
would be great bore, and, besides, N
man who is man would mind roughing i
a little, and it is just as well to die (if ",
must die) on door step as to die in par
lOr bored by toadies who are glad whel
you 20. Life is great sham an, ay
One man will die on horse back ,surroul. de-
by blaze of glory, and another man vii
bleed to death by the roadside and the peo
pie who pass say there's another one o
those drunken soldiers So let's 90 tn
woman suffrage convention and say N
more about it.
No, sir | don't see it in that way; bu
let me read to you that beautiful or ratbe
significant fable, Of La Fontaine's, entitle,
The nightingale and the prince" Her
it is:
"A young prince was walking with hi
tutor in grove. He saw a nightingal
that was singing and wished to catch it, bu
the songster of the forest perceived biz
and few away. How now" said his high
ness, quite ve1ed, how is it that this th
lOveliest Of birds is wild Why does b
stay in the woods when my palace is ful
of sparrows 2 This replied the mentor
is to teach you lesson which otberwis
you would have to learn BY experience
Fools push themselves ahead, but men q
merit love retirement, and one must scare
them OWt'"