Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-02-16
THE HOMESTEAD BILL.

The bill, as advocated by Gen. Pack
ard, passed by large majority:
Mr.. Speaker, this House now has an op-
portunity to DO good work in the pass
age of this b II. as reported from the com
miitee, and for one regret that any
amendments have been proposed to L.
IL seems TO me that this House ought to
pass the bill in precisely the terms in
which the COMMITTEE on Military Affairs
have reported it. and think so for rea-
cons which | will. as briefly as possible,
now give, And first, want to noiice two
or three things that fell from the lips ol
the gentleman from Illinois. Mr. HAwLEY.7
who made a somewhat elaborate speech
upon this measure. Much ofihat speech
l agree With, much OF 1t heartily indorse
And in so far as il applies TO the substi
tute offered by the gentleman of Indiana
Mr.. HOLMAN | agree with him entirely
He stated that grants OF lands without re.
strictions are vicious. Ofcourse 1 agree
with him in that. Grants OF land with
out any restriction, general bounty land
Dr.. such as is the substitute, would pre-
sen, to Ia Many evils, and | presume
would fail 10 p,ss the House. But The
bill as reported from he committee pro
vides al necessary restrictioscs. IL hedges
around the grant OF lands to soldiers with
just such restraints as are needed, as viii
protect the soldier. IS viii protect other
settlers, and as win 10 just that which
ought 10 be done fer him, and at The same
time win not in any degree interfere with
the public land system of the United
States, rs shown in the existing homestead
laws
Now, Mr. Speaker. lam In favor OF this
measure because the soldier can make the
assignment OF his land. to which the gen
t.emsn from Illinois objected, with advan-
tage to the Government and with adyan
tage to himself and with advantage Ia
some other man who ia landIess- Ii there
Is any principle which we ought to sane
ton and sustain here II is that the men oil
this country who want land shall have
land. Land for the lanaless is what we
-ant. That is the true principle.
Mr.. HAwLgy. How can that policy bet
ter be carried out than by adheTi%S steadi-
ly 10 the principles of the homestead law
Mr.. PACKARD. agree with the gentle
men entirely. and i am coming To that
question. 1t is because | wish la give an
advantage 10 the soldier over and above
.bat which we give to- the ordinary Gill
zen that am in favor OF this bill. Now,
when the soldier makes an assignment he
must make that assignment TO q man gen.
orally who is landIess, because no other
would wish 10 go 10 the public lands OF
the United States and make his settlement.
Hence, while there might be soldiers 30
circumSianced that they canaot settle the
f,.r haw 6ar
this bill the privilege OF assigning il 10 a
man who is without land, and WHO may
be permitted 10 secure a home for him
self, and that is an advantage both to the
soldier, in the amount received from the
as sisnee. and In The settler; as it enable >
him to make home of double the value
he could by taking iu his oSn right.
The gentleman from Illinois has told us,
SIS we have been told before, that il is no
advantage for any person to acquire the
lands So assigned. because he would have
the same right to take lands under the
homestead Law that the soldier has. That
is not the case. Tor he does not have the
same right The soldier can go upon the
double minimum lands ard take one hun
dred and sixty acres, while the >ordinary
citizen can take but eighty acres of the
uOuOIC lbiutiituui iduN>. hChSSf tut ac-
signment is valuable to the assignee.
Now, The gentleman from Illinois told
Us that the Grand Army journal is OPP
posed to this principle, as introduced in
The substitute of the gentleman from 1ndi-
ana, the general system OF issuing bounty
and warrants: and that is true. But he
forgot to state that the Grand Army Jour
nal published bill almost identical with
This bin of onfs. and advocated IL, heading
The article by saving. Z" This is our soldiers
homestead BILL" When this bill was in
Iroduced that paper spoke OF ii approving
", stating that they would be satisfied
with Just such measure as that reported
Tlom the Committee on Military Affairs.
/ am in favor of the bill for another
reason. because it is in the direction OF the
soua' ization of bouniles. Every one will
recognize the fact that the soldier who
,eryed three years is more deserving than
he soldier who served but three months.
The soldiers themselves will admit that.
When we give man homestead we
want 10 give him one hundred and sixty
acres; and how can we attain an equslizs-
,ation? By doing just what this bill pro-
)oses-by deducting from the time re-
CURED tor occupancy the time which the
soldiers served in the Army. In this we
give him a great advantage The soldier
who served three years can have The
Whole Of that time deducted from the
ERIN OF occupancy ordinarily required.
In this way the merits oil the soldiers are
recognized ip accordance with their re-
'pective terms of service.
/ am for this bill for another reason: be-
cause, as have before stated, it will en-
courage settlement. II secures lands to
he land'ess, aud in effect. tn many who
nave not served as soldiers; for where the
soldier cannot or does not desire to settle
The land himself he may and necessarily
must assign his right to one who will set
lie it, and generally to one who is land
ess- The sentiment of the Committee on
he Public Lands is that the principle of
settlement should be adhered To as vital
one In this respect the bill is precisely
IN accordance with the views of that com
niitee-
Again, this bill provides for the widows
and orphans of the soldiers. who are cry
ing 10 the Congress of the United States
to do something tor the n. have re-
ceived numerous letters from the widows
&c those who have fallen in battle. saying
n m . in substance, Can you not do some
hing ,.nr US who are more in need than
he able-n odied man, who IS able To go
mt and make settlement for HIMSELF We
ave lost our ma, 'uraI protectors by the ext
,enc;es of the serv,,, ee and we are not able
o derive any bench, from the measure
which was passed last s.'mmer. Can you
lot do something for us T. ms olll pro
rides for that class. 1t prov,,or also Tor
me disabled soldier. II enables the man
who has been placed upon the pension
rolls of the United Sta.es 10 assign MS
light or to make settlement by an sgen,
Thus he will derive from this bill benefits
which he cannot obtain under any of the
other measures now before the House.
On the other hand, the substitute proposed
W the gentleman from Indiana gives to
.l,-the able-bodied, MANNED, the widow.
md the orphan child-only warrant.
ybici, must necessarily be of little or no
'alue. BY the substitute you
s.Keep .he word Of promise to the ear,
And bleak 1t to the hope"
And fiua,ly, am in far this bill because
!, provides that those who have already,
rnder existing laws, taken eighty acres
md settled thereon may receive eighty
more-a measure of justice and equality