The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-01-20
HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS.

\ PETITION To BE SENT TO CONGRESS, PRAY
ING FOR THE APPoRTIONMENT OF LANDS TO
ACTUAL sETTLERs-THE POINTS INVOLVED.
The Sentinel made comments the other
day on a petition sent by the organized
workingmen of New York, to General But
Ter, urging the speedy passage of bill in
troduced at the last session. looking to the
bestowal of public land upon unemployed
workmen and the furnishing of certain inn
plements TO begin the work of home. In
furtherance of this home petition in regard
to the disposition of what remains of the
public domain has been drawn up and ii is
to be circulated in the city and state for
signatures.
TO the Honorable Senate and House of Re
preseTstdtiUeS OF the United States ia Congress
assembled
The petition of the undersigned, citizens
actual and prospective ofthe country, respect
fully showeth: That in our opinion, the
true interest and policy OF our government
forbid the sale or alienation of any portion of
our remaining domain to corporations or in
dividuals for specializing purposes, but that
said domain should be held as a sacred trust
for the purpose of furnishing homes of
limited extent to the bona fide citizens of the
country, so that all may, if they choose, be-
come freeholders interested in the soil OF
their fathers land; that all monopoly
of the soil by corporations or individuals
should be discouraged, while the
ownership in fee simple, by actual
settlers, who proposeto cultivate their lands
by their own labor. shonld be favored and
promoted; that with this view, not only
should homesteads be granted TO the latter
class. but in case of inability to reach and
subdue the lands to cultivation, the govern
ment should extend its aid by furnishing
free transportation to emigrants and their
families, with implements of busbandry, a
limited supply of domestic anima's. seeds,
roots and slips of fruit trees, adapted to the
location, and to enable the poor settlers to
obtain start, and get fairly under way in
their new homes. This policy. if faithfully
and honestly carried out, wonld people our
western wilds with hardy, industrious and
patriotic population. unsurpassed in the
world, would remove from party politics the
question connected with our public lands,
which lands are now too often bone Of cop
tention or means of corruption, and would
go far by way of safety valve to relieve the
business of the country of those antagonisms
between capital and labor, now SO trouble
som and ominous. To a large( Fpportion of
the individuals and Families Throughout the
country, DESTROYS of availing themselves OF
the existing homestead law. its provisions
arc but Il mockery or dead letter, for want of
means to reach any unappropriated land. or
to prepare it for cultivation when there.
Your petitioners think that such out lay
would be quite as profitable to the country
as if devoted TO the civilization and improve
ment of the savage tribes, whose verv nature
forbids their cultivation and refinement.
Should congress pass laws favoring the
policy herein tore Swallowed, it would do
no more than is proposed to be done by
other nations on this continent, both north
and south of US. All of which is respect
fully submitted.