Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1884-10-30

OCluyIor COlldA, OudIltS d, Dluul6, VIII
liam K. Lehman. and John B. Steele;
whilst it was aRtagOnlzed by Timothy
o. Howe. Preston King, James A. Pierce,
and Joseph A. Wright; by John j. Crit
tenden, James +. English, Owen Love-
joy, and Justin S. Morrill,, leading repre-
sentatives of both the Republican and
Democratic parties being aligned on
each side.
was doubled and besides other mOdifica-
gage was subOrdinated to the cOmpany's
mortgage, which was authorized to an
amount equal to the government subsi-
dy and was made first lien.
The amended bill of 1864 passed the
house by vote of nearly two to one and
received the support of such Democrats
as Augustus G. Baldwin of Michigan,
Alexander H. CoffrOth of Pennsylvania,
Ignatius DoHnelly of Minnesota, James
K. English of Connecticut, George w,
Julian of Indiana, Lewis w. Ross of Ill
inOis, John B. Steele of New York, Vim.
G. Steele of New Jersey, John T. Stuart
of Illinois, and Lorenzo ID. M. Sweat of
Maine. SO little did this bill or the
Northern Pacific Railroad grant bill APP
peal to the partisan feelings of the house
that the Hon. Samuel j. Randall of
Pennsylvania, then serving his first
term, failed to vote upon the question of
passage of either, and was not paired.
In the Senate the bill passed without Op-
position, and this in body in which
John r. Thomson was a Senator from
New Jersey, James A. Bayard and Will
lard Salisbury were senators from Del
aware, Anthony Kennedy and James A,
Pearce senator's from Maryland, Laza-
rus W. Powell and Garrett Davis seRa-
tors from Kentucky, and Thomas A. Hen.
bricks was senator from Indiana.
On the section subOrdinating the
mortgage of the government to that of
the company. known afterwards as the
'credit mObiler" section, being the 10th
section Of the bill, there were but 38
votes in favor of striking it out and re-
tanning the gov ernment mortgage as
first mortgage. Among the 81 who
voted to retain the section, besides the
gentlemen first named above were VIM.
+. FiAck, Francis G.. LeBlOnd, Alexander
long, James r. Morris and Warren p.
Noble of Ohio, and Samuel j. Randall of
Pennsylvania.
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC GRANT.
On the Northern Pacific grant OF 1864,
the largest of all being for about 10000
600 acres, there aUds no opposition an the
senate and the majority in the house
was twenty-fOur votes. The affirmative
and negative votes were divided between
the two parties about in the proportion
of their respective strength in the house
This grant equalled the entire area of
New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jer-
ssy. In the debate, Mr.. Hendricks of
Indiana expressed himself in the sem
ate decidedly in favor Of the bill: and in
the house it had the support Of Baldwin
of Michigan, COffrOth, LaZear and Nc
Allister of Pennsylvania, Allen, Eden,
and Knapp of Illinois, Brown, Eldridge.
and Wheeler of Wisconsin, DOnnelly of
Minnesota, Nelson, Odall Pruyn, Steele
and Ward of New York, Sweat of Maine,
and Daniel W. Voorhees, Of Indiana.
THE HOMESTEAD ACT.
COincidently with the passage of the
first railroad grant to the Pacific roads,
the Republican party placed upon the
statute-bOOk the homestead law--under
which up to this date 663,722 indepen-
dent entries have been made. The land
thus actually taken up by settlers
amounts to the aggregate Of over $1,000
600 acres, being a territory larger in
area than all of New England, New
York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mary
land Delaware and West Virginia.
| QThis beneficent act was persistently
refused by the Democratic party when
in power, and when the thirty-sixth
congress passed a modified homestead
act, but which yet exacted a price, Pres
ident Buchanan vetoed it, mainly upon
the ground of uncOnstitutionallty.
The existing homestead act was one
of the first approved by Abraham Lin
coin.
Very respectfully yours,
EDWARD MCPHERSON,