The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1886-10-13
THE TRUTH oF HISTORY.

Judge Tattan delivered an excellent and
most interesting speech at Great Falls on
| the occasion of the late enthusiastic demo-
cratic rally, and the following extract of
his speech On the land and timber laws,
| reviewing Sanders TRADE on the subject,
| will be read with unusual interest:
| When man asserts from a public plat
form that the democratic party, as po-
litical body, was solidly opposed to the
enactment of the homestead laws, he states
what every school boy must know to be.
untrue, and when that man is known to
be well versed in public affairs, and is
seeking the highest honor that can be,
conferred by the people to whom he ap-
peals, his every act and other statements
should be taken with distrust and care
fully weighed for Judgment, Gentleman,
not very long after the pre-emption laws
Of 40 and al were passed, the question Of
granting free homes upon the public do
main became one of much thought and
discussion for number Of years. It grad
ually assumed polit Importance until
it became interviewer with the question
then uppermost in the minds of the states
men of the country-states rights. In 80
and 81 it became an important political
factor and in 1852 it came before the peo-
pie as political issue. The Free Soil
democracy at its national convention held
at Pittsburg in 1852 adopted the following
as a part of it's platform: sfThat the pub
lie lands of the United States belong to the
people, and should not be sold to indlYid-
uals, nor granted to corporations, but
should be held as a sacred trust for the
benefit of the people, and should be grant
ed in limited quantities, free of cost, to
landless settlers" 1t then became ma
tional question, yet no steps were taken
in congress in the matter until 1859, when
Gu1usha A. Grow, democratic repre-
sentative from the state of Pennsylvania,
introduced into the house the original
measure which was entitled, "A bill to Sc
cure homegteads to actual settlers upon
| onC puU11C uOEkkksAaS ssuu tt1uS WAS li1lCsob"
ed the first legislation concerning home
steads upon the public domain by dem
ocratic congressman, in accordance with
the principles declared by the Free Soil
democracy of the United States.
Great stress is laid upon the fact that
President Buchanan vetoed the first
homestead bill that passed both houses of
congress. But it should not be forgotten
THAT the vetoed bill was loaded down with
amendments by the senate-Which were
accepted by the house under protest
amendments that completely changed the
nature Of the bill and rendered it subject
to constitutional objections. One was the
insertion of provision requiring purchase
price of 25 cents per acre, and excluding
had previously taken up land under the
pre-emption laws, and another was that it
confined homestead settlers to the odd
numbered sections of land. That bill was
vetoed by the president on purely consti-
tntional grounds, and in considering that
veto we should bear in mind that very
grave constitutional questions were then
absorbing the attention Of the statesmen of
the United States-question that created
very grave anxiety for the safety Of the
Union-questions that caused the best
blood of the nation to flow upon many a
battle field, in their settlement and dete-
fnination. Indeed great honor should be
| paid to the president who regardless of
popular favor and the political advance
ment that might be gained by approval of
the measure, defined to add to the tension
then existing between north and south by
| a loose construction of the constitution.
Mr.. Crows original bill, with the objec-
tionable features stricken from it, became
a law in 1862, the vote in the house being
1O7 for and 16 against, and in the senate
50 for and against Such is the history,
in brief, of the homestead act, and although
it was brought forward as political issue
by the democracy, and drafted into legis-
tive form by democratic representative,
it never in it's progress through congress
became purely party measure, the votes
against it being cast upon constitutional
and sectional grounds.
The republican candidate for delegate is
devoting great amount of eloquence in
assail'ng the commissioner of the land Of
fee, Mr.. Sparks. He reads chapter upon
chapter of the evils wrought by Sparks In
sending special agents throughout the
country to interfere with the peaceful pur-
suits Of the people. He charges Sparks
with making rules and regulations con-
cerning the cutting Of timber upon the
public domain when everybody who can
read knows that the prescribing of such
rules are charged by act-of congress upon
the secretary Of the Interior He relates