The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-03-28
HOLMAN's PROPHECY.
Uncle Sam VIII Have to Buy up Land
He Has Given Away.

"In your time, young man, you
are likely t0 see the American gov
ernment urged to buy up land it
has so largely given away in order
to provide its landless citizens with
some means Of getting u living"
said Congressman Holman, of Ind
lana, to me, speaking with all the
experience of many years service
on the Public Lands committee of
the House of Representatives
When Judge Holman entered
the House in 1859, Ut the beginning
of the 32d Congress, the public do
main of the United States seemed
us 6oundless as the ocean, and the
feeling of that time was reflected
in one popular song Of the day;
Come along, come along, make no delay;
Come from every nation come by every way,
Our lands are broad enough, so have no alarm,
And Uncle Sam is rich enongh TO give you all
farm.
Yet in his 0wn time and under
his eyes the Indiana Congressman
has beheld this vast empire so
squandered that within measurable
distance he sees demands like
those of evicted Irish tenants
pressing and echoing in the Wash
ington Capitol, and his gloomy
forebodings of "the pressure among
US of a great mass of landless peo-
pie who will terribly strain our in
stitutions" recall to those who have
needed them the contrast which
Thomas Jefferson, writing to Mad
ison, from Paris drew between the
conditions of American and those
of Europe. $50 long as there is in
our country plenty of free land to
be had," said Jefferson, "our people
will remain virtuous and happy, but
should the time come when they be-
come piled up in great cities as
they are here in Europe, then they
will go to eating one another as
they do here"
Judge Holman said that in his
opinion it would have been far bet
ter in the end if the western rail-
roads, and particularly trans-conti-
mental railroads, had not been built
for five or six generations later, for
then settlement would have push
ed westward more slowly, keeping
more in pace with the natural,
healthy growth of population. AS
it was, the building of the railroads
over the western country flung the
door wide open to vicious grasping
and speculation, and, indeed, the
very manner of stimulating the
building of these roads, through
the donation of immense land
grants, put premium on specula-
ton, and quickened the work of
squandering the public domain.
So well has this work of waste and
dissipation been accomplished in
and plupdered rule.
They are held up by tariff and by
honest money.
With the legislation that pro-
duces such results no true Demo-
crat can be in sympathy, but must
necessarily be in full, direct and
active opposition. Samuel ]. Til
den, with his vast knowledge of
finance and his wonderful percep-
tion as to schemes of banking in
stitutions and moneyed corpora
tions, saw clearly the danger to
the citizen, and in his address upon
banking and currency said:
"While we have made careful
provision lest man should lose d
one-dollar note, we have made
none against a fiuctuation which
may change the value of his prop
erty one-half, reduce a claim he
may have to receive one-haIf or
double debt that he may have to
pay, Samuel J. Tilden sounded
this warning in order to have leg
islation to secure the citizen from
from just such legalized robbery
as was practiced by the demoneti
zation of silver in 1873-an act BY
which debtors rights were de
stroyed that creditors might grow
rich, and the property of the labor
er, the farmer, the planter, thu
merchant and the manufacture
reduced iD value one-half, while
the mortgage and the interest OF
the mortgage held by the money
loaner ceased not to increase will
its usual vigor; and yet 1 know
men calling themselves Democrat
in Ohio who hold up their hands il
holy horror and cry out in menta
agony if a plundered ploWman de
mands the full restoration of tn
silver dollar or beggaHed yeomal
desires to pay according to origiaa
agreement.
These high-toned moralists ar
so fearful of disturbing existing
oontroo+o Uyh,, ,.,o.a tha,, allo.o