The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1894-03-07

grants uhu tnuS Deen given 70
about fifty railway companies.
In lS4l the first presumption
statute was passed, making ell
lands not otherwise reserved, sub
ject to presumption by actual
settler vt $l.25 per acre. Here,
then, were six different ways OF
of the "puplic domain"
practically agreed upon by all
parties during the first fifty or
sixty years Of our constitutional
history, viz: Sale OF land
for revenue, grants tn states for
educational and other purposes,
bounties to soldiers, grant to rail-
ways, presumption rights to actual
settlers.
But here comes turning point
in the political history Of the land
question.
In 1858 not less than one billion
acres of public lands were unenter-
ed. The landed aristocracy of the
slave holding states, were already
jealous of the monopoly of this
land by northern mudsills."
Spectators and monopolist were
by one means and another seizing
large tracts, and the great question
of the hour was, "What shall be
done with this immense domain?
Shall it continue open to monopo-'
lists and spectators, or shall it be
reserved: to actual settlers ut u
nomial price, or at no pricew
Born in an atmosphere of free
dom and the champion Of human
rights, the republican party seized
the issue in the interests OF the
poor and landless
In 1852 the free soldiers in con.
vention declared that, "the public
lands of the United States belong
to the people and should not be
lsold to individuals, nor granted to
corporations but should be held as
sacred trust for the benefit of the
people, and should be granted, in
limited quantities, free of cost, to
landless settlers"
In 1856 the republican party
reasserted this principle in its
platform and then the fight began.
Aside from the questions growing
out Of human slavery no SUCH
political battle was ever fought In
the United States prior to the in
auguration of this homestead
qaestlon by the republican pfrsv.
At the first session of the tn Ny-
fifth congress, Hon. Galuslta A.
Grow, the man whose name is now
revived, was a leading republican
member from Pennsylvania. and
introduced the following bill:
Be it enacted, &C., That frotA
and after the first day of Septem-
b r, A. ID. 1858, no public LANDS
shall be exposed to sale by pro-
clamation of the president until
the same shall have been surveyed,
and the return thereof in tn" land
office for at least ten years"
This was intended to give ten
years precedence to the actual
settler over the Spectator, but II
was defeated by vote of 70 yeas
to IS nays, every republican voting
for it, while only IA democrats
voted "aye."
Again, on January 20, 1859, Mr..
Crows bill came up, and was de-
feated, 95 nays to 81 yeas, the re-
publicans voting aye unanimously
as before.
finally on the 18th of FEBRUARY,
1853, Senator Wade, Of Ohio,
secured a motion to postpone all
other matters and the homestead
bill was taken up, every southern
democrat, as usual, with the ex-
ception of Senators Johnson and
Bell of Tennessee, voting against
it, but the final vote on its passage
in the Senate was tie, % to %,
and. Vice. President Breckenridge
gave the casting vote against it.
This was victory No. for the
democrats. Thus the fight con-
tinued with all the venom Of
hatred by the democrats, vote
after vote being taken and then it
was Senator Wade hurled Into the
teeth of the adversaries of the bill
these words:
at is the greatest measure that
mas ever come before the Ameri
can Senate and it has come now
so that there is no lodging it. The
question will be "Shall we give
niggers to the niggerless or land t.
the landless ?"
But the homestead question
would not down. At the next SEES