Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1900-05-18

THE FREE HOMES BILL,

Ihc fkcE nUmES Dill,
No more striking illustration of the
value of perseverance. pluck and legis-
lative skill in securing legislation help
full to the common people has ever been
made that in the case Of the free homes
bill which has just passed congress.
This bill is Of immense benefit to South
Dakota and particularly to the settlers
on the new lands in the central and
| western part of the state and to those
who may settle here in the future. Its
passage will add many Thousand farm
| ers to our state. It will make possible
the settlement Of thousands of acres
| of land which would otherwise remain
for many years unused. And the bill
was got through congress only after a
long struggle.
Let us recall some facts. This bill
was originally put through the senate
some five or six years ago by Senator
Pettigrew. It met with opposition
from the republican leaders. Senator
Pettigrew secured the insertion of a
plank in the St. Louis platform of the
republican party favoring this bill. It
had then only begun to attract atten-
tion. But the senator brought up the
bill again and passed it through the
senate. It went to the house, repub.
lican house--in full control of the
friends of President Mckinley. There
the bill was opposed by the spokesman
for the republican administration.
Gen. Grosvenor, of Ohio. In speech
discussing this bill, Grosvenor said:
Now call your attention-those Of
you who are sought to be driven off
your feet by this talk about platforms
! to that little plank of the St. Louis
platform which bears on it's face the
evidence that it was promoted for some
special purpose. Who ever heard of a
great political party, before that time,
singing out little bill that carried
with it provision of relief for few
settlers upon few acres of the public
domain and making that a great plank
in great political platform? It went
in there under circumstances that l
will not refer to and it went in there
under circumstances that were limited
and expected to be limited in their
operations, in the presidential cam
paign then just about to come.
These were contempuous terms in
which the spokesman for the admins
tration on the floor of the house refer
red to the plank for free homes in the
St. Louis platform. His declaration
that The plank was put in there merely
to catch votes and not as pledge to be
fulfilled. defeated the bill. Not Rep
ublican member of congress at that
time save the aged Mr.. Grow, father Of
the homestead law, had a word for the
bill. On the vote, 1870 republicans vot-
ed against the bill and only 20 for it.
A less resolute and determined man
than Senator Pettigrew would have
given up an unequal contest after such
defeat. But he did not. He had
brought to his assistance the aid of Mr..
Eddy of Minnesota, who stood out
against his parry on the question and
declared that the pledge of his party
should be kept even if it was made
merely to catch votes. Senator Petit
grew persisted and again passed the
bill through the senate. Again it fail
ed in the house, but as the national
campain of 1900 aprroa he'd the bill
gained friends even among the republi-
cans who had hitherto treated it with
contempt. Finally it was passed
through the house-a republican house
when it was seen that to defeat it
again would fasten forever upon the
repu blican party the stigma republican
politicians feered.
But for Senator Pettigrew's persist
ence in spite Of enormous odds the bill
never would have gone to the presi-
dent. The administration leaders dis
tinctly repudiated the free homes
plank of the St. Louis platform. They
claimed that it was placed there under
circumstances that were peculiar" and
that its operation was intended to be
limited to ",he presidential campaign
then Just about to come But Senator
Pettigrew forced them to do simple
Justice to the western home-steaders.
It was great triumph Sioux Falls
Preff.
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