Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-04-04
Speaker Clark Takes the Floor and
n Makes Fight for Three-Year
Homestead Measure.
'fAVoRs AMERICAN CITIZENS
American Citizens Crossing into Cana
da on Account of Better Home
! stead Opportunities.

Speaker. Clark left the chair long
enough to make speech on the floor
Kin support of the bill to amend the
Homestead Jaws, last week. The bill
provides that : three year period shall
be sufficient in which to "prove up"
ION homestead claims. The only home
steads on the continent except in the
United States have three year home
stead law. Canada has a three-year
homestead law, and Texas, which man
ages it's own lands, has a three year
homestead.
: Mr.. Clark in advocating the bill said
"Mr. Chairman, in the early days of
the Republic the speakers frequently
took part in debate. For some reason
i. II do not know what-that custom
has fallen into 'innocuous desuetude, ,
to use Mr.. Cleveland S famous phrase.
!, / have a notion, not fully matured, to
revive it. l do not see why the speak
,er has not as much right to make
speeches as anybody else, if he feels
like it, daughter and applause.)
: Missourians take an abiding interest
in the whole western, southwestern,
! and northwestern country. (Applause.) y
The ablest defender that the West ever
! had in either branch of Congress was
Col. Thomas Hart Benton, of Missouri,
1 the greatest Missouri statesman that
p Gal ~,
\ his Life of Benton that when thous-
; and Missourians loaded their wives,
!, children, and household goods into
I their wagons and went across the
.plains they settled forever the owner
|. ship of what was called the Oregon
-country; that'np to that time the peo-
] pie out there, when it was held in joint
/. occupancy, had been temporary So
journers; but. tho Missourians were
there to stay. In addition to that, the
: country has been very largely popu-
lated by Misssurians. (Applause.) They
I are prolific race, and they like to go
forth to better their condition. just
why they leave Missouri i can not tell
Z to save my soul, but they do leave it,
. daughter ana applause.) l suppose
have received over a hundred letters
from Mssourians in the West in favor
of this bill, and ] am making these re-
marks to please them more than for
any other reason, except for the strong
est reason possible, and that is that
the bill is right and ought to pass.
A strange historical fact is that dur
. ing the entire 30 years that Benton
! served in the Senate he worked inces
sanity to make it easier for people tC
really homestead land and live upon it
And one of the greatest inaccuracies
I in history is that the fatherhood OF
the homestead law is accredited tc
Galusha A. Grow, of Pennsylvania
Benton worked it out and got every
feature of it that was valuable, ex
/. cept that he never was able to obtain
for any Of his hills the title of home
stead law The day that he went out
of the Senate, Galusha A. Grow came
into the House. Mr.. Grow introduced
homestead bill by title in six Con
gkesses hand running, and got it adopt
ed in the sixth. Benton secured the
substances; Grow secured the title, ana
the historians rob Benton of his share
of-the. glory and give it all to Grow.
Benton g theory, and / am simply
following it4out, was that the posses
slos'Sof.homes-and / believe it with al
my heart---or the getting of homes fol
bona fide settlers ought to be made a:
easy as. possible. (Applause.) The bet
ter for the Republic. The peculiaritie!
under which this bill is presented her,
are these: With the rich soil of the
state from which my distinguished
friend, Mr.. Mann, of Illinois, comes o.
OF Missouri, from which ! hale, JUS
as' quickly as farmer could get th'
hnd plowed up he could make liv
ing. upon it and he could make a living
Upon very few acres. | believe tina
Secretary Wilson tells the exact trutl
when he says. that if the Mississippi
Valley We're cultivated for all it il
worth on an average acre of lan'
would support one human being. Tha
would give us population of 1,25o,
ooo,oe0' souls between the top of tn
Alleghenies and the crest Of the Rock