Year: 1868

diana, chairman of the Committee on Public
Lands, is pressing in the House, the passage
of bill that provides for the Withdrawal
from sale of every acre OfsGOyernment land
10 the United States, and provides that the
only means of obtaining title to public
lands shall be by occupancy. Should the
bill become law, no man, either for him
self or children, will be able TO secure more
than quarter section of land, and this he
will be oblidged to take under the homestead
law, and live on IL Eve years before be can
obtain a title. Land held in. this way, as
our readers understand, is exempt from taxa
ton, and thus the burden of opening roads,
and defrayipg the expenses attending the
of justice, is saddled upon
those who are not so fortunate. as to have
their means invested in "homesteads." The
theory of the homestead law is well enough,
and we would not have the principle dis
turbed but all those who are acquainted
with the character of the settlers on the
public lands, know that they prefer to. own
in fee simple the land on which they build
their houses and make their Improvements.
Hence it is that the vast majority Of those
who take "homesteads" under the present
law, prove up and pay the Government price
for the same, rather than wait FIVE years to
obtain title. Instances of this kind are Of
every day occurrence in this Valley, but should
Jnlian's bill become law, settlers will be
denied this privilege, and will be compelled
to remain on their claims five years or other.
wise forfeit their Improvements. The framer
of the bill wishes to check the monopolizing
of land, but in ridding the country of this
evil, we fear that he iuficts still greater
curse upon those be would benefit. 1t is
not in the border settlements that the mon.
opoly of land is felt to be an evil, but it is
in old and settled communities that the title
in the soil is monopolized by the few. Nc
bill that Congress can frame will prevent
the avaricious land grabber from buying up
his neghbors farms, and so it is, we regard
Mr.. Juliau's bill not only as idle but injurious


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GOVERNMENT BoNDs.-The resolutions
of the Chicago convention, declare that the
obligations of the Government must be
met not only in accordance with the letter
but the spirit in which they we're contracted.
The radicals claim that the bonds were to
be paid in gold, and that Pendleton and his
his friends who propose to pay them in
greenbacks, are virtually repudiators. Let
us see if this is SO. Old Thad Stevens, a
man who we admit is poor authority with
democrats, but whose testimony will be re-
ceived by radicals, was chairman of the
House Committee of Ways and Means at
the time when the 500 lean was authorized,
and he states that the loan was made payable,
not in gold, but in the lawful currency of
the country. That was the contract The
debt was created when greenbacks ranged
from $50 to $50, and would it be fair or
just for the creditors to insist upon a pay
meut in gold II a creditor invested in
bonds when two dollars in greenbacks could
be bought for one dollar in gold, and if
these bonds should now be placed on a gold
basis, be would, at even the present value of
gold, be receiving about sixteen aud two.
thirds per cent. on his investment annually,
at the rate of interest that, in six years,
would amount to sum equal to the principal
of the debt. Can the bondholders expect
that the people will be willing to pay, every
six years, sum equal TO the principal of the
debt in interest, without diminishing the debt
a farthing? The democracy propose to
meet the engagements of the country in the
spirit in which they were contracted, and
with this understanding they will pay the
debt In the lawful currency Of the country.


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WADE's ADMINISTRATION For several
months back the radical papers have devoted
much space 10 telling what Ben. Wade would
do after being installed in the White House.
The immaculate Benjamin had work enough
mapped out to occupy an ordinary life time,
How he was to get through all this labor in
period of less than nine months, our radi-