Year: 1870

. tue lllSlGllICdllC6 OF revenue IOu 6dleS
compared with the immense material re-
/ suits, to say nothing of the great moral


forces certain to accrue to a country from
! a large, independent population of free
, holders. His leading idea was that after
i ward applied to our land system and
maintained and developed by our states
men, especially those of the west And


when | speak of the west do not forget


that an illustrious statesman of the east
became in the maturity of his powers,
whatever he may have previously been,
one of the tirnlest friends of the same pol
ICY Ispeak now of Mr. Webster clear
and honorable name in our annals. In the
good cause Of keeping the public lands


open To the settlers nnder all clrcumstan-


ces he went as far as any one has gone on


our side of this chamber In a speech
which | we'll remember, although l cannot
now state when and where it was deliver


ed, he spoke earnestly in favor of granting
the public lands as free homesteads, He
referred to the argument Of those who
contended that this policy was bad faith
to those who held warrants and scrip is
sued by the government. Mr. Webster
utterly repelled that idea and declared his
object always to be TO prevent specula-
tions in the public lands. This was on


the just and clear ground, the lmpregnable
ground, that all persons who take such
securities hold them with full under
standing that the power of the United
States is plenary over the subject, and
that the faith of the United States is
pledged to nothing except to the execution
Of its trust for the best interests of the
whole people Such, sir, was the great
trust of our public land system as organ
lied in our laws, administered by our
government, and sustained by our great
est and best men for so many years.


What right, senators, have you to put
off that trust upon any others2 Have
yOu any right, least of ALL to abdlcate it
IN favor of railroad corporations, which
you know will reverse the land system of
the country and viii be controlled in their
dealings with their lands by their notions
of their own interests without the slight
est regard to the interests of your people ?
Not only do you know that, but you re-
fuse, as you have here over and over
refused deliberately by your votes, at
every stage of this measure, to enact
single provision which shall protect the
people against it. By this course you say
to the railroad companies as plainly as


though you had said it in terms: I'VE


have granted these lands to you for your


own profit, and not in any degree for the


use OF the people Hold them as long as


you will and as high as you can. Bar out


the emigrant +; bar out the settler bar out


the people keep them all out while your


lands rise from year to year, by the enter


prise and hberality of others, until they


have reached the highest prices. Then is
your harvest we leave you free to reap it,


at whatever cost to the whole country


that is blighted by your ownership"


know what would be-said by US here
if we saw in any country of Europe the


government maintaining such policy in


regard to its public lands against its own
people. | know how eloquent would be
the indignation of many a senator who
has been voting here deliberately for
like policy in our own land. Yes, for


worse polcy-for this country a worse


policy, Why? Because this is new
country, and ours is a bold, Independent
people and in this country and among
such a people this policy is sure, sooner or
later to produce all the troubles that have


followed in the train of great land COM


panles.


l was greatly impressed when
my friend from Ohio Mr. Thurman


mentioned the other day what he had


heard when young man from the lips Of


Lewis Cass as to the deplorable condition


of the peasantry of Europe. That dis
! tinguished man stated to my friend from
| Ohio that the idea of owning a farm was
\ one that never entered into the head of
| one OF the great mass of the toilers of
| Europe, no more than the idea that he
! would one day wear the crown Things
| have improved little of late, but the con-


dition of Europe to-day is very little bet


ter A landless people is still the cause


of her discontents it is the perpetual


source of her gravest troubles 1t is that
| to-day which renders many a throne un-
stable 1t is that which makes the whole


social organization of Europe rest as if


upon a quicksand. There you have be-


fore your eyes the evils deep-rooted, all
pervading, almost incurable, that grow out


of the vicious system of concentrating in


a few hands the landed property of a


country We have not fallen yet into the


evil plight of Europe; but We are tending


rapidly that way under policy which


in less than ten years has vested one hun


dred and twenty-four million acres be-


tween the Mississippi river and the Pa


cific ocean in four railroad companies.


Not once, but many times during the


protracted discussion of this measure we


have challenged its friends TO state their
I


tablished land system of.the country


Our challenge has not been taken up.


Not a reason has been assigned by oul
) opponents. We have been met instead
with enthusiastic eulogies of railroads


and remonstrances and invectives against
! those who would obstruct railroad devel
oplnent across the continent. Sir all thi!
= is beside the question: pure evasion o
= the real issue. We demand the people
: lands for the people; but we are not op
: posed to railroads We are warmly IL
: favor of railroads We admit their utili
8 ty; we confess their necessity. [ under
= = take to say that there is not one senate
! of those with whom act on this question
= who is not heartily in favor of the thre
lines of trans-continental railroad whic
: together constitute the great body c
= communication and of intercourse betwee
y the Atlantic and the Pacific and whic
= crown and complete for our time the de
: veloDment, the power. and the union {
g the American people on this continen


from the eastern to the western sea.


= Sir, are we the representatives of til
u peopIe here or of the railroad companie
!" which? 1 take it there can be but OF
, answer to that inquiry. We are here
= represent the people of the United State
" The only question, then, is whether v
- shall eonsummate that great plan of con
= munication by just and reasonable meal
- - of assistance to the railroads, while v
.. administer the public lands Of the coul
;s try in the spirit of our land system and
20 obedience to the trust which binds the
- in our hands.


ne THE BILL OR NOTHING.


II It is q most significant fact thai eve
IN proposition has been voted down whi'
t? modified this bill in the interests of Il
ry people Even those which in no degr
en- impaired the eompanys interests met Il
no same fate Such was the case with n
,f. amendment, providing that all lands


the company not sold at the end of t


years after the completion of the ROT
40 should be open to settlers at ST 25 p
- acre. Why is this? Is it that the P
-, chc railroad committe which reported Il
u Hill ic On info 1libla that its work IA bevO,