President. I desire to say in only a word why I shall vote for this bill without being a very strict constructionist. The laws upon the statutebook from 1862 up to the present time read thus as to all public lands subject to homestead and preemption: That any person who is the head of a family. or who has arrived at the age of twentyone years. and is a citizen of the United States. or who shall have filed his declaration of intention to become such. as required by the naturalization laws of the United States. and who has never borne arms against the United States Gov. ernment or given aid and comfort to its enemies. shall be entitled to enter upon certain lands and to preempt certain lands. and these laws stand upon the statutebook today. authorizing every man who comes from Africa. from Europe. or from Asia. the day he lands and declares his intention to become a citizen. to take possession of the lands of the United States. and have practically excluded the people of eleven States of this Unionboys vho -were pages in the Legislatures. who knew no more about the war than if they had been unbornfrom entering upon the public lands t) take homesteads or preemptions. And when these lands are to be disposed of. as is now proposed. to educate the negroes. or educate anybody else. I am willing that the proceeds shall go. rather than to maintain a system that has such injustice in it on the statutebooks of the United States.
Keywords matched
naturalization