Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 9.djvu/14

 THE WORLD'S FAMOUS ORATIONS the principles of free government, and at war with virtue and patriotism. Sir, the link which binds the public creditors, as such, to their country, binds them equally to all governments, whether arbitrary or free. In a free govern- ment this principle of abject dependence, if ex- tended through all the ramifications of society, must be fatal to liberty. Already have we made alarming strides in that direction. The entire class of manufacturers, the holders of stocks, with their hundreds of millions of capi- tal, are held to the government by the strong link of pecuniary interests ; millions of people — entire sections of country, interested, or believ- ing themselves to be so, in the public lands and the public treasure, are bound to the govern- ment by the expectation of pecuniary favors. If this system is carried much farther, no man can fail to see that every generous motive of attachment to the country will be destroyed; and in its place will spring up those low, grov- to entry at the minimum price. And also, whether the office of surveyor-general and some of the land offices may not be abolished without detriment to the public interest; or whether it be expedient to adopt measures to hasten the sale and extend more rapidly the surveys of the public lands." Samuel A. Foote, the author of this resolution, was a United states senator from Connecticut (1827-1833). The eiffect of the reso- lution had been to arouse among senators from the West a belief that it was intended as a scheme to check migration to the West, thus hindering the growth of that section for the benefit of New England and other older sections o2 the North. Southern senators for similar reasons opposed it, but they also believed that Northern senators desired by this measure to limit public revenues and to centralize the government. 4