mankind.
As century shall follow century, in marking this crisis of human
destiny, history will record the stupendous fact, that the blood of all
Europe commingled freely with our own in the mighty contest, the pledges
of the freedom and brotherhood of man!

We have seen that the Homestead bill was of Union origin, opposed by Mr.
Calhoun and the pro-slavery party. We have seen that the bill was vetoed
by Mr. Buchanan, quoting the opposing argument of a traitor member of
his Cabinet, now in the rebel army. The vote in the Senate after the
veto, was, yeas 28 (not two thirds), and nays 18. (Sen. Journal, 757,
June 23, 1860.) Of the yeas, all but three were from the free States;
and of the nays, _all_ were from the slave States. The opposition, then,
as foreshadowed by Mr. Calhoun in 1836, was _exclusively sectional_ and
pro-slavery. As Mr. Buchanan changed his policy as to Kansas upon the
threats of the secession leaders in 1857, so he sacrificed upon their
mandate the Homestead bill in 1860.

Most of the eighteen Southern Senators who voted against this bill, are
now in the rebel service. Among these eighteen nays, are Jefferson
Davis, Bragg, Mason, Hunter, Mallory, Chesnut, Yulee, Wigfall,
Fitzpatrick, Iveson, Johnson of Arkansas, Hemphill, and Sebastian. Now,
then, when Irish and Germans in the South are asked to fight for the
pro-slavery rebellion, let them remember that the secession leaders
voted unanimously against the homestead bill, whilst the North then gave
its entire vote in, favor of the measure, and have now made it the law
of the land.

As it is a blessed thing for the poor and landless to receive,
substantially as a gift, a farm from the Government, where they and
their children may till their own soil, and enjoy competence, freedom,
and free schools, let them never forget, that this was the act of the
North, and opposed by the South. If the rebels succeed, they will hold
the public domain in their States and Territories for large plantations,
to be cultivated by slaves, and sink their 'poor whites,' as nearly as
practicable, to the level of their slaves, in accordance with their
theory, that capital should own labor.

Texas, is very nearly six times as large as New York, and more than one
half the area is public domain of the State, with a most salubrious
climate, with all the products of the North and South, as shown by the
census, and with three times as many cattle (2,733,267) as in any other
State