24 J. B. Sanborn That senator was not slow to answer the attack. He assumed at once the position that the North, and particularly New England, had originated this idea, and in more than one fieiy speech he de- nounced the polic- which that section had, he asserted, alwaj-s pursued towards the West. It had constantly desired to limit and restrain the growth of the West ; it had attempted to secure the adoption of a land-policy which would only allow of a gradual settlement of that part of the country ; it had been willing to sur- render the navigation of the ]Iississippi ; it had neglected and even refused to afford the settlers adequate protection from the Indians, and was even now endeavoring to limit emigration that its manu- factures might be further developed. And by whom had the West been rescued when the hostile North was thus attempting to crush out its very life? By the South was Benton's answer.^ We have seen that there was some basis for Benton's assertions, though he was by no means warranted in going as far as he did. But the South was at this time willing to assume the role which Benton as- cribed to it, and Hayne continued the discussion in much the same strain. From this time the debate forgot the public lands entirely and passed into the wide realm of the interpretation of the Constitu- tion. The fact that a resolution in regard to the disposal of the public lands could cause such a constitutional discussion shows to what an extent the land question was involved with other national issues and emphasizes the sectional aspects of this question. In 1830 many things seemed to be working towards the speedy enactment of some sort of homestead law. In addition to the in- crease of the power of the West the financial condition of the countr}' favored the policy of free gifts of the public lands. Up to this time the opponents of this policy or of the cessions of lands to the states had been able to rest their case on the argument that the lands were an important source of revenue and that this revenue was needed to pay the public debt. But now the public debt was being rapidly paid off and other grounds must be found for this opposition. In view of the extinction of the debt Jackson took a stand in favor of a policy which should bring about the rapid settlement of the lands. He advocated this in his message of December, 1832, although he did not favor in full the principle of the homestead bill, but advised the sale of the lands to settlers at only enough to cover the cost of administration.- Such a policy accorded not only with Jackson's ideas regarding the West but also with his position on ^ Register of Debates, VI. Pt. I, 24-27, 102. ^Messages and Papers of the Pi-esideiUs, II. 6oi.
