There was much concern about the free land idea. Southerners, who were very
pro-slavery, worried that this would result in the West becoming populated with
free-soilers. This in turn would create many new anti-slavery states, creating an imbalance in the
Senate, destroying the South's control. This was the main reason for Buchanan's veto; he consistently did what the South wanted. Another group who opposed this idea was the Eastern
industrialists. They feared employees would be drained into the West for free land. ==See also==