New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-27
WASHINGTON.
The E7s Land Monopoly Schemes.
rorr.,posceses Of The NJ v. Tribune
WASHINGTON. "Wednesday, Feb Is, 1889.

hand of yery great magnitude, to which public
,,,.n,;on should be directed We alude to the
immtnse land grants asked for, TO aid In the con-
struction of railroads in the West.
It is insensibly laying the foundation for the
creation of numerous gigantic land monopolies
all over the Mississippi Valley. Every State IN
the West, where the public lands lie, is covering
its map with web of railroad lines, and asking
of Congress grants of alternate sections, or one
half of a strip of land, six miles in width, lying
on either side of the line of each road. Such
gran. is equivalent to nearly four Thousand acres
to every mile in length of railroad. II is to give
to every railroad corporation, owning one hun.
bred miles of road, almost four hundred thousand
acres of the public domain, situated directly up
on the great thoroughfares of travel, and under.
lying those points upon each road, which by
virtue of their position, must necessarily be the
sites of future villages, towns and cities.
If we were to estimate the value of the lands
thus situated for agricultural purposes alone, we
could hardly compute it to be less than four
times the average value Of the public lands
This estimate would fix the value of the lands
so granted at five dollars an acre, or quite enough
to build the roads in question. But this is by no
means their true value, or, in many cases, any
thing like reasonable approximation to it,
What for example, could be further out OF the
way than to estimate the value of village or
city site, of which there must be many on every
hundred miles Of railroad at five dollars the acre
Five hundred dollars would be valuation near
or to the true mark.
But the gift of the mere money-value Of the
lands so granted, stupendous as it may be,
though regarded as most lavish bestowment
upon the railroad companies, to which they are
in no wise entitled, is by no means the worst
feature of the case The great and iueparabie
mischief is to arise from making these corpora
tons such prodigious holders Of the most favor
ably situated lands in the heart Of the several
States Corporations thus endowed, forming a
network over State, such as we may behold
by looking at the projected lines in several OF
the States, must inevitably hold its prosperity,
and even its political character and destinies in
their hands 1t would seem to be almost self
evident proposition, that if capitalists could be
induced to day, to furnish the funds and build all
the projected lines of roads in the Western
States, receiving the proposed grants, and hold
ing them for purposes of sale and speculation,
that the scheme would turn out to be fatal
blight upon the general prosperity, and an IN
mitigatod curse to the country Such gigantic
landholders would si like a nightmare upon
every State.
The Loco-Foco party in this country have
borrOr Of
corporations and monopolies. Gen. Jackson
broke down the L. S. Bank on the ground of its
being Monster" of this description. In al
most every State the same pretended apprehen-
sion of monopolies has existed and been con-
veIted into available political capital. But hith
erto our corporations that have been character
lied by this odious appellation, have been simply
associations Of men combining their own wealth
in order to render it more safe or more profitable.
But now wealthy corporations are springing
into existence the fat Of the National Gov
eminent, to which are given princely estates at
The start. Congress is not, TO be sure, directly
giving the lands to the Railroad Corporations,
but il is granting them to the States 10 be given
to them. The States are merely the recipients
for the corporations They are mere agents to
hand over the donations. And when we regard
what these corporations are capable of becom.
iDg under the adroit management of capitalists,
with these immense desmenes at their disposal,
we tremble for the consequences. Here is
colossal power granted to them in their domn-
ion over vast tracts of land lying in what must
hereafter be the very heart of the most thrifty
and productive region on the face of the earth
II man OF fortune desired to make princes OF
his pcsterity, he need only undertake the con-
structiOn Of enc of these numerous projected
lines Of railroad in the West. The fortune
might no. be, doubled or quadrupled this year or
the next, but by waiting patiently, time would
bring him and his children endless profits and
the powers of Potentate.
Where is the anti-Monopoly, anti. Corporation
" Democracy of the Northwest at this import
ant Juncturel Where are its leaders Where,
bat keeping shady and smacking their lips over
the glorious prospects to come to them out Of
these stupendous grants. The whole Northwest
is eager and fierce for these enormous land grabs.
Every State, and almost every member OF every
State, beside numerous lobby members, are down
upon Congress with whole systems of railroads.
If all the asked for lands are to be granted, We
shall have whole empire under control of the
railroad corporations in the West
We see little specimen Of the operation of
things under this new system of Railroad grants,
and grants for kindred purposes, in the States Of
Illinois and Iowa. The last Congress granted 10
Illinois alternate sections upon the lines of the
great Central Railroad of that State-a road be-
ginning at the town Of Cairo, in the southern
most point Of the State, at the junction OF the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and thence running
north third of the length OF the State, and there
branching, throwing out one arm diagonally
across the State TO Galena, in the extreme north
west and another to Chicago, in the north east.
on Lake Michigan. There is q general scram.