The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-05-18
Htsesllnnsoos.
LAND STEALING.
ANOTHER EXPOSURE OF THE
GRAND SWINDLE OF THE AGE.
GREAT SPEECH BY SENATOR CAS-,
SERLY, OF CALIFORNIA, ON
THE NORTHERN PACIF-
&c BILL.


&c BILL.
The Land Grants Republican Party
Measures - WhaI ihe MOnOpOIis1s
IIaVe Obtained aud what they now
Demand An Area EEVe Times as
Great aS New England AbsiicRtiOE
of the Governments tO Railroad Mo.
nOPOIies.
Senator Casserly, of California, during
the debate in the senate on the bill gran
ting lands 10 the Northern Pacific Rail
way company, made very able speech IN
support of the amendment offered by
senator Thurman, designed TO protect the
interests of the government and the set
tiers from the exactions ofthe great mo-
nopoly proposed to be still further subsi-
died. We subloin such extracts from
Senator Casserly's speech as serve to show
the scope and force of his argument:
THESE GRANTS REPUBLICAN MEASURES,
Mr. Casserly-I listened to the senator
from Iowa Mr. Howell when he under
took TO correct and deny with some
warmth the declaration Of the senator
from Michigan Mr.. Howard that the
entire railroad policy of which this bill is
a striking part IS in all its features Re
publican policy. The votes since had the
uniformity with which every amendment
to guard the rights of the people and the
interests of the government has been
rejected must have satisfied all the senator
from Michigan was right. If the senate
is Republican the policy is Republican,
and this measure is Republican measure
in all its enormity. 1t will be so regarded,
by the country The most decided oppo-
nent of the Republican party in this
chamber and elsewhere could not desire
for that party more assailable position.
AS question before the country am not
unwilling that they shall take such po-
sition.
Mr. Corbett-We can take it.
Mr. Casserly-I hear a senator declare
that they can take it. Very good, sir.
The future will show whether they can
afford to take it. The senator may be
able to speak for his party. He certainly
is for himself He, too, like the senator
from Michigan, avows this to be Repub-
lican measure. They ought to know, and
the majority here should know. which has
steadily sustained this measure thus far
against all amendment.
All this iustifies me in discussing some
what that view of the measure. l should
not otherwise have done so. For the sake
of the country it is better that q bad
measure should fail than that it should
pass through TO the detriment of the par
ty which controls Congress.
Every such measure as this inevitably
becomes, when an issue IS made upon 1t,
n Republican measure. Since l have
been here I have observed the course of
the political majority of this body in reia-
tion to the grants OF this kind, and indeed
in relation to every. measure, when, in
any aspect of it the aggregated money
power in any one Of its many forms, was
or might be on the one side, and the
rights of the people on the other. AL
most invariably, as if in obedience to
some controlling law, the action of the
political majority has been on one and
the same side, and that side not the side
Of the people.
By and by all this will come to be fully
understood, if it is not now, among the
people at large. Then it Will be for that
party now and so long dominant in the
government which has taken upon itself
the load of such policy, to carry it If II
can Then look to see the party to
which belong, still faithful to its old
traditions and honorable history as the
child and champion of the people, rise to
the height of its mission to deal with the
great issues of the present; and, renew
ing its youth again as Of old, move with
resistless power IN the cause of the many
against the few, and against consolidated
power in all its countless forms. Then vii
| 1t cope with and overthrow the party mis-
| called Republican, which, day by day
and more and more with each succeeding
monstrous measure it brings forth, proves
itself to be not in any sense the party o
the people, but the party of those whC
would Oppress the people in the Interest,"
of privilege and monopoly; party whicl
in the name of humanity exhausts it al
| in one direction, and looks with cold an(
unfriendly eye upon the masses, whethe
/ of the old world or the new against whom
it liars the entry upon the public domain
| while it bestows it in principalities Q
millions and millions of acres to be he'll
by railroad corporations in nortmain fo
the lifetime of more than a generation c
men
WHAT THE NoNoPOLIsTs HAVE oBTAINE
AND WHAT THEY NOW DEMAND.
| In 1864 congress was brought by q
awakened public sentiment to a sudde
halt in the policy-which it had been pul
suing. / refer, of course, to the policy
vast expenditures do not mean to sa
wholly unfruitful of good, though ;
what cost 2-the policy of granting
transcontinental railways, aid in lands b
millions and millions of acres, and subs
dies IN money to the amount of tens
millions of dollars. There was good re
son for the public sentiment which so a
tested congress in its career. What hi
been the extent of the aid in lands al
money granted by congress down to tn
| period? have some figures here fro
our most authentic source of informatio
the report of Mr. Wilson, the commissio
er of the general land Office, now up,
our tables. 1 raed from page 81 of tn
report 1t will be understood, of cour'
that so far as it speaks of aid in lands t
figures as applied to 1864 will be snbje
to diminution of the grants made sin
that year, including the great grants
this very railroad, the Northern Pacif
to the Atlantic and Pacific, and fl
small grants to other railroads. Here 8
the words of this well informed and e
perienced public officer.
"The total amount of land subsidies
railroad and wagon-roads up to date
| 1SO, ,SSU, IS4 acreS,Or ZJO, ,f0i quare mil
equal to the combined area of Gre
Britain and France, and exceeding that
Spain, Italy and Switzerland In add
[ tion to these land grants, governme
loans of credit have been made to the t
tent of $50, ,S6O, ,32O, of which $25, ,37I, o
were issued to the Central Pacific; 50
$4,000 to the Union Pacific; $6,SC3,C
to the Kansas Pacific; 81 100000 to I
l central branch of the Union Pacific. i
[. Atchison ard Pixies Peak railroad; S
ID 92S, ,320 to the Sioux City and Pacific, a
n, $4,000 to the Western Pacific"
% AS l said, the land part of these v
d, grants of aid was not so great in 1864
re It has become since; but the extract fir
o5 o5 the land commissioners report sheds
81 food of light on the situation as congr
m met it in 1864.
Congress, then, found itself in 1
forced to abandon its policy of land ;
: money grants In the then condition
the country and of public sentiment
= could not do otherwise. 1t determined
grant no more aid in money, 1t de
mined fuether than any aid niven sho