The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-10-24
THE xoDBDRY or
THE PUBLIC LANDS !
THE PUBLIC LANDS FOR THE
PEOPLE!

A few facts in regard to the robbery of
the public lands by the radical party are
herewith submitted to the people at large,
icHhom distinction Of party, for their candid
consideration.
Except where otherwise stated, they are
all from official sources mainly from the
reports of the departments.
The radical party has been in power
since March 4th. 1861; during most Of that
time it has had full control of congress
nearly five years By two thirds majority in
the House.
II has had, therefore for more than nine
years the complete control and disposition
of the public lands
During tina, period what i. its record Oh
the subject?
Between 1861 and the date Of the report
Of the commissioner of the Land Office in
1869 a little over eight years, the radical
party granted away one hundred and tgenty,
.to,r millions Of acres of the pubic lands 10
.fdur railroad companies between the Mis-
sissippl aud Pacific Ocean.
These four companies were the Union
Pacific the Central Pacific. the Northern
Pacific, and the Atlantic and Pacific Be
sides this. there were granted in the same
period to the Kansas Pacific and other
smaller railroads al aggregate of not less
than trenty fire millions Of acres more
In the same period. there was granted to
the mon Pacific, the Central Pacific, the
Eausso Pacific, and three other smaller
roads, rdst money subsidies in the shape of h
loan of Government Bonds, amounting on
May lst, 1870, principal and interest. to
orer serenity one millions three hundred and
Hirty-Seren thousand dollars 1911, 1877 900. J
The land granted 900 900 of acres
to the four great railroad companies above
mentioned, covers but few thousand short
of the entire area of Ohio, Nesc York. Penn
sytrania and Virginia.
So matters stood at the opening in De-
cember, 1869, of the second session of the
present congress.
As if the millions and millions Of the
public moneys and lands squandered upon
railroad companies had only whetted their
appetite fo- more, and stimulated The radi-
cal ma orities in the two Houses to greater
excuses, the second session of congress was
a carnival of prefigate ,caste of the public
lands.
During the session of eight months end
ing July Is, 1870, land grabbing on the
largest scale ran riot.
There we're in the two Houses over two
hundred railroad land bills, granting away
the public lands to new companies, to old
companies, everywhere, in the new states
In the old states, in the territories.
Then, there was a great batch of entirely
ne,c schemes for pLunderiag the public lands
IN the shape of bills msAing grants of them
to aid steamships In the Mediterranean sno
Suez Canal trade; to aid irrigation compa-
MES, to aid companies to lay down telegraph
cables across the Pacific ocean, &c, &c.
1t was stated in debate in the senate b.
Mr.. Thurman of ONO, that the grant bills
before congress during the last session call
ed fer totu hundred millions of acres more
ot'the pubic lands!
This was never questioned then or at any
other time 1t was doubtless below the truth,
and IL less than two millions of acres to
each such bill, which, under the present
scale in congress of giving away the public
lands, is the merest tride.
The most alarming feature of the whole
business was that it seemed impossible to
defeat any of these bills on their merits.
Let the worst of them get to a final vote, its
passage was a certaiaty. This is true of both
Houses of congress.
Though In the House of representatives a
number of the radical members we're, for
the time being, on their good behavior, il
view of the fall elections, yet even there a
ma GRITTY was always forthcoming in the end
for great railroad land grant.
The truth of this was seen ia the case of
the Northern Pacific railroad.
Among the worst railroad bills ever in
congress, this was the very worst.
To have even a faint idea of the enormi-
IL. 1.
brief narrative of the road iA congress
The Northern Pacific Railroad Company
was chartered by act of congress in 1864.
!. that time the country had become
aroused against snv further subsidies in
money to railroads. The msjority in con
gress Was compelled to con6ue aid to grants
of land alone. In this view. the railroad
company insisted and congress consented,
that the grant in lands should be on the
most liberal scale. and amply sufficien, of
itself to build and equip the road from end
to end. The company, in fact, dictated its
own terms.
The grant as made was Just as the com
pany demanded it both as to the quantity
and value of the lands.
It was twice as large. and at least i've
times as valuable as any railroad grant ever
before made.
1t wa. q grant of forty sections, or 25.6on
acres to the mile amounting for the whole
line of road, a. estim ated BY the Commits
sioner of the General Land Office, in his
various official letters and reports, to orer'
forty seren millions Of acres The valne
Of the land ia almost incalculable. The
ren'e of the road by the &C. of 1864. was
from Lake Superior, through Minnesota, in
general direct line West to the Pacific. to
Portland in Oregon. and also to q point
farther North, or Puget Sound In other
words 1t ran 'hronph the great wheat gron
ang region ofNorth america Nearly, if no,
quite four6fths Of this land is arabic, and
what F" not arabic is largely in the finest
timber.
This is the Judgment of Governor
Stevens Who made the government explo
ration and survey for the road, endorsed bv
the Commissioner of the Land Office. The
latter SAYS, in his report for 1869;
"Governor Stevens WAS of the opinion that
not more than one fifth of the land from
Red river to Puget sound is inarable. and
that this is largely made mp of mountains
covered With valuable timber. 1t is evident
that An immense agricultural area is here
awaiting developement. The great wheat
growing regions on the left bank of the
Upper Missouri promise speedy settlemen,
upon the opening Of On avenue for the