The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-09-19

superior TO the Pacific ocean, EN-
bracing with its branches more thai
1000 miles of line, the property. OF {
single corporation, and that corporation
owning every alternate section of land
\ or its proceeds, in a belt of so mile.
wide for nearly the whole length Of it,
line-40 sections, or $500 acres to tn,
mile--53, 600, 600 acres in all, or thu
proceeds OF their sale at such prices a:
the corporation may see fit to exact
with towns and cities owned by the cor
\ poration or favored ring of its stock
holders, scattered along the road and
thegreat stockholders, those owning
nearly all its stock and ruling its affairs,
residing in Boston, New York and
Philadelphia, and you will have some
idea ofwhat the Northern Pacific Rail
road is TO be, and what chance for po-
lltlcal promotion any man within the
limits Of its influence would have,
should he dare seek to restrict its mo-
Fnopoly, restrain its exactions or other
wise oppose its will.
Much is being now said about the
relative rights of capital and labor;
much complaint is being uttered at
what is said to be the exactions of CAPT
tai and the depression OF labor. The
workingmen are everywhere forming
unions, holding congresses, and issuing
books, pamphlets, and newspapers, to
advocate their claims, and protest
against the unequal distribution of
wealth, which they assert is resulting
from existing laws, and especially from
their tendency to aggregate capital.
But what aggregation of capital and
privilege was ever seen equal to that
created by Congress, by the charters it
has granted and the donations it has
made to the four railroad companies !
have named =? What other corporations
have ever become the owners in fee of
a territory equal to seven States of this
Union, greater than the area
of Germany; and in addition
to this wealth, been clothed
with corporate existence and i'm
mense corporate privileges OF pcrpet.
ual duration? ] am certainly not SO
absurd as to be an enemy of railroads.
No man acknowledges more fully than
| do, the immense advantage they are
are to the country. No man honors
more than | do, the men who wisely
project, and honestly build and man
age them. | could mention names
some of the dead, some of the living
to whom Ohio owes great debt of graf
itude for the construction, and liberal,
wise and successful management OF her
railways But there is vast difference
between roads built under State au-
thority, with capital furnished by the
stockholders, supervised by the State,
controlled and managed by her citizens,
and limited in extent, and roads char
tered by Congress, built with donations
Of the public domain, spanning more
than half the continent, and owned and
controlled by few rich men in the
great cities of the east
Before | leave this topic, | must call
your attention to an alarming step,
taken at the last session of Congress,
in the matter of these land grants. Be
fore then Congress had never granted
any but the alternate sections, deslg-
mated by odd numbers, and in defense
of these grants it was said that the con
struction of the railroads would double
the value OF the even numbered sec.
tons retained by the Government, and
hence there would be no loss Of money.
And accordingly the price of the re-
tanned sections was raised from SID
to g.. 50 per acre. This defense never
had any weight with me, for it treated
the Government as speculator in lands,
seeking to extort the highest price from
the settler; whereas thought, and yet
think, that it is not as Spectator. but
as benifcent parent that the Govern
ment ought to regard and administer
these lands. But that was the defense,
and with those who look at nothing but
dollars and cents it sufficed. But at
the last session, the Senate threw
even this defense away. For,
in face Of the most determined opposi.
ton, and after full discussion, it delib-
erately passed bill granting to the
Central branch Of the Union Pacific
railroad the even numbered sections,
the odd numbered having already been
given to other railroad companies.
And so, for a distance of about three
hundred miles, lying partly in Kansas,
partly in Nebraska, and partly In the
territory of Wyoming, every foot of
land belonging to the Government was
granted, so far as the Senate could do
it, to railroad corporations. And this
leads me to observe that you must not
suppose that because all the land grab
bling bills that pass the Senate did not
90 through the House, therefore they
are dead. In view of the approaching
Congressional elections, and fearful Of
the people, the House laid some of them
aside; but they are still upon its calen
dar, to be acted upon next winter; and
should the Radical party triumph in
the fall elections, YOU may rest assured
that every one of them will pas.