The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-06-13

~, IN which he told some truths In a
most pointed manner. We make an
extract from this speech because it
ought to be read by everybody. The
General said:
The original grant to the Northern
Pacific, whereby forty-seven million
acres of the public domain were trans
ferred to a few men. and the addi-
tional grants made during the present
session to the same company, acere
simply a aCholesGle robbery of tie qreuE
body of the american people, for aoHich
no U0lid excuse can be framed. This
infamous outrage was consummated
at the solicitation of a few men who
expected, and with good reason, to
make princely fortunes out of the
transaction.
l do not charge, nor do l wish to
intimate, that gentlemen on this floor
had other than what they regarded as
a general interest in the measures re-
ferred to. They doubtless thought
these grants were for the public good.
They were led to underestimate the
value of the lands donated, and to
overestimate the advantages which
would result to the country from the
construction of the road-errors of
Judgment simply, which must, never
theless, entail loss upon the people,
the magnitude of l0hich the majority
Of THIS House, composed of nlen of both
political organizations, seemed utterly
unable to comprehend, but which the
directors of the company fully appre-
ciated and fairly estimated, when
in an Official report they stated
that the lands granted to them by
Congress were worth $350000 600
more than the entire cost of building
the road. So that. according to their
own testimony, the Government has
given them substantially a railroad,
extending from the head of Lake Su
perior two thousand miles across the
Continent to Puget Sound, and $780,
0O0,000l What king or potentate of
feudal times, or of any age. ever so
robbed his people to enrich his favor
whole year to lay up 800 with which
to purchase home for his family,
will readily understand how disinter-
ested the men were who insisted upon
developing the wilderness by accept
ing so valuable franchise.
There are many bills Of like char
acter on our files. to-day, waiting the
action of the House. Under the
guise of developing other sections of
the country they seek to enrich other
lotteries OF spectators by filchipg from
the people territory enough for an
empire. They follow in the wake of
that gigantic fraud, the Northern Pa
cifc, and, if successful, will be fol-
lowed by still other schemes of public
plumber, all of which, however in
iquitous they may be, viii have their
plausible and eloquent advocates in
the lobbies and corridors of this Cap
itol, ready to oil the wheels of legis-
lation, and forward the work of spo-
| liation. Have we not done enough
for monopolists and spectators?
Would it not be we'll, at least, to pause
until we ascertain the effect of this
kind of legislation?
The Union and Central Pacific are
now in operation, the Northern PAcif-
ic will soon be under contract, and /
doubt not soon completed. IF they
accomplish for the country all their
friends predict, and render to the
people fair return for the bounties
bestowed, we may, perhaps, safely
grant subsidies to other roads; but II,
on the contrary, they demand from
the settler exhorbitant prices for the
land which the Government has given
so freely; if they extort from the far
mer, mechanic, lumberman, and mi
ner, for transporting TO market their
products, all the profits of their toll;
if, in short, they use the immense
privileges and great power which
Congress has conferred to rob and
impoverish those who seek homes
within their domain. this Congress
will have no cause to regret that it
did not endow any of the other roads
which are here clamoriDg for aid.
In this connection, it seems to US
Republicans have a very simple duty
to discharge. That duty is to contin-
ne their confidence with those mem
bsrs of the House who were true to
their pledges, and utterly repudiate
those who sustained the bill If this
policy is adopted by the party in all
sections Of the country, justice may
be meeted out to those members who
have violated the faith of the party to
which they pledged themselves, when
they were elected. In the language
of the Chicago Tribune, let these
questions be put to every aspirant af-
ter a party re- nomination:
/. How many bills have you favor
ed to take our homesteads and give
them to railways?
2. What protection can you give to
q man on the open prairie, menaced
all round by combinations Of Indians,
capitalists, tariffs and transportation
monopolies?
3. How much has your vote light
ened my taxes and the cost of my
salt, clothing, lumber, iron and
freightage2
4. Have 1, with my 100 acres and
nothing else, been as much considered
by you and yours as the man with a
stream and a mill?
8. Have you been taking care of
me according to my notions or ac-
cording to the notions Of the gentle
man on the other side of the ALLIE
ghanies?
8. Have you voted for any subsidy,
drawback, grant, foreign island.
bounty, increased tax, or discriminat-
ing duty?
If these questions are met and an
swered satisfactorily, Republicans will |
be sustained by the people. But if |
there is any lodging or prevarication,
let the dodger be compelled to stand
aside and give place to better man.
This policy ought to be adopted by
the Republicans Of every Congress-