The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-06-23
coneres. and the Land Grabbers.

There are now pending before Con-
gress no less than t,oo fuEdred and
thirty bills granting lands to various /
persons for various and divers pur-
poses, SO says the Radical Cleveland
Leader. 1t seems to be theonly busi-
ness of this Radical rump TO rob the
people for the benefit of the capital
lists and SPECTATORS. The Washing
ton correspondent of the Boston i'd
uertiser thus eIassifes these land
grants:
l. NeU grants, asking for from six
to forty sections per mile of track,
with the prospect of a rise in the de-
mand TO fifty or sixty sections of $40
acres each, per mile of track, as Con-
gress grows more indulgent. 80
2. Extending the time on old
grants so as to enable the march of
population to surround the lands
granted, and bring up the price to a
point which will enable the company
to build the road cut of the grant
without calling in outside capital. Jao
3. Recsciag extinct grants, which
have lapsed because the jobbers had
no money, and could not build the
road without. u % go5 -s-a'
4. " Butteriny" former grants, as
in the case of the Northern Pacific,
which, finding that some of the sec
tions it expected to have got have been
taken up by actual settlers, gets Con-
gress to give it as many new sections
somewhere else, as it. thought it was
going to have.
5. Explaining old grants into new
ones, as in the case of the Central
Branch Union Pacific, which runs
| from Atchison 100 miles west to no.
where, the object of the explanation
being to satisfy the stockholders that
railroad running nowhere shall have
its land just as if it ran somewhere.
6. Granting lands an the Westefp
States an aid of railroads an Eastern
| States, as for instance, a million acres
in Montana to build a road in Massa-
chusetts-a very happy idea that,
showing remarkable ingenuity as the
Apostle enjoins, Not each one his
own, but every man another's wealth. /"
Z. Southern grants, of, say, ten sec
tions per mile, in such manner that, if
the land can be found down South,
we'll; if not, take it where it can be
found. i y. 49, s-1ss
8. llanoTial grants for establishing
a local aristocracy in localities where
first-class gentlemen are greatly need
ed to exert missionary. influence
One of these grants, the Florida Ar
chipelago, to. a canal company, and
another presents a huge county in
Louisiana to railroad company.
| g. Granting rights of aDGy, only,
which never pass because they have
no money in them. ~ ~
i 10. Agreeing that the gorefnnaea,l
sUiU run The road if the company, af.
/ ter selling its lands, cannot make il
pay. - s'''-' t..''' =
4 IL. Granting lands already sold
with proviso that, on finding then
sold, the government will pay out o
the treasury $1,25 per acre for every
acre intended to have been granted
d This is money demand instantly
4 and very ingenious. 4fiDns7 ta9s4
IL. Granting the proceeds of til
sale Of land, the government having
! the trouble and expense of selling
and the railroads, being relieved of al
risk and trouble, except to receive tn
cash.
13. Paging railroads out of TIL
: treasury for widening their guage, sa,
, $1,000 acres of land, or the proceeds
for twenty miles of track widened.-
This is very smart!
IA. Enabling grantees who canno
raise the money necessary to get It'll
to their grants, to mortgage them il
advance of getting title, SO as to rails
the money to buy them with-a5 capi
tai idea for those who have no othe
capital but ideas.
l. l5. S,cindliny the Indians, b,
, providing that railroad eompanie
: may buy the land of. the Indians di
rect, without the interposition of gov
ernment officers. 13t
: l6. COnfscdting Indian Reserrd
tons by granting to railroad compa
nies which have been set apart for tn
Indians, on the pretence that the In
Q dians have waived their claims, an
are anxious to sell. zHi
j. II II. y Expanding former grants, a
where a company in its modesty onl
asked ten sections, and now havin
9 built the road and finding it cost
# more than it might have cost, the
q ask to have their grant "made equ,
to that of the Northern Pacific"
: l8. Grants of land between til
q Rocky Mountains and the Sierras
IS aid in building the levees of the Mi
g sissippi, an object which, like til
!, poor, /" we have always withSls.n
= : 19. For building acagon roads, s
IL many sections for so many mile
1t brought up to such standard that
y two-wheeled conveyance carrying
boy can be driven over it without VI
setting, if the man travels on ea6
a side of the conveyance, holding dow
at the shafts with stout rope.
~ 20. For aiding canals, bui1diT
al pitches for irrigation, and so on.
M 81. For special services, as, for il
n stance. to one man who found spriI
u in desert; to another who explore
/; a canon to third who found min