The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-06-18

as great as it has received during the TWEEN
ty years which have elapsed since that road
received its grant, / think that am rather
below the mark than otherwise, IN saying
that this land, lying along the Northern
Pacific Railroad, viii ultimately sell at .
rate quite equivalent TO s5 an acre cash
down, on the completion Of the road. Now,
what if the Government itself should build
this road. or contract to have it done, pay
ing for it the amount estimated above as
its probable cost 7? When the work was
completed, it would own the road, which
ought to be worth the money it cost, and
besides this, it would own all the lands
along it. That is, it would get a rail
road and save 47,OO0,O00 acres Of land
by investing the sum required to build the
road, which sum the lands, if sold at thsIr
real market value, would much more than
pay back, besides leaving the road as SO
much additional clear profit. And, If the
nation is to make land valuable by build
ing railroads over il at its own expense,
why, let me ask, should not the nation,
rather than few individuals, composing a
corporation, get the benefit of the increased
value
Observe, am not proposing that the
Government should build the road. II
would undoubtedly be done in due time,
and, perhaps, quite soon enough for all
necessary purposes BY private enterprise
without subsidies /; and If the choice were
between the building of the road by the
Government for itself, and the donation
Of this vast tract Of territory to create o
colossal railroad and land monopoly,
could not hesitate q moment to say, let the
Government by all means build the road,
and charge tolls for the running Of trains
thereon by private companies, opening it
to general competition.
So iniquitous do l deem this vast grant,
that as the company is said not yet to
have complied with all the conditions ap-
pended to it, l hold that the first duty of
Congress is to repeal the bill which consers
it. But will it be believed that instead of
this there is really some prospect Of the
passage of bill which will make the in
iquity vastly greater than it is now? The
bill just passed by the Senate gives the
company, as a Senator has well expressed
it, rowing commission to pick out the
best lands which they can find anywhere
within ten miles Of the limits Of the i'm
mcnse belt already granted to them along
the entire route from Lake Superior 10
Puget Sound, to an amount equivalent to
any land which may have beer settled upon
within their present boundaries. This,
however, is not the worst feature Of the
bill, for it permits the company to make
the junction between their main stem and
the branch heretofore authorized as far east
as they please, thus putting it in their pow
er to build two roads for the greater por-
ton Of the distance, if they are 50 dis
posed, and enabling them to swell their land
grant in this manner to sixty or seventy
million Of acres. / cannot believe, how
ever, that this enormity will be consum-
mated, for it has not yet passed the ordeal
Of the House Of Representatives, where we
are warranted in hoping there will be found
sufficient virtue and patriotism and regard
for the will Of the people to secure it's de-
feat. Before SO vast tract of the peo-
ple's land is given away, time should be
taken to ascertain what the people them
selves think Of it. The haste Of the com.
pany to secure action during the present
session of Congress, is the haste Of the
burglar eager to get away with bis booty
before the inmates of the house wake up.
(rO RE CONTTNUED.1