The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-06-11

wafer, and to increase the difficulties of bis
situation, was under the additional neces-
sity Of swimming them across several broad
and deep rivers in order to get them where
the water was But no. Our settler is not
quite 50 badly off as was the Kentuckian.
The latter had no one to bridge bis rivers
for hmm. whereas the former has |" q bene-
6cent Government to which be can turn
and ask that those few hundreds OF miles Of
public land which stand ia his way may be
bridged over by o railroad. bailt at the
public expense. And be has fair prospect,
too, OF having bis request grasted, although
" might seem quite reasonable 10 suggest
to him a simpler and cheaper solution Of
his difficulty, viz to enter q homestead
on that portion Of the public domain which
stands in his way, aud to enter il some
where on the side nearest to market and 10
existing railroads and settlements. This
settler, however, is not the (" actual set
der" Hs is plausible counterfeit rig
ged up BY the subsidy men, and by them
frequently referred to as "the sturdy set
Her "a creature mostly of the magma
tion, whose business it is to step 10 the
front whenever the railroad men, wanting
an advocate with fair reputation and an
honest face, deem Il prudent to keep
themselves in the background.
But we have another argument to re-as-
sure those who really fear that the with
holding Of railroad grants will result in
putting stop to the progress Of settle
ment. That argument is found in The his
tory Of the progress OF settlement Ia the
past. The States Of Ohio, Indiana, Ili-
nois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Mis-
souri,, may certainly be regarded as pretty
successfully settled. They are rich, popu-
IONS, and prosperous yet Of these the
first two received no railroad grants what
ever, and the other Eve received only about
$4,000, 900 acres among them-les than
one fffh of the amount donated to the
Pacific railroads alone. 1t will hardly be
denied either that Ohio and Indiana, with
out railroad grants are, and have been, as
prosperous as the other FIVE which received
such grants. Moreover, might show that
railroad grants are not an unfaiing pre-
scription from the fact that Mississippi and
Florida, each received very nearly as much
land as Illinois, while Alabama received
nearly fifty per cent more, and Arkansas
nearly twice as much, yet, not one Of these
will compare with the Prairie State in
prosperity or in the rapidity Of settlement
still less viii they compare in solid pros
perity with Ohio, which received NO rail
road grants ct all. If starting with a
population of about Eve millions and half
with the aid of emigration brought from
Europe in slow sailing vessels, until com
paratively recent date, we have succeeded
50 satisfactorily i'm settling the seven pros
porous Northwestern States named above,
at an expense Of only $4,000, 900 acres to
railroad builders, We surely need have no
fears that starting now, with population
Of 42,OOO,OOO, and the aid Of tide Of
emigration brought from Europe IN fast sail
ing steamers, Which have reduced the At
lantic to q mere creek, we should succeed
in settling our remaining territory even at
a smaller expense in landed subsidies than
a. 9A.noo, 600 acres granted IN che seven
great States under consideration. Yet, as
We have already seen, the men we have in
trusted to conduct legislation for us, have
already given away Eve times that amount
to the Pacific railroads alone and en-
cOuraged by this so-called hberality, other
railroad projectors are now asking us to
give away nearly 400, ,O0O, 900 acres more,
and have actually succeeded in getting bills
introduced fo- that purpose.
(TO BE CoNTINUED.)