The Placer herald., 1870-03-19
L A N D G + A N T S .

10 the Congressional Globe of February
10th, we find the report Of q running debate
which occurred on the bill to grant lands
10 aid Of the construction Of the Portland,
Astoria and McMnnville Railroad in Ore
gon, in which Williams, lhs author of the
bill; Thurman, who made the speech which
will appear in the appendix; Stewart, Cas-
serly, Hamln, Davis, Abbott and Others
engaged. We copy below the closing re-
marks Of Senator Casserly. These remarks
are not only eloquent, argumentatvs and
convincing but one in strict harmony with
the public sentiments on this Coast Of all
parties. except the monopois,s themselves:
Mr. CASSERLY-As l have said, it is not my
purpose to engage generally in the debate upon
this bill. rise simply to reply to the closing
remarks of the Senator from Nevada Mr.. Stew
art. fr
The Senator declared that he understood my
position on the subject OF railroads. that he was
well aware that was opposed to granting aid
to railroads. Let me say, that is one way OF
putting it. But as the Senator was perfectly we'll
aware, for haze often conferred with him on
the subject, that ain not opposed to granting
aid to Railroads in proper cases, and never have
been, he must know that am not againt aid
to railroads except in the technical way in which
he has put it. What l have always said, and
what now say. is, that while am in favor Of
aid to railroads in the new States. yet in view of
the immense tracts Of land granted away by the
United States to railroad companies, it is time
we should pause; and that the period has arriv-
ed when this government, if it shall determine
to grant aid to Il railroad, could do it in some
other mode than by vestng its lands in great
tracts to railroad corporations.
Upon this questsn stand with my State of
California. My place is where the resolutions of
instruction passed by the Legislature of that
State with unpreccdent unanimity have plant
ed the State. This is the position of California,
and it is mine. 1t is tlken in the joint resolution
of the California Legislature, printed in docu-
ment No. 81 Of the Senate, of this session. At
ter referring to the withdrawal Of large body
of lands for the purposes Of the Southern Pacific
railroad, and to the decision of the Secretary OF
the Interior setting aside that withdrawal the
Legislature go on to declare
Congress is earnestly requested to order the
said land, now claimed by the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company, to he restored as soon as
practicable - settlement by pre- empton; and
| that while tue granting 0 { aid for the construc-
ton OF railroads and other internal improve
ments is earnestly advocated, Congress is re-
qucsted not to make any more grants Of lands in
| this State for any purpose but direct the dis
position OF such lands under the homestead and
prcemption laws to actual settlers and to grant in
! lieu thereof, in aid OF the construction of rail-
roads and other internal improvements, a fair
share of the proceeds OF the sale of such lands"
| That is the position of California. Without
any reference to party divisions, those are the
| Instructions of the Legislature of the State,
and my position is defined by those instruc-
| tons If any Senator can find in that doc lara
ton of California, which is mine also, any dis
position to obstruct or to hinder the railroad
development on the Pacific coast, he Can fad
in it more than l find.
do con lemn most unquali fedly a continu-
ance OF the policy Of Congress for the last ten
years in dealing with The public domain. l
think the day will come when Senator'S will find
it extremely difficult to justify to the country
the system OF vestng those lands in large masses
in private corporations. The policy has given
to four railroad corporation within the last six
Or eight years the gigantic amount of one hun
dred anu twenty-iour million acres of land. l
refer TO the Union Pacific, the Central Pacific,
the Northern Pacific, and the Atlantic and Pa
ciGc railroads. They own by grants from Con-
gress one hundred and twenty-leur million acres
| of land. Do gentlemen know how much land
that is? In all France there are but a few mil
| lion more acres than that great amount; in all
| Germany, with her swarmng millions, not much
| more. There are four States in this Union, no
| inconsiderable Statesiether-theS States OF New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virgin:a-whch
taken together contain but few thousand acres
more than vested by Congress in those four rail
road corporations. There is nothing like it in
the history OF the world. The objection now is
not to aiding railroads, but it is to the contin-
uance OF this system of lavishing on them the
public domain by millions upon millions ofacrcs.
Yet gentlemen say that such a policy is one Of
progress and development. They insist upon it
aud demand its continuance. They may one day
awaken to the reality that they have put mas
ter upon the back Of the people of this country
whom il will bs harder to take off than it was to
put on.
These great landed monopolies are the object
| of alarm to those whom eminent citizen used
to call the plain people Of the country; an object
| of alarm particulary to the working naop,a Of