The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-06-10
LAND G RABS.
A SHORT SPEECH BY HON
JAMES ]. WINANS.
In the House of Representatives
Wednesday, May IS, 1870, on the
Northern Pacific Railway Grant.

Mr.. Winans. Mr.. Speaker, l lie
sire to say a few words upon this
bill, and upon the policy under
which it proceeds and which it illus
trates. There are several respects
in which the bill is Objectionable, and
on account of which it ought not, in
i my judgment, to become law in
addition to the general objections
which exist to granting lands in aid
| of internal Improvements. Among
these may be specified.
Firstly. The proposed Northern
Pacific railroad is too far north to be
a useful thoroughfare or competing
line to the Pacific shores. 1t will, If
built, be showed under half the year.
| Secondly. Liberal, not to say mu-
nificent grants have heretofore been
made in aid of the proposed enter
prise, yet nothing has been done
looking to the construction of the
road, though sufficient time has clap
sed within which to have made
much progress in the work;
Thirdly. This bill proposes a
branch road, without definite teIminl
and which may, therefore, be made
nearly as long as the stem OF parent
line, and parallel thereto, with q
large grant of land to aid in its con
struction in addition, and it may be
nearly equel to the princely estate
originally granted;
Fourtbly. The bill contains no re-
strictions upon the tenure OF the
company, which may keep its lands,
or sell them to whom, in what guam
titles, and for what prices it may
please;
E'1thiy. The bill authorizes the
company to mortgage all its lands,
and does not clearly require the pre-
cedent construction Of the road or o1
sections thereof;
SjrthIy. The bill enhances the
probable cost of the road by restric
ting the company to the American
market in the purchase of its iron;
Serenthly. The bill is in addition
to and in continuation Of policy
with reference to the disposition OF
the public lands which ought never
to have been adopted, and which
ought now to be abandoned.
Touching this last objection,
which applies generally to lands
grants in aid of railroads and other
improvements, if it do not tax the
patience of the House, l desire to
elaborate a little.
The policy of granting lands in
aid Of public improvements was in
cepted in the bill by which the late
lamented Stephen A. Douglas sue
ceeded in endowing the Illinois Cen
tral railroad. The immediate cost
Of that precedent to the people of
this country was 29,5O5, $50 acres ol
the public lands, which, at Sl.25 per
acre, would have relieved the people
of taxes to the amount Of $3,243, zoe
But the precedent being established,
its indirect cost, by being followed
in the endowment of other rail and
wagon roads, up to June so, 1869
has been 1S5, 1870, 794 acres, or $780,
454 square miles, equal to the area
of Great Britain and France, and ex-
ceeding that of Spain, Italy, and
Switzerland, as appears by the last
report of the Commissioner of the
Land Office. This immense domain
sold at the minimum price of $l,25
per acre, would have produced the
sum of $232, ,363, ,492,5O, equal to
about one tenth part of the present
aggregate debt Of the United States,
And to this the loans Of credit by
the Government to railroad COM
panies within the same period, and
which amounts to the sum of $780,
S60,32O and we have the grand ag-
gregate OF $293, ,l23,S12,50 in value,
given away by the Government to
rail and wagon road companies in
and since 1850 and up to June 80,
1869; this does not include the grant
of %, 800 acres per mile, amounting
to 45, 100000 acre to the road pro-
posed to be further aided by this
bill, it being seventeen hundred and
miles in length from
Lake Superior TO Puget sound; nor
does it include the numerous other
grants to roads and parts of roads
which are not vet constructed. The
whole of the public lands, including
those in the Indian territory and in
Alaska, remaining onsold and un-
appropriated on the 80 Of June last,
to 1,396,2S6, l63, ,94 acres.
How long Wilt be, Mr.. Speaker,
till the whole public domain is alb
sorbed and given away if we con-
tinue to "give to him that asketh, .
in aid of roads and other public i'm
provements?
Numerous bills are pending now,
and being pressed, for grants of pub
lie lands. Should we not pause and
whittier we are drifting?
Should we not review the grounds
upon which such grants have here
tofore proceeded? If the policy in
augurated by the great statesman of
Illinois in 1850 was wise and just,
the precedent which was made in the
grant to the Illinois Central railroad
has been wisely and justly followed
n the numerous grants which have
succeeded, and it will be wise and
ust to make still further grants. On
.he other hand, if that policy was
lnwise and unjust it ought to be alb
and the precedents reyers-
I'd or disregarded, and the sooner
he less will be the mischief
The reasons which operated to se-
cure the pioneer grant were the same
which invite us now to make other
grants, and they apply with force
md plausibility differing only in de
gree, to each and all the grants
which have been made or which are
Dr. may be asked for Railroads in
5he vicinity of or through the public
ands no doubt invite and accelerate
and cultivation, increas-
ng the productive area and the ma
5ional wealth, and reducing the bur
len of taxation by diffusion. No
doubt, either, that by giving alter
nate sections only within prescribed
,ontinguous limits maid Of fsuch i'm
the whole are enhanced
in value, and the Government may
realize from the remaining lands as
much or more than from the whole