The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-04-22
LAND JOB SWiNOLES!
Five Times as TgacEa land as
There is In Chic. Granted
to Railroad Corpora
Hons!
Important Speech by Senator
Thurman!

Thurman made IN able argumen
against one of the most ~extensiv.
land grant swIudles before Con
gress, involved in the bills granting
lands TO aid in the construction o
a Northern Pacific railroad. Thur
man moved amendments to the bill
on which he based his speech, pro
vidIng that Che grant Of land.
should be made upon The following
conditions:
LIST. That tie lands granted
shall be sold to actual settlers by
the railroad company, in lots ofno'
more than one hundred and sixty
acres.
2nI. That the price shall not
exceed 81 % per acre, with inter
est at sc per cent on deferred pay
mcnts.
3rd. That actual settles shall
be entitled to purchase the lands
in lots o: 40, 80, Or 100 acres.
4th. That all lands not sold by
the company within fifteen years
shall revert to the United States.
5th. That all MORTGAGES made
or executed 10y ihe company shall
be subject TO these conditions in ia
vUr Of actaai settlers.
9Th. The company shall file with
the interior Department, within
ninety days, It's written assent to
the conditions, else the grant pro-
vijed fer By the bill shall be void.
The reader will see, at a glance
that these conditions are IN the in
terest CT the actual settler, and
framed 10 place more restrictions
at least, upon the power Of a grand
monopoly. We have not room for
Humans full speech, but invit,
the careful attention of Our readers
to the material points annexed
THE EXTENT OF THE GOVERNMENT
GRANTS
Mr.. Thurman. Now. Mr. Presi-
dent, lot US io,k ut what his com
pahy is, and what has already been
done for 1t. 1t WAS chartered on
the 2Ld ofJuIy, 1864, nearly sin
yelrs ago. BY ITS charter there
granted to it throughout the
greater part Of It's route through
ont the territory of the United
States, every alternate section in q
breadth Of eighty miles, being forty
alternate sections to the mile.
These forty alternate sections to
the mile make twenty Eve thou
sand six hundred acres TO the mile:
and these twenty-five thousand six
hundred at the government price
ofs1 IS an acre, viii come TO a sub
of S32, GOO per mile.
Bat that Is not all. In addition
70 this subsidy. equal to s32, 900 per
mile at the Government price OF
there is given to this road the
ofwav, and no ordinary right
of way Of fifty or seventy-fire feel
m width. but a right Of way four
hundred feet in with throughoal
the entire length OF the line and the
of its branches. In addition
to this right of way there is given
Co 1T absolutely all the land il may
need for workshops, depots, water
stations, or any Of the other struc>
lures necessary TO the road, Al
though they may be OFT lde Of the
right ofwav Of four hundred feet.
Mr.. Stewart | suppose the Sen
ator wants to be correct 10 his fig
urcs.
Mr.. Thurman. I DO.
Mr.. Stewart. What number Of
acres to tile mile did the Senator
estimate?
Mr.. Thurman. twenty-five thou
sand Elk hundred. IF my friend
will multiply six hundred and forty
by forty be will find hat it is sc.
accor ding 10 DiIworth.
Dir. Stewart. L misunderstood
the Senator.
Mr.. Thurman. Again, slr, the
right is given to this company 10
take from the lands Of the United
States, wherever situate, all the
materials il may need for the con
struction Of It's road, whether they
be wood, or stone, or iron, or gray
eli, or what not. The right to take
all the material it may need or car
find anywhere uPon the pnblic
lands is given 10 this company a5-
soluteIy as a free GIFT
That is not all. Oftho alternate
sections that arc givea 70 it there
are no exceptions On account Of el-
coal or iron. While mineral sec
tions are excluded from the grant
IN terms, it is also provided that
the term mineral sections shall
not apply TO sections containing
iron or coal; so that the most valu-
able iron ores near Lake Superior.
the most valuable iron ores that
may be foundpn the route IN the