The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-06-24
Radical Land Grabbing.

before Congress under twenty zone
different heads, Or genera, highly
indicative of the progress which
land grabbing is making, from a
fine arr to the higher standard of
science. They are as follows:
1. New grants, asking for from
six to forty sections per mile Of
track, with the prospect of rise in
the demand TO fifty OF sixty sections
of $40 acres each, per mile of track,
as Congress grows more indulgent.
2 Extending the time on old
grants, so as to enable the march of
population TO surround the lands
granted, and bring up the price to
a point which will enable the cons
pany to build the road out of the
grant without calling in outside
capital.
B. RevIvlng extinct grants, which
have lapsed because the jobbers bad
no money. and could not build the
road without.
4. ~"Buttering" former grants, as
in the case of the Northern Pacific,
which. finding that some of the Sec
tons it expected to have got have
been taken up by actual settlers,
gets Congress is give it as many
new sections somewhere else as it
thought it was going to have.
5. Explaining old grants into new
ones, al in the case of the Central
Branch Union Pncific, which runs
from Atchison 100 miles west tc no.
where, the object of the expIana-
ton being to satisfy the STOCKHOLM
crs that a railroad running nowhere
shall have its land just rs if IL ran
somewhere.
6. Granting lands In the western
states in aid of railroads in eastern
states, as for instance, a million
acres IN Montana to build Il road in
Massachusetts, very happy idea
that, showing remarkable ingenuity
as the apostle enjolns, Not each
one his own, but every man anoth-
ers wealth."
z Southern grants of, say, ton
sections per mile, in such manner
that, if the land can be found down
Eouth, well, if not, take it where 1t
can be found.
8. Manorial grants, for establish
ing a local arIstocracy in localities
where frst-class gentlemen r
greatly needed to exert a misslona-
ry influence. One of these grants,
the Florida Archipelago, to a canal
company, and another presents a
hugo county in Louisiana to u raEI-
road company.
9. Granting rights Of way, only,
which never pass because they have
nc money in them.
10. Agreeing that the government
will run the road if the company,
after selling Its lands, cannot make
it pay.
II. Granting lands already sold,
with proviso that, Oh finding them
sold, the government will pay from
treasury S1,25 per acre for every
acre intended to have been granted.
This is a money demand instantly,
and very ingenious.
II. Granting the proceeds of the
sale of land, the government having
the trouble and expense of selling,
and the railroads being relieved OF
all risk and trouble, except to re-
ceive the cash.
13. Paying railroads out of the
treasury for widening their guage,
say $4,000 acres OF land, or the pro-
ceeds, for twenty miles of track wi
dened. This is very smart |
II. Enabling grantees, who can>
not raise the money necessary to
get title to their. grants, to mort
gage them IN advance of getting
title, SO as to raise the money to
buy them wIth-a capital idea for
those who have no other capital but
ideas.
10. SwindlIng tho Indians, by
providing that railroad companies
may buy the land of the Indians
direct, without the interposi.;on of
government lands.
I6. C~oniscating Indian reserva-
tons by granting to railroad cons
panies lands which have been set
apart for the Indians. on the pre-
tence that the Indians have waived
their claims and are anxious to
sell.
II. Expanding former grants, as
where a company in its modesty
only asked ten sections, and now
having built the road and finding
1t costs more than it might have
cost, they ask to have their grant
made equal 20 that of the North
ern Pacific.
18. Grants of lands between the
Rocky Mountains and Sierras to aid
in building the levees of the Missls-
sippi, an object, which, like the
poor, eve have always with u.s."