The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-05-20
That Democratic Manifesto.

In the address of the Democratic
Members of Congress, the following par
agraph appears:
Nearly 200 zoo, goo acres of public land which
should have been reserved for the benefit of the
people, have been voted away to giant corpora
tons, neglecting soldiers and enriching q
handful of greedy spectators and lobbyists who
are enabled to exercise most dangerous and cor
rupting influence over State and federal legisla-
ton.
In commenting upon the above, the
Washington correspondent OF the .Senti-
mel tells some wholesome truths, which
veracious Members of Congress should
read, so that when they again issue a
Democratic manifesto, they may be en-
abled to DO SO undcrstandingly, adhering
as closely to the truth as their Democrat
ic bias will allow:
| What are the facts? First, The grants made for
Railroad and Canal improvements while the De-
mocracy had exclusive control of every branch of
the Government, amounted to 33,677,213 acres.
Second, OF the grants for such improvements since
| the Republicans attained power there have been
granted to States-not private corporations-an
estimated aggregate of 33, S5T ,966 acres. Third
The grants to corporations, have been made to
the three great trans-continental lines only. as
| follows: (cstimated) To the Union and Central
Pacific, $4,000, 600 acres Northern Pacific, A.
000,00g; Northern Pacific Branch, II, ,o0O, 600 !;
Atlantic and Pacific, (Southernl 20, ,000 000 to-
tai ,00o 600, making the grants corporations
81 600 ,090 of less than stated by those
cious Democratic congressman An examination
of the record discloses the fact that in proportion
TO their numbers, the Democrats supported all
! these grants as strongly as the Republicans. Be
! sides, il will be conceded by every person of
dinary intelligence, that the remaining acres of
the public domain will be worth vastly more to
the people with these roads constructed, than
would the whole without these essential is,prove-
ments- The fertile plains and exhaustless aine-
raj of the interior lnacees IDLE and
practically worthless to the of the people
in the absence of these great national pathways.
So much for the false statement of the Democratic
congressman and now, as TO the facts they Jailed
state for to withhold oyerstatc the facts,
is equally false, both in law and morals:
They neglected to state that, when in full pos
session of power they passed graduation act by
which millions of acres OF accessible and valuable
public lands passed into the hands of greedy spec
ulators at the nominal price of twelve and q half
to Twenty-Five cents per acre and that the Re-
publicans promptly repealed that infamous stat
ute.
They neglected to state that, when controlling
every branch of the Government, they passed the
so-called swamp land statute, under which, more
than 60 coo, COO acres, much of which was, and is
the hest land in the older States, has become the
property of greedy speculators' at merely nom
inal prices.
Tbey neglected to ae tb for twenty years they
had designedly in the interest Of slave master
refused to adopt the Homestead principle !; and,
| that the Republicans at the first regular session
after their accession to power, passed the Home
| stead Law which they still continue in force.
They neglected to state that. by Republican
votes only, soldiers supplied in the field,
pensfoned when disabled, and given Homestead
upon the public domain at the nominal cost of oc-
| cupancy and cultivation.
They neglected to state, when speaking of cor
rupting Estate and Federal legislation, thnt the
very magnates of their party had just closed a
for the open purchase of the control of the
llegisIature ofthe Empire State, demonstrating by
a concurrent and conspicuous example. that this
address is in all its parts, but the silly dodge
the criminal who raises the cry of .stop thief te
cover his own retreat.