Liberal Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1872-1???, 1872-11-30
O. he Iiberal Republin an
DALLAS, SATURDAY, NOV. 80.
The People Governed by
NaOakOpOlies.

Il
sist now that the so called Ben Holiday
monopoly in Oregon with its ring and
fings, was making rapid strides against
the rights of hepeople. Whether or
not Ben Holladay is the real power
behind the throne, We do not pre-
tend to know, nor are the people par
ticularly concerned about that question;
one thing is true, he is the real party
In interest, or he is the acting and
managing agent for the company who
ever. they may be. What we insist
upon is this, that the acts and conduct
of this man, or company, have been such
as to deserve the condemnation of the
people irrespective of party affiIiation.
In the first place Congress donated for
the purpose of building railroad in
Oregon for the benefit of the people
therein, not for the benefit of specula-
tors, large tract of land comprising
an and every odd section, not already
appropriated at the date Of the law
CISCO, )'ia district of country extend
ing from Portland to the south line Of
the State, distance of about three
hundred miles, and this donation ex-
tended thirty miles each side of the
line of the railroad to be built, making
a strip of country 60 miles in breadth
and three hL ndred miles in length, This
every man of ordinary sense knows
would take all the va cant land in the odd
sections In the Willamette, Umpqua and
Rogue River valleys, and large amount
of mountain tilnbered land besides.
This grant of land was allowed BY the
law of Congress to comprise an amount
of land equal to the wi ole of every odd
section in strip of land from the base
line to the State line south, and forty
miles in width, which would make six
thousand sections, or three millions
eight hundred an1 forty thousand acres
of land. This land was granted to any
company in Oregon that should be
designated by the Legislature thereof;
really then it was grant to the State
of Oregon or the people, to be given to
whomever they desired. The Legisla>
ture of Oregon obeying the will of the
people, gave this magnificent grant to
the West Side Company, but by some
chicanery of this unprincipled man, or
of the company for whom be operates,
and the baseness of George II. Will
Jams, when the amendatory act was
pending in the Senate, the grant was
wrongfully and wickedly taken from the
West Side and transferred to the East
Side Company.
From the time that this grant of land
went into the hands of Holiday and
company, every act of the company,
save the building of the road, has been
against the best interest Of the people
The first imposition upon the people,
was the hypocritical pretentons of this
man Holladay, his agents, officers, serv-
ants ard hirelings, that he, Holiday,
had come here and brought with him a
large amount of money which he de-
signed to expepd in the building Of a
railroad for the special benefit of the
people Of Oregon, when in truth and
IN fact, he or they, took the land grant
which the people bad given them, as
the basis OF credit, issued ten millions
of bonds and actually received upon
them in Europe, six millions of money;
at least this is our information, and
We believe 1t to be reliable.
When it is understood that this amount
of money has been realized by the
company upon lands given BY the co.
pie for the building of the east side road
alone, independent Of the grant of
later date for the West Side Road, it
is easy to determine whether Holiday
and Company, have sacrafced their in
dividuai means to benefit the people
Of Oregon, or have actually made
pribcely fortune out Of the peoples
money Three millions of dollars will
cover the expense Of the east side road
SO far. and Holladay pow pretends he
can build no more road, until he can
sell more bonds or raise more money
either from the general government or
from the State or both. What has
become OF the other three millions
which he obtained on his first bonds
laid aside we supposs, as stake to fall
back upon, when they shall have swim