, 1873-03-03
History Of the Land-0 -0a1oe---Grauta
Of Lands to Railroads,
The Iowa and Kansas Railway Systems
-..Kansas as q Specimen Rail.
roaa Stato.
Decline Of Morals, Roal Estate, aud
Liberty, in That Common
wealth.

The vaetost conspiracy In human nature Ina
been that to Boize the public 1anta Of tho Untod
States. It began before tho Union was porfoct-
cd IN several Of tho grcat states llko Now York,
Pennsylvania, and Virginia; and It comprohond-
cd tho most eminent mon In the country
amongst whom wero Robert Norris, Edmund
Randolph, Aaron Burr, and William Blount.
FOR he ON 1roNEY-DEw HATH FED. +:
Morris spent many yours in n debtors priaon
for his diversion of hia talents land-wise. Ran
dolph carpot-baggod to Louisiana, Ike the first
Of the Hebrow wanderers, and conducted 1and-
suits thoro many years. Burr. threw away. his
last prospects, OF pnblio career for tho Dastropo
claim. And Dlount was expelled from tho
United States sonate Us carly ns Washlngton's
Administration, for sooking to do treanon to his
country In tho interests of q Misrepresentation.
NAME Youn MANI
With all tho litigation, forgery, enterprise. md
apparent succcss Of land-grabhers, where stands
the average Of prolt7 W1lat 1nnn or family is
grest 1T this moment, with prospects,
OF remaining 10, from tho enjoyment
Of any of tho vast ostatos picked
up by tho 1iberality Of tho Federal law, or In
despite Of ita oqulty7 Whero are the great
plantations of tho Hanptons ? What aro tho
bottor human delights Of Ed Doa1c ? How much
remains of tho imperial graut Of Moses Austin
Who ever hoara in these days tho namo Of Lii
mantown honorab1y mentioned
The public lands In the United states hayo al
tured adyonturers ainco tho days Of Doaoto.
The grants made In tho days Of tho StuartH conf
pretended broad colonies, all baaed upon tho
ssle OF ground and taxation Of its productions.
But what graceloss set Of tonants,-so much
like their landloriB,--had Pom, Calyort, James
Of York, and SO forth
Is not tho railway 1nnd syHteu dolusion atill7
What pcraon has obtained the want fortune out
Of the Illinois Central Railroad2 What is the
legacy Of tho uame of Oakos AmoB worth to any
virtuous posterity7
WASHINGTON A LAND-1nADDEn.
In o sketch Of the opening OF the ChoBapeaho
L Ohio Railway. rofesred to the Investments
Of George Washington inlanded property on
the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. Inquiry having
been made as to this, I find, by reference to q
copy Of Washtngton's will, published In book-
form In the year 1900, that, On tho Groat Kan
awha River, Washington hold 22, ,591 acres, and,
on tho Ohio and Little Kanawha, 12,048 acres,-
In all, 86,t79 acres, which ha computed to be
worth in the year 1882 s297, ,440, or something
iess than SO per aero. Ho aftorward estimates
tho Great Kanawha' lands at :" forty milos along
tint river, the richest in these partH, nud worth
100000" Upon the Ohio RIver, ho hnd a
quantity Of "rioh rivor-bottom land, 10 miles
broad and worth $40 IN aoro" At per cont
interest for 75 years, this inyestmont-provid
Washington paid for 1t the same sum at which
ho valued it-would have demanded tint lu IT,
relveat prosont something loHa than s40p per acre,
% high valuation ovou now, 1t would soem, for
wild land, although tho railway has just opened
It up to development. =.
The Washington family ia we'll scattered. Had
ho hold to this lnnd, would it .havo paid na m
Investment Docs land always pay to hold it
ON pREsEKr-TAK1Na... u. :. :.
Apropos. Washington says, In the fourth
c1auae Of his will, referring to the abovo land,
that, in tho year 1785, the Commonwealth Of
Virginia presented him with 100 ahareH (at 800
each) In the James River Canal Company, and so
shares t(ot F1 sterling oach) In tho Potomac On
nal Company. These, ho says ho has rofllHod
'sas inconsistent with principle which I had
adopted. and had mover departed from, namely:
not to receive Pocuniary compensation for any
GUS struggle with Great Britain for ita rights"
lie therefore diverted tho said canal ehareB to
tho college now callod Waehington-and-Leo, at
EXTENT or THE PUBLIC LAND. =
In the first. 40-odd years Of tho existence Of
tho United BtateB, tho total cost Of all public
lands, whothor bought from State or foreign
countries, and inolusivo Of tho cost Of their
management and sale, was about s4B, ,000, 900. In
tho same period OF time, the aales amounted to
e97, 900, 600. At. that time Q832), tho Indiana
held the little to one-third Of tho public domain
within, the States aud Territories, which VAS
more than $40, 600 acres. Our whole public
domain wE3 thon 1,090, ,871 ,753 acroB.
TwENTY-s1x YgAAs AFTERwAnD.
In 1885, Charles James Faulkner, in an OK
haustive speech to his constltuents. showed tho
whole public 1omatnwas ,5G4, 900, Q00aores which
had cost tho Government in money 1886, SOL, 900,
Or thirt cen times the lato Aabamy treaty award.
To- eztlngulsh tho Indian tislea haa coat $780,
Louisiana, ED, 1000 (principal md intorost);
Florida, do 60, ,600,0o0 Texas. Bic, 600 O00, Geor-
gia, s3,000000 Ieloased claims, 100000
o3penaos of Lana noa On o0once, surseyngs and e1-
By 1879 tho figures stood as follows: The
public domain, unsold md unapproprintod,
1870, $40, ,562 acres. nolinquished already. 455-
100000 acres. Yot tho aalaa OF public lands in
1871 produced only 1855, 900.
deoply-concerted speculative and q vigorous
political effort was mado to conlscatc tho Fed
eral lands to tho several States, between 1881
aobauching III parts, and to kill the national
goose which laid the annual golden egg. Thus
always with epocu1atorsl J. What law peryadea
humau7 Spectators law is tho Inv Of tho
purbllnd panther, to Jump Mt tho shapo ho lkeug
10 bis prey. II all tho land in tho country had
boon, ly the competitive efforts Of tho atates,
FueuGA A4)ou t4la uHIAoth oI tue VUIl4s " WOULD
have declined III price relatively with tie supply
The public domain will mover directly repay the
United Staten for its cost and care. Tho annual
sa1es produce little aboyo por cent to tho
Troaaury on tho cont prco and intoroat, and
overy gift Of the, land seems to involve q
moneyed dover besides.
HISTORY or TIE 1AxD-orr1cE.
The first Congrous Of tho Unitod Btatos, IN
1889, passed . bill for tho government Of tho
territory northwest Of the Ohio, Goyen yeara
afterwards, the Hale md settlement Of part OF
the said land were provided for, and tho embryo
Land-Odice set In motion, with its Surveyor
General, townships, sa1o OF alternate SECTIONS,
etc.
At this dobato, In 1900, the whole policy Of
rapid settlement Of tho back country was de-
batod, and the opinion waH exproasod by several
congressman tint "tEho rnpid incroase OF q
baokwoodH population, rudo, unhooinl, and dis
contented, would lead to moro insubordlnatiop,
violence, and thronts. Of secession, as hnd
already been the caao." At the same time, the
parties who favored low prices and sale by seo-
tions showed the penalties Of yelling In large