The anti-monopolist., 1874-07-16
.94O.769 80

the pubIc, at the average price OF ltS
past sales, 1t ,ciu hare fully repaid It,
self the entire cost Of the road AND
HAVE PUT NEARLY THREE MILLION DOLLARS
OF SURPLUS INTO IT'S POCKETS. In other
words it will have no capital invested
on which it can claim interest from the
public; but the public will have pre-
sented it with the road and three mil
lions to boot.
Should not this consideration enter
into the problem Of fixing rates!
Will the Republican papers and the
Grange Ads>aasce charge the people
with every dollar invested by the rail-
road company, and not credit the peo-
pie with one dollar for the immense
property given by them to the compa-
ny? That which is ''sauce for the
goose surely should be sauce for the
gander.'' The people have some rights
as we'll as the roads.
But it will be SAID, the company has
not realized upon the 1,420,0S5 acres
of unsold lands. Nevertheless they own
them. The theory Of land grants was
that capitalists would come forward
and build roads.in new and thinly pop
ulated regions, where the business would
not support the roads and look to the
land grants to remunerate them for
their temporary losses in running the
roads. If the company are to make the
road self-supportiag from the first, by
high rates, what excuse is there for Civ
ing them the land grantsl There is
plenty of capital ready to build rail-
roads that will pay good interest on
the investment, without bonus of
; lands. If men have built our roads
who are not CAPITALISTS; and who can
not bide their time to sell the land
Grants, and run the roads at low rates
in the meantime, then they have as
: sumcd duties and responsibilities which
they are unable to fulfil; and if so, that
is their fault, not the fault of the land
grant system Or Of the people.
Then arises another question: "Why
has not the company sold more Of
its land! Why have but 10000 acres
: been sold in the past ten years out of a
: million and half acres!
The answer appears in the report OF
the company, lsee r. R. Com. rep. for
1874. p. l7S). The average price per
7 acre of all lands sold during the year
, ending Aug. 81, 1873, was $9.68-nearly
$1,000 per acre. This is the average
sales of land close to the road as
we'll as those twenty miles away from
it. Their highest price was $1,000 per
l. acre in 1873, and $4,000 per acre in
1872.
Here then is the cital point Of he
8 Whole question.
How long would it take the company
to sell it's wild lands at $9.6S per acre
5 one-ffth of the purchase money down
and balance in four annual payments
with choice pieces at $1,000 and 5000
per acre!
Such prices simply mean that the
> company do not want to sell
They are holding their lands fol
posterity, free of taxation while the
people support the government. sup
port the railroads, and by their energy
and industry increase the value of The
railroad lands.
Is this fair Is it just Is it the
feast to which the emigrant thought ht
was invited
But say the monopoly papers, "tht
lands are their own you can't compe
: them to sell their lands at the prices
you think right you are preaching
communism, agrarianism, confiscation
you are demagogue' and as the ST
Paul Press beautifully expressed it. $;
thief and scoundrel p
Well, we admit that we have no right
to say what their lands shall be solo
for. But we have the right to say
what their rates Of transportation shall
be; and if they cry out. ''you are ruin
ing us We are not now even paying in
terest On our capital invested; We car
at least reply, you have no capital in
:, vested the people furnished the capi
tai in the land grants worth more thar
: the cost of your road you have sim
ply loaned your money until you coul'
sell the lands given you: and when yo'
o have sold them you will not have cen
invested in the road; and you will prac
= tically own road that cost you moth
o ing
# But we have not sold our lands, re
/ ply the company. I'VE can't sell them.
/ And the Republican papers and th'
e Grange Adrance cry out in chorus
0 ssthe poor railroads, the innocent, harm
less, helpless, poverty-stricken rail
: roads -
r Our answer to the company is, ssre