Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-08-03

Il
railroads alone aud Of more than thrice ffist
aggregate bias disposed Of Ices than SIKH d.
i rectly % tllers of the sesl-
After reading the above extract
one would suppose that the party
knocking so loudly for admmittance
to the White House had never favor
ell granting lands to aid in. the con-
struction of railroads, and that ii WAS,
| individually and collectively, oppos-
ed to such "profligato waste of public
lands" That for voting railroad
| subsidies ii would not dare to nonii-
| nate man for the sufrrages Of the
people who had ever advocated
granting lands to railroads. ofc0urse
this Is what the average reader
would think. But Democracy scarce
ly ever practices what it breaches, as
we will proceed to show. Several
years ago bill was pending in Con-
gress which proposed granting 81
000, 900 acres of public land to aid in
the construction Of the Northern Pa
cilic railway At that time Thos. "A.
Hendricks, present Democratic can
olidate for Vice-President on the
anti-proiligate- waste reform plat
form, was an United States Sena-
tor. From his place in the Senate
Mr.. Hendricks advocated the bill
which provided that so much land
should be (" squandered upon rail
roads" And the record plainly
shows that Mr.. Hendricks, and near
ly every other Democrat in both
houses, not only advocated this bill,
but that they advocated the passage
OF every bill donating lands for the
construction Of railroads. Speaking
of the Pacific Railroad bill, Mr.. Hen
dricks said:
The bin before the Senate proposes TO enconr-
age ths. construction Of very important rAii-
raaa tn connect the waters OF Lake superior |
with the Pacific Ocean Everybody can see al a |
glance that Il is work Of national Importance |
= Id0 not think that work Of sneh |
national Importance ought 70 Ice embarrassed IN |
It's uassage through this body, and through the |
House Of Representative.
Nor is it necessary To go back so |
many years to show that the resolu-
tion which cries so loudly against
this profiigate waste of public
Iands,' is not the sentiment OF the
Democratic party. The Congress now
in session at Washington City fur
nishes the larest example. Thomas
Ia. Jones, n Democratic member OF |
the House, and Chairman OF the
House Committee on Railways, bold
Iy declares that 10 is the intention OIL
his Democratic friends in the South |
TO " ask for subsidy from the Gen
eral Government 10 Juitd q rditrodd
through the South. Mr.. Jones says;
Now beg thc gentlemen not 10 be too much |
yrts,itrfpd abont suiys1dica Mr. speaker pro.
fcss and so do my brctbrenon this iioor from the
south who advocate railroads, % DE as much dc
voted 10 State rights as amy member here; but |
giy,, fair notice that we intend, before this Con
press * plrcs and ia the next Congress, II any OF
us shonld be here 90 ask for a subsidy from the |
General Government 90 build a railroad through |
the South. |
Can any person believe that the
Democratic party honestly means
4" TO put stop to the profligate waste |
OF public lands" VIXEN it nominatos
for the second highest place in the
gift Of the people man who always
voted for subsidies, and when one OF
tho party leaders in the House de-
clares that it is the intention OF Dem
ocrats to task for subsidy" Which
is most likely to be accepted by vot-
ers rs the real intention Of party,
its declaration of professed princi-
pies, or the acts Of party leaders? We
should say tho latter. Like all the
other other resolutions Of the 1T.
Louis platform, this Is double
back action face~ any way to-siiit
plank.