, 1879-04-02
THE RAILROADS.
IOWA RAILROAD MArTrrss.

IOWA RAILROAD MATTERS.
nEs MofHEs, H., March a0.-Thc contest TO-
tween tho Chicago, Milwaukee + st. Paul mid
the McGrcpor s. Missouri 1sailroal Companica
over tho Immigrant lanl!s, amounting to about
11GO0O ncrca, has been decided by Land Com
missioner Williamson, at Washington, Ia favor
Of the Chicago AtIlwaul:cc g. al. Paul. In 1891,
Congress granted to the State Ia. aid III thu
building OF rafroal from Sioux CITY to the
Southern Mtnnetotn ,nnd from McGregor TO
point in o rr1cn County, whcro It ntcraectcd al'c
ltnes from aIoux City. ad nluuE the forty y-third
parallel, each od.nuiubcrct. section Of |antl, for
sltlc Ut said roatl. THIS grant
wna accepted by Tho Alc(arcgor Il Western lsail-
rnau COMPANY. 1lln grant compelled tile Cotn-
mud II 1t failed TO do his tile State hnl power 10
resl.1uo the lauu. Ths Company, hctorn Sep
1sa'hcr, lSd', built tho road q Catnar, forty
,l'rca miles; hut February, 1858. ilc sta.c re-
granted the lnntls to the MeGr"Eor e. Siullx
City Railway Company, conditioned flint tweMLy
miles of road should he built enct, year. mud The
whole r6ad completed before Dcsenbcr, 1S15.
changed to AIctlrrgor 4 Missouri Ra.lroad Cou-
pany. In tYba-'b.&-'1O The McGrcgor 4. Nils.
en,stt HALLWAY Company built from calinar to
-Algona4 1870 niles md ceased opetattona, tlnrc-
by lorfeftng their Erant. In 1870 tue Legsla-
iurc resumed The lAnds IND rcgrante,l them to
The Bamo Company on ccrtaln conditions, witch
the Company iatlcd to accept. The fastsesslon Of
the Legislature tho grant was nFaln resumed,
a'"l il's lands granted to the Chlengo, Ml!wau-
kce d ST. Paul isaroad Company oil condition
that thu ronl was to be bnlt from Algana 10 Shrl-
don. IN O'Brion County, within two renrs. Tho
Company accepted ts,e Erant, dn1 0u!lt the rond
the frat year, thereby more than ilinE It's con-
tract. On mixing application for its lntlte, It
was discovered that the Mctitreor Il Missouri
IaiIfoad Company lad jumped tilelr c!nin. and
had on nlc claim dated March =. l771, for
a!onr The roaa built By the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul, ami set ITO Tint they hava
the right under the ernEs Of 1874 10 100 scclos
Of land for every ten miles of road, and that
they>mny tic selected anywhere within tic lin
It's 1t the grant; md further HUT the right 10
this land vested on tlr completion Of carh ten
miles OF road. hence the l,,,d SO cnrnrh could
not bc resumed BY the State. as It l,ad no tttIo
thereto.
Now. 1t should be remembered that when this
erant was made the cuuntry along The eastern
half Of the line was tlirkly, settled nlul
was pop'iions, mud niIordrt abundant ]ocnl
traiIlc to warrant the building of tie rond. In
nudttlo.l thcreto local nsd or BubsIdies were
g,ve,t, Along the western ha!f there were no
settlements. The Gr4nt wns nado fur the MR.
posc u Developing tho country. There was not
nt the ttmu the grant was u1nie enough nnoc-
c.tpletl ll,M to give thu hundred SECTIONS for
sAcl ten miles Of road n!ntE tho cntLro line.
ihe question, therefore. wna, wfi0tlWr it was
reasonable to suppose t!,ut Cnngrcss would give
bonus for huyfng Il rnn'l In Il settled country
where 1t wn* invited BY ltca aid a,ld encouraged
by lncnl ai1, AM! expect that portion to be
built Without bonus wilere there was no local
trade, nor local utd,-or, In other words, whoticr
thc grant WIS not In terms e0-tcr,ninus, nlul
applied tu carh ten miles Of road rs completed.
That thu land must BIT taken from tic ten
milo limit along the road actually built. Cptn-
ullsHioner Williamson takes the ro-termnus
REV Of tlie ease. unl holds tllut under See. Of
tic grant Of 1904, wl!cll snvs, "Eycry alter
oate SECTION designated bv ODD numbers for ten
sections In Width on each sdc Of said rontl,n
talRn The road Is bliIlt, asid then It Is only 10
l,iiA OH cacl, ssae Of tsr foa5. Under this cot,-
sruCton he holds that the land west OF Agonn
belongs to the Chicnso, Milwaukee, IL Ut. PAIL,
Nt1 will be rntentcdsto The State for that Conn
pany. Lie ulso holds tllnt The McGrcEUr l. Mis-
soEsi Eallrnal Company can only tnke lantt
earned Mc@ortnG to ttc Mtcs 1t built, ai.ll not
!iilus tHrncd BY mites built by any other Com
pAnr,-ttmt II. 1llr la1lds earned by ench CUM
pany Will DO certified TO allrh Company only.
This decision will Interfere somewhat with gnnie
Of the lantl-grab schemes Ut tho MctireE1r IL Mis-
Bonr! aud the old Metireaort & Western, which
were yelitintcd fu this correspondence u THE
TRIBUNE n irw years ago. 1t 10 pleasing to Iowa
reoplc 70 know tllut Ar. Williamson is rcdcum-
lug thu department OVER wiIc!t he prcsllcs frnm
the very lau character whfgl, lls predecessors
Aad somehow entaile.l upon 1t. II he will IN
soMc ,sny stop the Iusther certilcatloM OF lnut!s
Wlnv, long dead and buried, md which tho
Uplttd Stntcs Land.Oillcu rrcnrls hero siluw
has nrraay got over 1U0O0 ncrcs lnore tlnn 1t IL
entitled to, he will do good thing Tor thu
Etntc and illa people who wish to got cElru,,
hotucs Iii SorLllcrn 10wn.