Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1879-04-17

From The San Francisco Chronicle ]

From the San Francisco Chronicle.l
branch OF what is termed the Southern
Ra1ifc Railroad extends from goshen, In
Ealgse County, to the foot Of the mountains,
Frky miles westward, in the great valley Of
q Ban joaquin. This branch is built al an
Nk2e extending over q hundred miles distant
h ~ the authorized line, as described by the
mAp, fled by the railroad combary TO desig.
nnto the route OF their road, hence the
krsnt OF land made to the RAILROAD by Con
gress did not include the land along the road
rs bailL The entire distance across which
The road was built was saDd and sage-bush
waste. For about thirty miles along the east
setn portion OF the road the land, barren and
Idesolate as 1t was, was settled upon by
large number OF poor bu! resolIte pioneers
WHO by toll and endurance constructed about
900 miles of irrigating bitches, which brought
water upon this broad Sahara and made It
one OF the richest garden'spots OF the world
Land that was not considered worth 81 20
per acre at once became worth from $50 to
500 per acre, and all through the patient
labor of those resolute farmers
The rsilrosd owners claim that the won
derful appreciation in value is due to the con-
s.rution OF the railroad. This is shown to be
untrue by the fact that the land they claim
along the westerly ten miles OF their road,
and which Is not irrigated, can not be sold
for 81 90 per acre, although the quality is the
same as the other. The men who settled
npon these lands were men without means.
They had to construct the bitches with their
own hands, They constructed huts upon
tho moist lands surrounding Tulare Lake,
aud raised the food they lived upon while
A5iksing tho titehe. Many Of these worthy
men recently informed reporter that they
sometimes lived on beans alone for weeks at
q time while doing that work, and frequent
ly they did not know, when eating one meal,
where the next one vas to co me from. And
now the railroad company has commenced
hundreds of actions in ejeclment 10 evict
these settlers from the homes hey have made
valuable. AS might be expected, they haye
risen up as one man to defend and protect
their fresides. Six companies Of cavalry
were formed at Hanford, on the line of the
RAILROAD, on Friday evening last, aod they ex
press determination TO use such force as
may be necessary TO drive the invader from
their doors.
sThe settlers are determined to carry .he
cbntest TO the Supreme Court of the United
States, and insist that ons case, which shall
be test one for all, is sufficient; but the rail-
road company sees III to commence sepera.e
suite against each one, evidently with the In
tention OF freezing out most OF them at law.
and thus forcing them to purchase their own
homes at eztortionats prices from the CON-
panT. In the mean time every individual
ease Is to be prosecuted. Meyer were a
ahousRnd men more determined. The rail-
rbad company csnnot afford to invite the
iconsequences Of such a struggle. The settlers
Aexpress purpose to die by their hearth
stones rather than submit to the contemplate
% otstrsges, and call upon the officers OF the
lsW 10 resign rather than execute the process
s iagoked to driYe their friends and neigh
n8ss from the homes which they have bull
Idp, zinless prudence upon the part OF the
fsllroAd shall prevail, 1t is more
ItA6 tprobable that the fret great blow
S4l lard monopoly and corporation greed
allL b struck In the San Joaquin Valley.
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