Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-02-02

WhaJ was desired without asking The
consent of congress. The bill for fur.
ther extension was placed upon the
calender Of the House at the last ses.
sion OF congress without any accom-.
panying report from committee, but
the Forty-siXth congress expired before
the bill was reached.
Not only did secretary Schurz extend
the land grant two years to the North
Pacific by construction of law which
decided that an earlier act OF congress
repealed latter one (versa-vice), but
authorized changes of route by holding
that two or more locations could bp
made instead of the one only location
required by the act of congress.
The further effect of this decision
may be understood when it is consider
ed that at each location of line lands
are withheld from public occupation
for breadth of from fifty to one hun
ired miles throughout the entire length
of the road. All settlers are warned
on-frOm the railroad or odd number.
ed sections, while the even numbered
or government sections are held at
double medium price, s. so per acre
The railroad company compels all fu.
ture settlers to purchase from them
land in the railroad sections and the
land officers force former settlers on the
same sections to 90 to the railroad com.
pauy to purchase their own improved
lands at railroad prices, hy annulling
the previous entries made by these
settlers under the public land laws.
After the rights of the settlers have
thus been destroyed, on the false pre-
tense Of the al eyed superior rights OF
the Northern Pacific company, the in
terror department permits another 10.
cation of the line of the road to be
made, and then follows another taking
up Of millions of acres of public land
and another raid on the settlers.
1t is alleged that this opinion Of
Secretary Schnrz was prepared by As
sistant Attorney General Marble of the
interior department, lately commission
er of patents, and the fact that Mr..
Marble resigned his last place to ACCEPT
the land cOmmiSsioner,hip of tie
Nortern Pacific railroad company is
commented upon as vindicating in
peculiar sense the scripture adage that
1.-THE labOrer is worthy of his hire"
The Northern Pacific selected lands
under their grant prior to building any
Of the road where these seec ions were
made, and that, too, after the grant had
expired by positive limitation. Secre-
tary Schur2, with this knowledge he-
fore him, accepted aud approved n e
st of selections and certificates tn re-
Of and allowed patents to issue for hG-
tween S,OOOOOO and 1O,0OO,O0O acr, s
of land in Dakota and Washington
territories and in Oregon. These lands
had been opened for settlement for ten
years, and this acceptance and approval
we're mtaGonized by bona fde settlers
SpOn some of them.
The decision of Secretary Scbu2
oveuOde the claims of the settlers and
allowed the Northern Pacific to select
lands after default acknowledged, and
in face of the law which requires that
every 100 miles of road shall first be
examined and accepted by the commits
sioners, and the report of the commits
sioners shall have been approved by
the president The sections of road,
must, hy law, be built and fully ac-
ceptel before the lands can be selected.
approved and listed for patent.
The act of 1862 placed these lands
within five mile limit which. by the
act of 1864, was extended to twenty
miles, and the settlers under the home.
stead and prepmption laws on lands
within the extended limit thus lost
their rights and were subjected 10 dis
tress.
The logic by which Secretary Schuz
justified the issuance of patents to the
Northern Pacific railroad for lands on
account of portions of the road con.
structed long after the time allowed |
by congress- is certainly anomalous. |
lie held in effect that all railroad grants
are present grants, and vest in the
grantee the legal title to all the land |
contemplated by the grant-that the
title does not revert to the United
States on breach of condition without
a declaration of forfeiture by congress
np ocrount of tbio bro.ch of corditron |