The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1882-01-11
TME NORTHERN PACIFIC GRANT.

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED '.ooNGREs-
SIGNAL RAID THE RESOLUTIONS OF
INQUIRY.
A special despatch from Washing
ton to the New York Times says
The introduction In the House to-
day, by MIR. Cassiday, of Nevada, of q
bill to restore to the public domain
the lands which have been assigned
to the Northern Pacific Railroad Com
pany since the original grant lapsed,
because Of the failure to complete the
road within the specified time, and
the presentation in the Senate, by
Mr.. Teller, of resolution ealing for
the decision of ex,Commissioner Will
Hanson, Of the Land Office, and ex-
Secretary Schurz, of the Interior De-
partment, in relation to the extension
of this lapsed grant, are regarded as
the beginning of active procee dings
which will be taken in Congress for
the purpose of restoring to the people
about 80, 900, 900 acres of the best land
in the United States. The original
grant was made by an act passed in
1854. That act gave the company
forty sections of land per mile, or
about 20, 900 acres in the Territories
and half as much per mile in the
btates through which the line might
pass. The company was required to
complete the road by July A, 1876.
The time was extended two years in
1866, and in 1868 law was enacted
making the limit 1877. 1t appears
from letter written by Land Com
missioner Armstrong in 1880 that the
question as to the time for the COM
pletion of the road was passed upon
in the department on June IL, 1879,
and that it was held that under the
original act and the amendments the
time did not expire until July A, 1879,
and that the government could take
no action in relation to the forfeiture
of the grant until one year thereafter,
or July 4, 1880.
III the last g ongress bill was intro
duced in the Senate TO extend the time
still further. II was reported but was
not acted upon. A report was made by
minority OF the committee, and in this
report are many interesting facts The
committee declared that the company
boN hANCtlJ lhliId W IOhVi1 WIFI Jlb
terms of its charter, aud that the land
grant had lapsed, The date of the re
port was April %, 1880. 1t was also
said that about 600 miles OF the road had
been built and 100000 acres Of land
thereby earned. There were 36,000,000
more TO be earned. The company had
been selling lands at an average of 49,
70 per acre, ut which rate, the pay
ments being made in stock at 80 cents
on dollar, the remainder of the grant
would be worth more than $6S,000,000.
The report continued as follows
"The cost Of constructing the 1000
IN lies of additional road cannot be over
$4,000 per mile, for while the road runs
portion of the way through a noun
famous country, where building will be
difficult and costly, the greater portion
OF the distance is well timbered and the
gradiDgs very light. Taking the reason
able estimate of $751; 900 per mile, the
1000 miles will cost $24 100000, while
the value of lands, according to sales
that have been recently made, amounts,
as we have just seen, to $6S,000,000.
Deducting the cost of construction, at
$4,000 per mile, we have an excess of
IA, 100000 remaining as gift and a
gratulty TO is monster corporation, IN
addition to 1920 miles of railroad; but
~ this ,bpl .thle price is fixed at the uni
form rate OF $3.50 per acre for their
laud, payable in their preferred stock,
worth more than so cents on the dollar.
This would make the cash value OF &c.
000, 900 acres of land, at ST 20 per acre,
amount to $44, 000,0 900, and If we deduct
$24, 000, 900, which is the cost of cOnstruc
ton, we have remaining as a gift and
gratuity, in excess of the cost OF con-
sLruction, $20,000.003 To this view
must be added the fact that the &C mpany
have already 700 miles of railroad in
operation; that In their last fiscal year
they earned, in excess of all their ex-
penses, taxes, insurance, and salaries,
$516, 900, that out of the earnings of the
company they have almost constructed
their operating lines anew, furnished
much rolling stock, repaired bridges and
docks, sunk frost proof wells, built
branch roads, aud still, after all these
improvements, show net earning of
over $5U0,000."
In conclusion, the minority declared
that one-half of the proposed grant
would be sufficient, inasmuch as IL
would allow more than $4,000 per
mile at a valuation of only SIPS per
acre.
In conversation with the Times cor
respondent to day, a gentleman ac-
quainted with the circumstances said
that after the company had failed 10 get
further extension from Congress it
applied to the Interior Department. The
Commissioner of the Land Office de.
cided that the grant had lapsed, but this
decision was overruled by the Secretary
of the Interior, Mr.. SchuTz. IL is ln-
tended that the decisions and all papers
relating thereto shall be sent TO Con-
| gress, and that all circumstances relat-
| ing to the company's acquisition of mil
lions OF acres of land, which are admitted
to be very valuable, shall be disclosed
Huge tracts OF these lands have been
recently secured 10 the company by the
completion and approval of large sec.
ton Of the line. The resolution intro
duced ~ Mr.. Teller calls for the decis-
ion of Commissioner Williamson, which
was against the company, aud also for
the text OF Mr.. Schurz's decision, which
oVerruled and set aside that of the
Commissioner aud settled the question
without reference to Congress. There
are also demanded all papers, orders
correspondence, and memoranda relat.
ing to these decisions, aud Mr.. Kirk
wood is required to state the number oil
acres patented to the company or its
assigns since July 4, 1876.
The NcaYenRer,s DnuShicr.