The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-08-24


to remove all motive for ffaul. The amend
mcnt OF the Senate could not be entirely over
come and the suiii OF 1900, 900 had to be
appropriated. The pressure then was almost
- graf A. 1t is now to reach the public lands
and exhaust them they are now and have been
for years rich field for dishonest speculate IN
But, Mr.. Chairman, the evil OF which complain
il only part OF general system. wish in
brief way to oonsider the subject more broadly.
The act which passed Congress on the 2Dth OF
May, 1862, known A. The Homestead law, :"
was not only one Of the wiscst hut one of tho
most humane laws ever enacted-I had tho
honor myself to vote for it, and ! feel an hon
Orable pride in that vote. 1t was tho first i'm
portant law Of civil government enacted by the
great party which from that day TO this has
controlled this Government. II was the hope
OF the friends OF that great measure that Mt a
very early day all the public lands OF tho United
States adapted to agriculture wouli he placed
under its provisions, thus securing for all time
the public domain for the benefit Of the actual
settler, the nation holding the lands only as q
trustee for its landless people.
The Republican party III its early vigor point
cd to this law With commcndable pride, not only
~ the fulti lment OF a promise made to the pco-
pie, but ~ the evidence of the elevated states
Manship Of its leaders. Andrew johnson and
other eminent representatives OF Democratic
principles had made brave fight for the Home
stead law and failed. The Republican party
had carried it through as its first measure Of
civil policy.
Thirty years ago. in the first gathering Of its
elements. the Republican party at Pittsburgh
adopted this resolution:
"Rso'red, That the public lands Of the
United States belong to the people, and should
not be sold to individuals, nor granted to cor
porations, but should be held ~ sacred trust
for tho benefit OF the pcope, and should be
granted in limi.ed quantities, free Of cost, to
landlcrs settlers.
II was greatly to the honor Of that party and
the sminent statcsmcn who or. al lied its forces
that ten years after the adoption OF that rcso-
luton the party fulfilled its early promise by
the enactment OF the Homestead law 1t was
an honorable beginning. but that great party
twenty years ago. devotlng for the coming ages
the grand pubic domain of that day for homes
for the llndless and prosperous and happy fire.
sides for all men who would assert the ghts OF
labor. and that party Of to-day, turning that
hountiful gilt OF nature to mankind over to the
grasping millionaire AMI the p,nndcrng spols-
man and using the power Of Government to
drive on the tailoring man from the fields en-
riclied Lv his labor aud on which he was in
vlted to enter by that very Homestead law for
the benefit Of incorporated power, Is the most
striking and huEliliatlng contrast known to the
history Of free government.
The facts which l shall present will show
how tamely have presented the case. The
great parties which had controlled the Gov
eminent for three quarters of a century had
husbanded the public lands with jealous sollci-
tude; their policy Mt times seemed almost
misery. They did not underestimate the value
OF this great inheritance ]: they saw in the fer
tile and boundlcss fields Of the West the strong
bulwark OF the Republican institutions they
were chershing they saw in those fields the
tallzcd power they felt and knew that while
that refuge remained. while the strong arm
and the Urave heart OF labor was sure Of
freehold, n home. and a ireside against all the
accidents OF fortune the republic was secure.
The monarches which hal held possession in
North America, the English, the French and
Spanard, had granted to favorites large es-
tatcs in land. And why not? Such il the IN
stinct OF monarchy. Our fathers boarded the
public lands TO secure homes for the people.
They did not enact homestead law. for the
public treasury during long period required
the price, but little more than nominal, charged
for public lands. It was no har dship, for there
were no OvergrOwn estates; and hence poverty
Was almost unknown. Under this policy the
great States stretching westward from the Al
leghanies to the Mississippi and still onward
We're settled the general equality in wealth was
maintained no princely estates: no cry for
labor and bread. Up to the time tie Repnb-
ican party came into power not an acre Of
land bad been granted by Congress to o
to States for internal Improvements and APP
Piled by the States to m liking OF roads. canals
and railroads amounts in The aggregate to 81,
Go, SAG acres. This includes all OF the grants
made BY Congress from the adoption OF the
Fedora! constitution on the 18th day OF Sep.
TENDER, 1851. 10 the 4th day OF March, 1851,
when the party now controlling public affalrs
came into power, covering period OF seventy
four years.
And here present. sir. table Of the grants
Of public lands made bv Congress since the Re-
publican party came into power on the 4th OF
March, 1861, covering period of twenty-one
years-not grants made to States for public
purposes subject to State control aud State tax
alton, but made to corporations for the gain
and profit OF corporations which are even now
almost, il not entirely, above either State or
Federal control.
Here Mr.. Holman gives table Of railroads
ana the amonnt Of land granted to each. show
ing that between 1864 and 1874 the enormous
amount OF 192, OSl, los acres Of the public do
main was voted away by Congress to railroad
corporations.
Thus while the old parties. Federalit. Demo-
crat and Wing. had carefully guarded the pub
lie land through period Of seventy-four years
against the countless schemes OF proposed and
pretended development and improvement.
through which the designing and the crafty
sought to reach them, and through that long
period granted 3l,60n,si6 acres to States for
int. rnal improvements, the Republican party in
q pei iod Of fourteen years gave to railroad cor
Iorations l920sl, 1852 acres. All Of these
grants, aggregating 49,, l55 50 acres. were
made between the 18th day Of March. 1861, and
the ith day OF March. 1875, period Of four
teen years, for on the 4th day Of March, 1875,
Iii. Democrat. party came into tue control OF
this House, and since then no grant has been
made, renewed or enlarged.
And who can es innate the fatal injury in
flict ID by this system ON the integrity OF the
public service Each grant has its own peculiar
history OF national humiliation
The exhaustion OF the public land is not the
only evil OF this system OF land grants. In the
many struggles to renew, enlarge and extend
the grants, spcctacles we're presented on TIM
floor which cannot be recalled without sense
/ VI national humiliation aud dshonor, wher
I great stockholders OF the corporations holding
I these grants. members Of this House, unLlush
ingly attempted to vote III til, il own interest
and we're arraigned before the bar OF the Hous.
fertile regions OF the pubic domain had beer
reached aud appropriated by these grants, an,
not till then, the minority OF this House wtr,
able to check this corrupting policy. The TIM
for the completion Of these land grant railroad
has expired. The last grant, according to vari
day OF May, 1882. The time for the complctiol
OF the Northern Pacific railroad, with its cnor
nous grant Of 4s.N5.040 acres, expired on tn
4th day Of July, 1879.
In al Of these gran i, except to the Norther
Pacific, it ID IN substance provided that the cor
porat ons should complete specified portion 0
their respective roads each year, receiving tn
lands accruing upon the completion Of each sec
ton OF twenty miles, and should complete thei
respective roads within specified period, gen
orally ten years, and upon failing to do 30 til
lands remaining should "revert to the Unite
States" In some OF these acts the language
still more specific and declares tat upon sue
failure the act shall be "null and void" an
the remaining iands "shall revert to the Unite,
States" There il not the least ambiguity i
the conditions to these grants, by wLi.h III
corporation il entitled to : gwen number 0
sections VI land on the completion OF each SO
ton Of twenty miles, and il there ia q failure /
complete the road within the period specified
the remaining land .'shall revert to the Unite
States"
In the grants to the Northern Pacific Hail
road Company tho terms are different. Tn
eighth section Of tue act Ii specific and uns
qa vocal. II is as fooss:
SIC. 8. .ind b. further eaqctei, TIA
each and every grant, right and privlleg