Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-08-04
a. ....aslr, turlllgenrcr.
FRI .AY EVENING. AUGUST 4, lee2

FRI .AY EVENING. AUGUST q, loo2
Reclaim the Lands.
The House judiciary committee has
nearly unanimously, only one
dissenting, to recommend the
forfeiture of the lands in New Mexico,
Arizona and Southern California
granted to the Texas Pacific railroad
company, but which have been trans
ferred by that corporation to the South
ern Pacific railroad company, of Cali
fornia, under the arrangement by which
the road of the former was confirmed to
the Pacific by the latter. Originally de
signed to be a competing road to the
Central Pacific, the Texas Pacific has
become the feeder of the Southern Pacific,
which was built by the owners of the
Central Pacific to head off rival roads.
There will be no disposition anywhere
to give to men who seek to lnonopOlize
the trade of California the benefit OF
great land grant in aid of their purpose :;
and the action of the House committee
has the warm support of thepeople. We
hope that the sentiment in the commit
tee represents the sentiment in Congress
also, and that the lands which were ex-
travagantly voted away will be restored
to the national domain.
The same policy should be pursued
in regard to all the other land grants
which are forfeitabIe by reason of the
failure of the grantees To comply with
the conditions of the grant. 1t would
seem reasonable that these grants should
be deemed forfeited by the courts by rea-
son of their failure, without the declara-
tion thereof by Congress !; hut it has
been held i'm some courts that con
gressional forfeiture is necessary to de
prive the companies of tho lands that
they have not earned. There should be
no difficulty in securing this congress
sional declaration grants of public
lands are no longer necessary to secure
the construction of needed railroads
anywhere i'm this country. Capital is
ready to build all that are required with
out such inducement. The times
have changed since these grants were
made. They would no longer be defen
sible as necessary to secure the develop
ment Of the country. The parties who
obtained them have failed to earn them
in the time limited to them to do so
and they cannot complain il they are
given no further extension when other
capitalists stand ready to 90 on with
their work without land grants they
cannot demand them. The lands were
not given them as charity. 1t was to
secure the public benefit resulting from
railroad extension. When that cOme'
without cost to the nation, Congress
would not be justified in failing to fOrfei
an unearned land grant, in consideration
of its proper duty, not only to the people
but to the capitalist that is ready to EN-
bark in unsubsidized railroad building
The subsidy policy has already built ~
very burthensOms tax on transcOnti
mental traffic. It is now seen to hav
been mistake from the start. The inl
posts levied upon the trade Of the cOuI
try by the corporations whose roa IS wer
wholly built by the money and prOpert
of the nation are heavier cost to i
than the original construction Of th'
roads. When the government paid fo
building these railroads it should hav
secured ut least low rate of tolls us
condition Of its free gift to the corpora
tions. Out of these one sided transac
tiOns it should at least come with sllff
cient experience to induce it to forbea
a foolish generosity in dealing with SOU
less railroad corporations and with
mind to claim its own from them whe
it can get it..
Some of the House committee who al
ready to forfeit the Texas-Pacific gran
are said to look differently upon that t
the Northern Pacific, which is equal
fOrfeitable for n0n- compliance with il
conditions. We do not see where a fa
distinction can be drawn. 1t may l
that the owners of the Northern Pacif
are more in number and not SD rich
purse as the three or four men OF gigarl
tic wealth who own the California road:
But the Northern Pacific stock wa
deemed rich enough to stand s;ol
dose OF water year or so ago and it
is good in this case, it ought to be ;.bl
to stand on its legs without land graz
underpinniDg. Let us have our lant
back again and let them be distribute
to the landless who will make tllel
green by the sweat Of their brow.
Journalistic Enterprise.
The most brilliant achievement {
Philadelphia journalism during I'll
present season seems to have bee
the discovery that two or thre
men in that city and clsewher'
who had heretofore supposed then
selves to be fond fathers of bloom
ing babies and happy husbands of trus
ing wives, have had palmed off upo