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

domain, granted without consideration 10 1
few corporations; these corporations hold
these lands by tho same questionable methods
which secured them from Congress. Tho
grants arc now owned by few men whose
only method IN affairs il tho employment Of
Congress to decl 70 the forfeiture OF tLcsc
lands to tho extent OF these 0G,00O.00O. Tllts
monatrons outrage on human rights can DO
remeded. These men will st'll hold
and monop alize over iOo,ooo,0oO Acres;
but these 9600o,000 can be reclaimed
the Justice Of this net that much at least.
wrested from tho jaws Of monopoly and dis
honor, cad be secured for free home. for f,oe
men.
On tho 10th day Of January, 1872. l in'ro-
dnccd House bill No. 2,S7s, 10 declare these
grants where tho corporations failed within tho
time specified In tho grants TO fnliill the ,nd-
tons forfeited and n storing tho lands to tho
public domain. and on tho 9th day Of tho sano
month introduced House bill No. 2.752. tore.
cure the remaining public lands adapted TO ag..
ricultnre to actual settlers Under the homestead
laws These bills were referred To the Commit
tee on pnll,c Lands. On tho 9th day OF
February, 1882, my colleague (Mr. Cobb
introduced House bill No. 500. to
declare tho forfeiture Of these lands
and restore them 10 the public domain.
This bill was referred to tho judiciary Conn
mittce. Other bills have been introduced.
More. than xix months have elapsed and tho
Committee on Public Lands i - silent NJ death
Oh these vital measures. Tho majority Of the
Judiciary Committee report ambignonsly, but
apparently in favor OF letting the Northern
Pacific alone, and by implication rcailirming In
part grant long tiuce dead in tho State Of
Michigan. We are assured that tho minority
OF that committee will assert the just claims
Of the people In nnambiguous terms.
I l. rt,af tn rt,ia a. fhaf 0a ~
our people by referring to The large figures OF
our public lands in the Commissioner report,
hut II YOU deduct the 500, 520, 600 acres Of tho
ice fields OF Alaska, the Rocky mountains, and
the Sierras, and the vast arid and sterile plans
which skirt those mountains, all o! which ire
embraced In the computation Of the public
lands and dcluc, over 100000, GOO acres in all
Of land grants yet to be fllcd-dednct all these
fnd see how the figures shr.ycl am how little is
left.
There are still in this House two members
who we're In the Congress which passed the
Homestead Law and voted for it, passaee-the
gentleman from New York, then from Ohio
Mr.. Coxl. ard myself. MY friend from New
York and myself at least have stood by that
law from the beginning. Not an acre has been
taken from the aboring men OF this country by
his vote Or mine nor an acre given to cor
porat:on. Every bill giving these vast millions
to tho fAyoritcs OF Congress has at least met
our earnest resist ancc.
but tho grants have been made, the public
domain has been largely exhausted and mo-
nopolizing corporations have been organized
with impel ial powers which defy the Govern
ment itself; motives and methods OF corrup-
ton unknown until this policy was inauguratel
threaten our free institutions; vast estates
have been created by act of Congress, and the
free outlet OF labor from the power Of capital
10 rapidly closing. The shadow Of new
power rests upon this Capitol and the depart
men;s. 1t may be that Tor the time the people
OF tins country will not fully appreciate the
injury done o Il cir institutions, but sooner or
later anathcmas deep and bitter will fall from
the lips OF poverty and Indebtedness on these
measures which. under the perfidious mask OF
progress and development, will enrich the few
but deprive muititudes Of men and their wives
and children Of happy and prosperous homes.