Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-09-03
I-nenrnHh Land Grants.

Congressman PaysOn is preparing 10
make war on the unearned railway land
grants as soon as Congress cOnvenes. He
is reported to be in Washington now pre-
pairing a statement 10 be submitted to the
Secretary Of the Interior, showing why
the land grant Of the Texas Pacific should
not be transferred to the Southern Pacific.
The amount Of land in this grant Is about
eighteen millions Of acres. The Texas
Pacific did not build the road through the
grant. and. therefore, could not claim il.
The southern Pacific did build road
through it. and received a transfer Of all
the right from the Texas Pacific which
that road had to it. There is nothing to
show. however. that the Texas Pacific had
anything TO transfer. When the Southern
Pacific was being built that company de-
clared they did not want any land grant.
That. however. was when it was
generally expected that the Texas
Pacific would build to the
Pacific ocean. When the
Texas Pacific gave up that intention the
Southern Pacific changed their tune.
They discovered all at once that they did
want the land grant, and they have been
working very hard for a year or more to
rel il. 4 scheme in their interest, re-
speeding the grant. failed last Congress.
Judge Payson intends that any scheme
they may have next Congress to get the
grant shall fail. There are a good many
unearned land grants in the South and
West which ought 10 be declared forfeited.
some of them were granted score Of
years ago. and have never been utilized
in any way. They cannot be opened to
settlement because Of the color of claim
which the railways, to which they were
granted. have to them. Congressman
Holman a few months ago, in an able
and instructive paper, which was widely
published. showed how the people have
been Wronged 10y these land grants. The
record is one that ought to bring the
blush OF shame to the cheeks of those
legislators who were instrumental IN
having the grants made. 1t seems that
every bill making grant of public land
to a corporation was passed during the
last six days of a session, under suspen-
sion Of the rules. and without debate. 1t
must be admitted that this showing is
calculated To excite suspicious Of crooked
ness. y Republican House refused to
take any action hostile TO the interests of
these land grant railways. 1t remains to
be seen what Il Democratic House will do.
The correspondent Of the leading New
York Republican paper speaks of the re-
cent conference of alleged Southern Re-
publicans AT the Arlington Hotel, Wash
ington. as follows: The meeting of South
ern politicians at the Arlington Hotel
continues to furnish food for gossip and
speculation. There is no doubt that a
movement is on foot to take the political
power away from the orthodox and regu-
lar Republican organizations in the Vari-
Gus Southern States and give it to pOliti-
cal Adventures. Some of the men who
have figured in this conference have pow
er and following. Others belong to the
horde OF cheap political frauds who infest
Washington. and live on and for patron
age. 1t Is said that General LOngstreers
connection with the conference is acct
dental That the leaders in any such
movement would like his help goes with
out saving. and they have no doubt sought
his advice"
And it goes without saving that there
IS not tine least prospect Of any such
movement succeeding in the South. The
various independent movements that have
been tried in different Southern States
have met with no success. The reason is
that they presented nothing which recon-
mended them to the people. They had no
new principles and no new policy. They
were engineered by old political hacks,
whose only purpose was to get
into office The people saw no
promise Of any benefits likely to ac-
crue to them and so they repudiated the
independent movements. Secretary
Chandler and First Assistant Postmaster
General Hatton are inflated with the
notion that they can engineer a move
ment in the South that will destroy the
sOlidity Of the Southern Democracy.
They have been working in that direction
for a year or more, but the progress they
have made is not perceptible even to
themselves. Messrs. Chandler, HattOn,
Malone and GOrham are shrewd enough
politicians for ordinary politics, but they
hav emit brains enough to start new
political movement.