The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-05-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.. c.,
Nav % ISS3

From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
May %, 1881
The Star route trial has nearly
spent itself and must come to an end
soon. Whatever may have been the
hopes and expectations at it's earlier
stages of those who desire to see jus.
tice done, there is now an almost
unanimous opinion that a failure will
be the result. And while two years
have been spent in mis-trials there
are q good many people who begin
to count the expense. The time is
coming when that trial will be point
ed at as one of the most outrageous
and extravagant that ever occurred.
Nobody knows how much that trial
has cost. Brady and his gang, as I
believe, were and are rascals-I can
not dispute that fact. They made
money, as I believe, in the most ras-
cally manner, but 1 would like to
have the honest, hard listed farmer
and mechanic look at the expense of
the trial. The government has al
ready spent almost as much as it
was robbed of, and the end is not yet.
What do the handwriting farmers,
mechanics and laborers think of pay
ing lawyers $3.50 a day for TRYING a
case? Is it any wonder that the case
lasts months, instead of days? II 1
was a lawyer and was getting 800
or $3.50 a day, I presume I should
not be go impatient. But it is a
shame, just the same. If the gov
ernment's lawyers were paid by the
job, instead of by the day, 4 firmly
believe the trial would have been
over long, long ago. It is said, and
l have not seen the fact denied, that
Bliss is paid $3.50 a day, and that
Mr.. Merrick and Mr.. Kerr each re-
ceive 500 a day. You will see,
therefore. that n item Of expense
foots up $3.50 a day. Mr.. Kerr talk
ed seven days-cost $2,45O. Bliss
talked eight days-cost $4,000. Will
son talked six days-cost $2,1O0.-
Ingersoll has talked four or five days,
and there are several counties to be
heard from. Nobody but the law
yers seem to be getting any good out
of the trial. The accused pay their
big array Of counsel out of the mo,
ney stolen, and thus Uncle Sam foots
the whole bill for two years employ
ment of this entire of high
priced attorneys, to say nothing of
witness fees and all other expenses
all for nothing, probably.
Among the great commercial trans
actions of these days are the sales
of enormous tracts of land in our
western and southwestern states and
territories to foreign capitalists. The
uccess of stock-raisers and wheat
growers upon the hitherto untouch-
ed soil which has been opened to the
cultivator by new railways has drawn
to this country millions of foreign
money, the owners of which are. no
longer satisfied with the small return
yielded by investments at home
Knowing that the area of our unim-
proved public land is rapidly decreas-
ing, these capitalists have determin-
ed to invest in them before it shall
be too late. Not long ago a tract of
land in Texas as large as the state
of Connecticut and nearly half the
size of Belgium was transferred to
three or four enterprising citizens of
Chicago, who were to pay for it by
erecting a capital building for the
state from which they secured the
title. The sale of this land to a small
group of foreign investors has since
been announced. A law recently
enacted by the Texas Legislature was
so loosely drawn that other great
tracts of state lands can easily be
bought by any one who has the mo-
ney and an inclination to make such
investments. Great wheat farms and
cattle ranges in the west have pass
ed into the hands of foreign buyers.
Within a few days 1.1OO,O 900 acres in
the cotton belt of the state of Mis-
sissippi and 10000 acres in the
wooded country in the southern end
ofthat state have been sold to q firm
of bankers, who are said to represent
capitalists in Germany, and three
other tracts of the same size, in the
SOUTHLAND enough in all to make a
state larger than New Jersey-are
81 n TO become the property of Eu-
ropean investors. Other sales of
areas SO large that they attracted
public attention have been recorded
from time to time during the last
two or three years.
There cen to be nothing in these
purchases of principalities of land to
cause alarm. If the property were
to form the bases of great hereditary
estate, from which no one could here.
after buy a farm for himself, the in
vestments would demand more care
full consideration. But these broad
acres are going into the hands of
spectators, and in the course of time
they will be broken up and parceled
out to settlers. The purchasers will
encourage settlement and cultiva-
ton, and in this way enrich the coun-
try and rapidly extend the area of
civilization. Their great resources
may enable them to give to the south
a new system of agriculture where
it is most needed, and wherever they
may go they will increase the ma
tons wealth and productive capa-
city. So long as they do not inter
fere with the energy of those who
prefer to make home and ~homesteads
for themselves; without the assis-
lance of wealthy companies, they
will do much more good than harm.
PHoNo.
The quarrel among the colored
men, q to the holding of a National
n