The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-09-08
LAND STEALING.

a
however, a great deal upon whom the lane
is stolen from. To steal lands from Uncl,
Sam by a sham soldier, homestead, pre.emp
tor or tree claim is regarded as a rathel
cute" achievement, and in case of detec
ton and exposure IS seldom followed by
more serious consequences than loss o.
the land
, But the land thieves OF this country
; par excellence, are the railroad corporations
and the kingship among these thieves Is
at present apparently in suite between
Henry Willard, president of the Northern
Pacific, and p. c. Huntington, President
of the Central and Southern Pacific Rail
roads. Both these gentlemen command
millions of money, arc bold and unscrupu.
lous, and what they cannot get by open
and direct, they will not hesitate to get by
corrupt means.
Mr.. Henry Willard became the owner OF
the Northern Pacific Railroad land grant
as the successor of Jay Cooke, who sue
ceeded the original Boston or Billings
Company. The Billings charter with the
land grant which it included was forfeited
as long ago as 1869, but under Jay Cooke
was renewed or extended by Congress until
about 1875, when it was again forfeited
and the land relapsed to the government,
and Henry Willard, or the present North
ern Pacific kailIoad, has no scIntilla of
right to an acre of that 100000 land
grant except such as was obtained through
wholly and confessedly illegal ruling of
Carl Schurz, while secretary of the Interior
under Fraud Hayes,-unless II be such of
the lands as have been sold as the work on
the railroad progressed to actual settlers
and are occupied by them. Yet Henry
Willard to-day claims and exercises owner.
ship oyer not only the entire original Pa
clfic Railroad land grant of "a, 900, 900 acres,
but claims in addition 100000 acres in
Oregon, that were granted to the Portland
and Astoria road, which was never built;
100000 along the Columbia river through
which Willard never did and never expects
to build a railroad and 100000 along
the so called Cascade Line where no road
is or ever will be made
Mr.. Huntington. however, outrivals the
impudence Of Willard by boldly putting
In claim for all the lands that were
granted to the defunct old Tom Scott
Southern Pacific Railroad. The grant in
wolves some 15,00O,00 acres of the choicest
land in Texas, and Huntington has no
other claim to it than that, after driving
Tom Scott and his Southern Pacific off the
route ana into bankruptcy, he built a road
Of his own over the route. Under Scott
there was some apology for congress to en-
courage the building of the road, as it
would open rival line to the Union and
Central Pacific across the continent; but
when that very Union and Central Pacific
drove the proposed rival off and built the
road themselves, what claim can they have
to the land which congress voted to raise
up the rival whom they drove off? Yet
Huntington is now before Secretary of the
Interior Teller with an array of attorneys
trying by browbeatlng land purchase, no
doubt, if necessary to drive him into
some such recognition of his claim to the
Southern Pacific lands as Willard and
Window honeyfsgled Schurz into grant
ing to the Northern Pacific land thieves
SIX years ago.
1t Is gratifying to know, however, that
there are at least two honest representatives
OF the people in congress who have set
their faces against this land robbery with
such determination that, having defeated
It's contamination in the last congress they
are now fighting the underhanGed attempt
to accomplish before Secretary Teller what
was denied by congress. These gentlemen
are representatives Payson of Illinois and
Holman of Indiana. The papers within a
day or two have published very able
briei which Mr. Payson filed in the Interior
department on Monday against this pre- |
posed robbery. 1t goes over the whole |
ground and shows both the groundlessness
and the impudence of both the Hunting
ton and Willard claims; and if, after such
representation, Secretary Teller under |
takes to confirm either, instead Of leaving |
the matter with congress- as Payson and
Holman demand he shall, he will evoke |
such tempest Of indignation as no gran.
lie walled canyon in Colorado will be
strong and deep enough to hide him
against.