Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-24
The Land Office and the Railroads.

Mr.. George W. Julian presents in the
| North American ReUietC an article en-
titled Railway Influence in the Land
Office" which is worthy Of attention.
Reading this paper, the truth of an axiom
repeated by Mr., Henry George appears to
must own the railroads, or the railroads
will own the government" 1t was in
1880, for the construction of the Illinois
Central Railway, that the first grants of
public land were made. SolOOse was leg
islation, so grasping the demands of
the projectors of the various lines.
Mr.. Julian states that in some instances
the grants were given with ''no lateral
limits" This waste of public DrODertv
became so extensive that at last the peo-
pie were alarmed, and about eleven wears
ago halt was called, 'but it was not
until more than 200,0 900 acres Iof the
peoples patrimOny had been appropriat-
ed-an area as large as that of the thir-
teen original States" Since these rights
were given by the nation, of course there
is no use in disputing these claims, but
Mr. Julian shows by what means the rail.
roads have been upheld in many cases i'm
lltlgatiOns with private parties as to
the ownership of lands TO which
the railroads had no possible claim.
Ia some special cases it seems evil
deut that the decisions of the Supreme
road companies. Mr.. Julian cites how
the simple printing of certified lists has
been considered equivalent to patents.
and that in this way companies ''have had
awarded to them an illegal excess of in
demnity lands amounting to more than
lO,OOO,OOO acres, or enough to make 62. 500
farms of 100 acres" These lands might
have been opened to settlers at govern
ment prices, "instead of becoming the
TAff 10,
rates imposed by themselves In such
litigation as may arise, Mr.. Julian insists
that, as far as private person is con-
cerned, "eyery presumption is against
him and no mistakes are ever made
in his favor" In the endeavor to
correctly define lands claimed by rail-
roads, awaiting settlement under various
acts OF Congress, Mr.. Julian estimates
that there are to-day not less than 10O.-
100000 acres withdrawn, but the worst
examples of these grants are the cases
where railroads hold lands where lines
have never been built at all. The COosa
and Chattanooga Railroad had land
grants which expired in 1856. All the
public lands along this proposed line. in
ODD sections thirty miles in width, have
still been reserved since 1858. No Dortion
of road called the Pensacola and
Georgia Railroad has been built. still
the land along the Whole length of the
contemplated road for twelve miles in
widtn was withdrawn from the public in
1881, and remains so to-day. The 81.
Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad mad a
grant made in 1866, but the road aban-
doned the proposed line for another Ioca-
tion, and still she reservation for twenty
miles Oh each side of the line, as origi-
naily proposed, is held. Innumerabie
other cases, all of the same Character. are
presented, and in summing them up Mr..
Julian writes: These Illustrations Of the
management Of railroads by the Land he.
partment are, in fact, illustrations of the
management of the Land Department bv
the railroads."