Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-05-31
FROM WASHINGTON.
The Star Route Trial Nearly Finished.
Big Lawyer Fees.
Foreign Capitalists Gobbling up our
Land.
FROM WASHINGTON.
Big Lawyer Fees.
IFrom our Requiar Correspondsntl

WASHINGTON, ID. C., May 2Sth, 1888
The Star-rOute trial has nearly spent
itself and must come to an end soon.
Whatever may have been the hopes and
expectations at its earlier stages of those
who desire to see justice done there is
now an almost unanimous opinion that
a failure will be the result. And while
two years have been spent in mistrials
there are good many people who begin
to count the expense. The time is conf
ing when that trial will be pointed at as
one of the most outrageous and eXtrava-
CANT that ever occurred. Nobody knows
how much that trial has cost. Brady and
his gang, as ] believe, were and are
rascals-I cannot dispute that fact. They
made money, as | believe, in the most
rascally manner, but / would like to
have the honest, hard-fisted farmer and
mechanic look at the expense of the
trial. The government has already
spent almost as much as it was robbed
OF, and the end is not yet. What do the
hard-wOrking farmers, mechanics and
laborers think of paying lawyers $3.50 a
day for trying case? Is it any wonder
that the case lasts months, instead of
days? If was lawyer and was getting
500 or $50 day, | presume | should
not be so impatient. But it is shame,
just the same. If the government were
paid by the job, instead of by the day, |
firmly believe the trial would have been
over long, long ago. 1t is said, and |
have not seen the fact denied, that
Bliss is paid $3.50 day, and that Mr..
Merrick and Mr.. Ker each receive 500
a day. You will see, that one item of
expense fOOts up $3.50 day. Mr.. Ker
talked seven days-cost S2,450. Bliss
talked eight days-cOst $500. Wilson
talked six days-cost S2,100. Ingersoll
has talked four or five days, and there
are several counties to be heard from.
Nobody but the lawyers seem to be get
ting any good out of the trial. The ac-
cused pay their big array of counsel out
of the money stolen, and thus Uncle
Sam foots the whole bill for two years
employment of this entire crew of high
priced attorneys, to say nothing of wit
ness fees and all other eXpenses-all for
nothing, probably.
Among the great commercial transac-
tions of these days are the sales of enor-
nous tracts of land in our western and
southwestern states and territories to
foreign capitalists. The success of stock
raisers and wheat-growers upon the
hitherto untouched soil which has been
opened to the cultivater by new rail-
ways has drawn to this country millions
of foreign money, the owners of which
are no longer satisfied with the small re-
turn yielded by Investments at home.
Knowing that the area of our unim-
proved public land is rapidly deceasing,
these capitalists have determined to in
vest in them before it shall be too late.
| Not long ago 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 fol
it by erecting capitol building for the
state from which they secured the title
The sale of this land to small group
of foreign investors has since been an
nounced. 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 money and an inclination
to make such Investments. Great
wheat farms and cattle ranges in the
west have been passed into the hands o
foreign buyers. Within few days, l.,
10000 acres in the cotton belt of the
state of Mississippi and 100000 acres il
the wooded country in the southern enc
of that state have been sold to a firm o
bankers, who are said to represent capi
talists in Germany, and three othe
tracts of the same size in the south
land enough in all to make state lar
ger than New Jersey-are soon to be
come the property of European invest
ors. Other sales of areas so large tha
they attracted public attention hav
, been recorded from time to time durin;
the last two Or three years.
There seems to be nothing in thes
!, purchases of principalities of land t.
cause alarm. If the property were t.
from the bases of great hereditary es
J tates, from which no one could here
after buy farm for himself, the invest
ments would demand more careful con
sideration. But these broad acres ar
going into the hands of spectators, an
in the course of time they will be brC
ken up and parceled out to settlers. Th
purchasers will encourage settlemer
and cultivation, and in this way enric
the country and rapidly entend tn
2 area of civilization. Their great resoul
5 ces may enable them to give to the sout
. a new system of agriculture where it
9 most needed, and wherever they ma
go they will increase the nations wealt
and productive capacity. So long {
they do not interfere with the energy {
C those who prefer to make homes an
homesteads for themselves, without th
! assistance Of wealthy companies, the