Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-20
sive system Of weather guessing with.
out very serious loss.
THE LAND OR

THE LAND OR ANTs
Tho Chicago Tribune publishes an
exhaustive review Of the land grant
empire illustrated by an accurate map
showing the proportion Of territory
donated to subsidizs American rail-
roads. The vast area containing about
1870, 900, 600 acres has been carved out
of the national domain and transferred
to corporate m~onopolies. The greater
part Of this landed empire has been
taken from the people of the United
States to whom 1t rightfully belongs
without anyequivalent being returned,
For more than ten years THE BEE
hiss sought to arouse popular attention
to the gigantic frauds of the land grant
system. As far back "a 1873, the ed.
itor of this paper, twhile chairman of
the committee on platform In the re-
publican state convention, reported
back q plank demanding the taxation
Of all railroad lands. Four years ago,
when the jug-handled fraud known
as the Platt U. P. test q was taken
from Nebraska to the supreme court,
we called the attention of Secretary
Schurz to the imposture whereby q
land grant Of millions of acres, perfected
under the Pacific railroad charter,
was held as ron.forfeitable becausethe
Credit Mobilier had mortgsged It.
Better late than never. At this late
day the country, through the great
metropolitan dailies, Is finally awak-
enlng to the facts, and q halt Is called
to the monstrous land robbefies com.
mitted with the connivance of tho land
Office, and BY the sanction of q lazy
supreme court, that confirms corrupt
decisions of lower judges, who are
notoriously corporate property. The
Chicago Tribute reaches the following
conclusions as to the remedies which
the people may yet apply to compel
these land robbers to disgorge the vast
domain which they have either v
earned, or which they have forfeited
by violations of their charters:
1. Grants of about 80, 0OO, 900 acres
may still berevoked by congress. Prom.
iuent among these is that Of the Texas
Pacific, a~gsregating over IA, 600, 900
acres, worth $25, 000. 900. This road
has eve been built. The corpora
ton to which the grant was made has
obligated itself to another corporation
not to build, 30 rs to give this second
corporation q monopoly. Large tracts
may be recovered from the Southern
Pacific and the Atlantic & Pacific
roads, which have fallen into the
hands of syndicates swollen with
wealth obtained by the violation of all
their duties as trustees of the govern.
ment's bounty and common carriers Of
the people. Immense tracts of valu.
able timber and plantation lands in
the south are closed to the public be-
cause held to await the pleasure of
corporations to whom they were
granted twenty-seven yeare ago, but
which have never fulfilled the condi.
lions OF the grants. The reserve
power of public opinion can force con.
gress to take up these millions of
acres, II the public thinks 1t worth
while to call out Its reserves. Assur.
eddy, II the public does not look after
congress, congress will not look after
the public.
2. Public lands which lie by the
side Of the railroad lands, and are
now shut to the people because the
railroads postpone the surveys, can be
opened TO settlement. Al we have
explained, the laws Of congress make
the roads pay the cost Of surveys.
Hence the roads call for them only a.
needed to sell their lands, and the
bulk Of their grants are to-day unsur.
veyed. As the public land cannot be
marked off until the railroad
lands are defined, the practical
consequence L., that, besides the
LOG, 600, 900 Of forfeitable land
grant about 100, 600, COO Of adjoining
lands are effscsually, though not os.
tensibly, withdrawn from public use.
The remarks of Secretary Teller and
I Land. Commissioner Mcfarland on
this subject to our Washington CORES.
pondent were BY no means candid, II
IL intolerable that the public lands
should be thus locked up for the 40.
oommodation of corporations, almost
all OF whom are In default to the gov
eminent. The public now have In
formation of the abuse. Only they
can make congress remove It.
3. Millions of acres have been
stolen outright. They can be &c.
covered. When Attorney. General
Brewster has convicted the star.route
thieves he can take hold of the land.
grant thieves. Senator Van Wyck
should remind him OF this.
A. The railroads should be made ia
pay taxes on their lands. BY q Jug
gle Of not taking out formal titlel
/ they obtain by the help of the gu
preme court all the advantages oil
, actual ownership of loo, 600, 600 acrel
without paying . cent of taxes. The
English aristooraoy, bad as they are,
pay taxes, though on the valuations oil
1892. But our landed aristocracy Day
, none at all. The constituents Of the
various members of congress have
until next December to give their di
rections on this point to ''the servantl
4 OF the people" II the people have
. lost their lands they have fortunately
not lost the power Of taxing them
The wise and prompt exercise of thii
Q power may be made to forestall many
Of the evils with which the country 1
. threatened by corporate prlmogenl