The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-06-05
SOUTH KENTUCKIAN
ADVERTISING A RATE.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. Inne 9 g


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 ius-
tice done, there is now an almost u.
unanimous opinion that 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
coming when that trial will be point
ed at as one of the most outrageous
and extravaganza that ever occurred.
Nobody knows how much that trial
will cost Brady and his gang, as
believe, were and are rascals-I cam
not dispute that Fact. They made
money, as l believe, in the most ras-
cally manner, but 1 would like to
have the honest, hard-fsted farmer
and mechanic look at the expense of
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 paving LAWYERS
$l5O day for trying case? Is it
any wondeTthat the case lasts months,
instead of days? III were lawyer
and was getting 800 or $l5O day, L
presume l should not be so impatient.
But 1t is a shame, just the same. If
the governments lawyers were paid
by the job, instead of by day, firmly
believe that 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
800 day. You will see therefore,
that one item of expense foots $3.50 a
day. Mr.. Kcr talked seven days
cost ~, ,450. Bliss talked eight days
cost $500. Wilson talked six days
cost $2,l0O. Ingersoll has talked
four or five days, and there are sever
al counties to be heard from. No
body but the lawyers seems to be
getting any good out of the trial. The
accusedpay their big array of coun-
sci 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 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 west
ern states and territories to foreign
capitalists. The success of stock
raisers and wheat-growers upon the
hitherto untouched soil which has
been open to. cultivate 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 invest
ments at home. Knowing that the
area of our nnimproved public land
is rapidly decreasing, these capital
lists have determined to invest in them
before it shall abe 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 transfer
red to three or four enterprising citi-
zens of Chicago, who were to pay for
it by erecting capitol 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 recent
ly 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 mon
ey and an inclination to make such
investments. Great wheat farms and
cattle ranges in the west have passed
into the handsof foreign buyers. With
in few days 100000 acres in the
cotton belt of the state Of Mississippi
and 100000 acres in the wooded
country in the southern end of that
state have been sold to 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
soon to become the property of Euro
pean investors. Other sales of areas
so large that they attracted public at
tention have been recorded from time
to time during the last two. or three
years.
| There seems to be nothing in these
purchases of principalities Of land to
cause alarm. If the property were to
form the bases of great hereditary
estates, 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 cultivation
and in this way enrich the country
and rapidly extend the area of civili-
zation. Their great resources may
enable them to give to the south Il
new system of agriculture where it is
most needed, and wherever they may
go they will increase the nations
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