Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-23
TIE GOVERNMENT WILL GAIN By CIV
ING THE LAND.
TKern County Californian


Bills are before Congress for the forfeit
ure of all the railroad land grants the
terms of which have not been strictly COM
piled with. As far as our knowledge Of
the facts goes, and we claim to have given
much attention to the subject, these bills,
with one exception only, should pass. We
refer to the grant of the Oregon and Cali
fornia Railroad which is being earned as
rapidly as possible. This is road that is
building northward to the Oregon line to
meet, at that point, road advancing from
the opposite direction. When this connec-
tiol is made it joins the California and Ore
gon railroad systems, and the effect upon
the interests of California in general and
San Francisco in particular will be import
ant. This connecting link of road is not
long one, but the construction Is the most
difficult and costly that has yet been I'M
dertaken by the railroad builders of this
State. The question OF the vacation Of
this grant assumes special Importance in
view of the fact that the forfeiture of the
Texas Pacific and other land grants of the
great railroad corporations, which appears
inevitable, will so depress their securities,
that, if the grant in question is also lost to
them, work upon this important road must
Immediately cease for want of means, and
it is not likely that work upon it can be
again resumed for many years. With the
grant. which becomes valuable as the road
progresses, it can be completed. To un-
derstand its Importance, directly and indi-
rectly, to all the interests of the State, 1t
is only necessary to make short study OF
a railroad map of the United States.
If the Northern Pacific builds down to.
wards ReddiAg, instead of to the State
line only, as is now in contemplation, it
will turn all the trade of northern Califor.
MIA to Portland, and make northern Cali
fornia tributary to that city. Under these
circumstances it is certainly very desirable
that the grant to the California and Oregon
shall be perpetusted. 1t will confer upon
the Government sections, within the grant
ed limits, more than three times the value
they would otherwise have therefore in
giving the railroad company the alternate
sections the Government not only loses
nothing, but gains fifty per cent. upon the
intrinsic value of all land lying within the
granted limits. There never was any good
reason for building the road until the Ore
pon company would build down to the Cal
lfornia line, and, as Huntington stated in
one of his recently published interviews,
this has occasioned the delay of our Cali.
fornia company. a road without through
connections could not have earned any
money, would be of small commercial
value, and would have involved bank
ruptcy to run it. Even now, with
a through connection, the road will
not pay except as operated in connection
with the Central Pacific and as considered
in the light of defense against taking
commercial territory from California and
San Francisco. The Northern Pacific is
building toward the State line, and will
meet the California and Oregon at that
point. In anticipation of the construction
of the road great many enterprises have
been projected, such as the building of saw
mills. the establishment of stock and grain
farms, the purchase of lands at greatly adj
vanced prices, and other matters naturally
anticipating the development which the
construction of the road would confer upon
the country.
The houses of Congress are divided the
lower house is Democratic, the upper Re-
publican. We have entered upon the Pres
idential year; the spoils Of office are in
sight the Democratic House will challenge
the Republican Senate by restoring to the
public domain the land grants of railroad
companies. The Republican Senate will
pass any bill the House may send it, de.
termined that the Democratic House shall
gain no advantage as an antl.rsilroad party,
/ and in this attitude it will be difficult to
get any serious attention to the real consid-
erations, commercial, equitable or other
wise, of this subject, unless we awake to
its special Importance, and Congress is In.
huenced by favorable manifestation OF
public sentiment in this State. 1t is ev-
ident that the perpetuation OF this grant
will effect much immediate good, and it
can neither injure the Government nor any
private individual.
Judging from the tone OF the press in the
northern part of the State, the people along
the line of the California and Oregon un-
derstand the situation well they know
the Government will lose nothing, but will
gain much, by giving the land already
granted to this road. They also know that
the gift is directly and in proper sense q
gift to the people OF the State OF Califor-
MIA. With the land grant the California
and Oregon road will be able to borrow
sufficient money to complete the line.
Without it the road will not be constructed
for many years and possibly never by q
| Californis company, which would manage
the road in the interest OF the commerce
of this State.
If the Northern Pacific should find it.
self at the State line without California
connections, it would be under strong
temptations to build into the northern
counties, because, by go doing, 1t would
extend its commercial territory, and be sc
inclined by reason of the great value, tc
the whole line from st. Paul and Duluth
to the Sound, the construction of the line
into California would confer. This would
be better, undoubtedly, than if no road
were constructed. But much as they might
desire to grasp, for the benefit OF Portland
and cities on she Sound, and for their ter
ritory generally the commercial supremacy
the completion by them of this connecting
link would enable then to do, we do moi
believe they would find themselves tinan'
cially able, any more than our California
company, to undertake so costly work
to build to the present terminus. twenty
miles north of Redding.
The only point that can be made against
the California and Oregon Company and II
favor of vacating the grant, is the ques
ton of time. The Government said, il
its offer of the land subsidy, that the roat
should be constructed within specified
time. 1t is Just as desirable the roat
should be built to-day as when the bil
passed, and even more so. It was the mis-
fortune and not the fault OF the Csliforni'
and Oregon that it did not complete th'
road within the time specified. But thu
reasons for continuing the grant are equs
in cogency to those which influenced thu
Government to make the concession. Ii
other words, ii it was right to make tn
offer. if the subsidy was a defensible one
if the use made of the land in the direc
ton of developing the country was jnsti
fable use, all these arguments apply witt
equal and even greater force TO the contin
uance of the grant.
DIP, SASFoRD's Liver Invigorstor has rep
utation equal to any medicine in the world.