The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-03-21
ALLEGED EXTORTION. 1
The Northern Pacific Denies That 1t Has
Oppressed Settlers,

The Northern Pacific Denies That 1t Has
Oppressed Settlers.
WASHINGTON, March 17.-Circulars from
the Northwest have recently been distrib-
uted among congressman in which the
charge is made that the Northern Pacific
Railway Company is extorting from set
tiers on its lands a higher price per acre
than offered them by resolution of the
company's Board of Directors. Northern
Pacific officials now in this city deny posi-
lively that the company has broken
faith with settlers on railroad lands.
They say that the resolution of the
Northern Pacific board referred to was
adopted in November, 1879, when the road
had not been constructed between the Mis-
souri, River in Dakota and Columbia River
in Washington Territory, a distance of
about 1900 miles. For a greater part of
this distance the Government land surveys
had not been made and settlers were de-
tered from going into the country in adj
vance of the building of the road by the
fear that when the surveys should be made
they might find their improvements to be
on railroad land and be forced to pay a
high price for the land.
Toquiet this apprehension and encourage
settlement the company gave assurance to
the settlers that, in case their quarter sec
ton claims should prove to be railway
land, they would only be required to pay
the same price per acre demanded by the
Government for the presumption of claims,
namely $780, with the addition of ten
cents per acre to cover the cost of surveys
and conveyance. The resolution giving
this assurance applied only to agricultural
lands and expressly excepted coal, iron and
timber lands and lands required for town
sites and for the use of the company
in connection with the operation of the
road Subsequently, as the construc-
ton of the road progressed and agricultural
sections near its line were surveyed so that
settlers could select Government or
railroad land at their option, the policy of
the company was changed and the sys-
tenn adopted of examining lands and
grading them in price on the basis of their
value. Of this change the company gave
extensive public notice, but the resolution
of 1879 is in force SO far as settlers are
concerned, who have the right to claim Its
benefits. The Northern Pacific officials
say that if there has been instances where
such settlers have been refused the
privileges of purchase under the terms of
the resolution, such instances cannot be nu-
merous and the company is at all times
ready to remedy any injustice that may
have been done If proper proof is presented.
The privilege to purchase at the minimum
price, they say, was never intended to APP
ply to more than 100 acres for each actual
settler, the policy of the company being to
discourage speculation and reserve its agri-
cultural lands for small farmers who culti-
vate their own holdings and make homes
upon them for their families.
In all cases where settlers have gone
upon town site lands, or upon other lands
exempted from the company's offer, it has
been the company's intention and policy to
treat them fairly and with liberality. The
railroad officials further say that the charges
of injustice toward settlers seem designed to
create a prejudice in Congress against the
recognition of the company's plain, legal and
equitable right to retain its land grant
rather than to remedy any real
abuse. They also state that much the
larger proportion of all land sales hereto
fore made in the district named have been
made at minimum prices authorized by the
board. They assert that a mistaken impress
sion prevails as to the character and value
of lands embraced within the Northern Pa
cific grant, especially in Montana and Idaho.
They estimate that the available land suita-
bic for farming purposes III those Terri
tories to inure to the company is less than
100000 acres, the remaining 10000, 600
acres being mountain ranges and arid and
broken uplands, valuable, if at all, only for
grazing purposes.