Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-22
PRICES LAND BILL.

Congressman Price, of this state,
seems to have caught the reform
spirit that pervades the democratic
house, and is evidently determined
to be at the top of the heap SO far
as the introduction of reform bills is
concerned. He is not going to allow
himself to be outdone by Mr.. Hol-
man, the author of the resolution IN
relation to unearned land grants, or
by any other democrat, and, in adj
dition to his other measures, has
introduced bill which in substance
provides that lands granted by the
government to states or corporations
shall be confirmed by title to the
grantees SO far they have been earn
ed; and that unearned grants shall
be declared forfeited, and offered for
sale within ninety days after the
passage of the act; and that it shall
be unlawful to sell to any one per-
son more than one hundred and
sixty acres of the land thus placed
upon the market. The bill is good
one. Its introduction shows that
Mr.. Price judges well the temper OF
the country, which is decidedly OPP
posed to the policy, which has been
all along pursed by the republican
party, of squandering the public
domain upon great corporations
the taking away from the people
their common inheritance and be-
slowing it upon favored few; a
policy which has given to corpora
tions since the accession Of the re-
publican party to power, the vast
area of more than 2S0,0O0,OOO OF
acres of land. And now that the
democrats have called a halt in this
policy, it is refreshing to see such
statesmen as Price-who stood by
the republican party while it was
preaching morality and robbing the
people foremost in their efforts to
obtain credit for putting and end to
the plumber. The bill introduced
by Mr.. Price, with the exception OF
the clause which fixes the limit OF
acres to be sold by the government
to any one person, Is similar to Mr..
Holman's resolution which was pass
ed by the house on January 2lst, by
vote of 251 to II.
This last clause of the bill intro
duced by Mr.. Price is his own, and
he is entitled to credit for it. 1t at
least call attention to an evil which
is daily growing in this country
Who that has the welfare OF oul
people and our country at heart does
not view with increasing alarm the
almost daily acquisition by wealthy
individuals and corporations of vas'
tracts of land to be used for tenant
farming-or what will ultimately re
suit in that-a system under the
abuses of which the poor of othel
nations groan, and from which they
have long and earnestly prayed te
be delivered.
a. Ill fares the land. to Fastening ills prey,
| Where wealth accumulstes and men decay.
Princes aud lords may flourish, or may fade,
A breath can make them, as breath has made
But a bold peasantry our countrys pride,
When once destroyed can never be supplied.
History will not accommodate
itself for us. Like causes here vii
produce the same results as have
been brought about in other anc
older countries. In that Mr.. Price,
bill strikes at the root of the evi
of permitting the growth among VI
of what is known as landlordism
It's purposes are to be commended
And we are glad to see republicans
using whip and spur TO be in at the
death of this as we'll as other evils