Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-06-29
agARDiNG TaE LI0t.

Iuqson City publication called The Re-
,.r,.r. which Ia devoted to reports and |
x;.russ;on of department decisions up
land matters. The following edito-
ii utteranees exhibit Il at The Reporter |
: cot an organ Of the monopolists. Is |
sr;no from she Washington whirl of |
soruption, they are as voice frem the |
wilderness: Il
legislative wool-puil'ng that the land
grant raiIroads have got through Con |
s1esx vas the act that exempted the |
roads from the payment of any cost for |
rrysys that had been or might be made |
n, the purpose of selecting and convey |
mo their lands until the patents there
sor had been issued. Under this beau |
tiful act, in which the government |
saectually got its head III chancery and |
sIIowed itself to be pummeled at will, |
ths railroads. obtained the most valuable |
parcsIs OF land which they could find |
,eady sale for, obtained the patents and |
Iuposed the full burden of taxation |
aeon their graatees and the other set |
ters In the vicinity, while refusing 10 |
aie patents for the greater and less
ysluabIe bodies of land where the bur
dsn would fall upon themselves. Here |
he government had expended hundreds |
gnd thousands OF dollars in perfecting
these Subdivisions by surveys, Tot dol |
iu Of which need he paid under this sct'I
uatiI the railroad company finds II CON
yenient 10 do 80 after IL has obtained
Q purchaser. IL Congressional imbe-
eility has ever gone farther than this. it
vas when IL granted the land to these
soulless corporations IN the hrst in
stance.
The wonderful elasticity that attaches
70 an ordinary railroad land grant has
been, and will continue to be, beaten
ont of sight by the private land grants
arising from claims in the hands of
holders under the treaty OF Guadalupe
Hidalgo. The debate in thu Senate
upon the bill TO adjust these elaiB by
The issuAnce Of scrip developed the fact
that not only had many Of these grants
grown from nursliDg of eleven square
leagues of land to a giant COVERING
eleven times eleven square leagues, but
that In California alone 10 had been dis-
covered that grants extending over an
area Of 1900 square miles were abso
luse forgeries. In the adjustments
claimed by the holders of these grants
Congress should recognize she fact that
the government, which Is 81 loudly
called upon To do equity, should have
some show for receiving equity. The
iughandled Legislation that has placed
the government at the mercy Vt n pack
Of land pirates shows that the hand of
the unscrupulous lobbyist Is rs potent
asit was when the promoters OF the
scrip dodge got in their work 81 effectu-
ally.
II Il IL criminally wrong for private
Individuals TO appropriate 20 themselves
the public domain and fence il In for
their own private purposes. how much
more feprehensible are such acts Of
violation Of the CLAIM laws of the coun.
Try when committed by the very men
Who participated in framing them !.
Here are whole townships, aud even
whole counties, pot under fence by the
authority alone Of men who presume
upon the immunity that attaches To
them By reason of official station
These men are not merely the cattle |
kings OF the country. who use the lands |
100 The purpose Of herding their stock, |
bus they are Senators, Representatives !
and other officials occupying high pub |
10 station, who are interesting them |
ssivea In Withholding these inclosed |
!ands from the actual settler by bogus |
entries made by employees of the stock |
men and others. 10 is almost beyond |
homan credulity that such offences
against the Law are psrpvtrated and per-
petnated by the class of men that We |
nave described, but the cases that have |
eeme TO the knowledge Of the Govern
ment. through the Investigations OF the
shsial agents, leave no reom for doubt |
Mso the facts, and the instances OF an |
vHS that have been cancelled, or held |
ef cancellation, show that the Interior |
panment has got on the war paint |
: general onslaught against the |
sae'e brood OF bogus pre.enptors aud
asir principals.
me frauds which have grown out of |
~ iaSs made for tue especial benefit |
y we actual settler have become too |
1mon and too defiant To be longer |
seIsssd. No township of land is fair.
oai from under the hand of the sur |
,sH before 1t IL the subject of fraudu |
Ias entfies. fraudulent fling and frand- |
sss as occupation generally, prepared |
~ oonsummatsd by ring ot specu. |
.ss suss aud land grabhefs. whose opera |
'ns extend through every land district |
~ sae newly surveyed region. The nat
eaect OF this stealing march upon |
~ sosaal settler by ring spectators Is |
mposition upon the farmer who IL |
= Poonce the substance of the nation |
exorhitant price for any good |
s,nan'R snnR iands, together with an equally |
rasAnt charge for the privilege of |
th.-ss an honest and legitimate entry |
no..s - On his own account. The re-
-. - .ne special agents disclose the |
ls,'.. wat these combinations include |
a - p'1aiists from abroad. not few |
a. 49, are English peers, some more |
Ia.ss'.n are Boston aud New York mil |
t.sa.. ana more yet OF those adven-
a. - spifits who delight - dwell in |
mrs. soansry 50 long as they can be
d h,susd by an atmospere OF fraud |
hts. sumulation of wealth. For the |
-. &c fraudulent sets of papers ne
nn~s iaf making an eutry. the prices
h. secording to these reports, at
II y. ~ 70 100 each, in GASES Of entries
-. land. wherein the services of
a s9nen and ohildren are invoked
skaay sxesr that these lands are
IA - ~ oe used In actual settlement
sof toe purpose Of specu alton
nina \ ~ any wise practicable, and we
a. I.aM Ne hSld it 10 be the duty of
10 ~ iof Department 10 follow up
the - one OF these frauds aud cancei
bsee ~ esstnca,e that is found 10 have
pshl. ;uso upon the basis of these pal
Ion Instances OF perjury aud decep-