The Wilmingtonian., 1884-11-15
OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE.

e institute a strict scrutiny of what stant
s yet to the peoples credit under the head {
I Public Lands"
Let the investigation be pushed. I'll
i work of the commission for this purpos
should comprise as first and necessar
feature of its duty the recommendation
a forfeiture of all grants of public land
where the contract has not been fulfilled
the donees even to the extreme letter of til
' contract. That no recognition be given, {
further toleration extended to any and a
corporations who are in any manner delir
quent. Also that that modicum Of publ
land which any corporation or company o
spectators has, by the letter of the contrac
failed to earn, be Internationally forfeited
to the people,
1t is an undoubted fact that millions o
acres of the peoples heritage are at thi
moment jeopardized, the title thereto grow
I
We must know what We may count upor
now as public domain, and what may be
looked upon as available for pre-empton oil
homestead, 1t is right also that it be
placed upon record what lands are held
under condition of forfeiture, the extent
of satisfaction rendered to date and wheth-
er the title to those lands forfeited has been
returned to the attorneys Of the people, and
that those domains have been recorded in
the archives of the various states, and due
facilities given for their reasonably immedi-
ate availability be given to bona fide sett-
lers..
The time has come when the people of
this country, whose once incompatible do
main is being stolen or frittered- away,
should use more peremptory language, or
instruct their representatives so in demand
ing of those officers of the federal goveln-
ment who are responsible, an exact account
of every acre.
The demand is made not in the name of
the rich and well to-do; but for the poorer
classes, for the laborer, for the working
man.
The moment is close at hand when thou
sands of native Americans will be vending
their way westward in search of homes west
of the Mississippi! AS things look now,
with the trades and professions glutted
more then ever beforehand the possibility
of some restriction being placed upon the
unlimited influx of foreigners upon our
soil, it is probable that the public mind will
be tu' ned in the direction of the yet vacant
lands in our territories. The belief obtains
among the people of this country that the
pick of the public lands has been already
taken up 1t is undoubtedly true to some
extent.
An idea of the enormous area of land
given away by the Federal authorities since
1869 for the sole purpose of aiding corpora
tiohs in constructing railroads may be gain
ed in quoting from the speech of Congress-
man Charles B. Lore. When denouncing last
June, in Congress the Oregon Land-Grant
Railroad he cited the Union Pacific
as possessing 100000 acres of the
public domain; Central Branch Union
Pacific 49, 4ss; Kansas Pacific 6OOO. 600:
Union Pacific, (successor to Denver Pacific)
100000; Central Pacific 5000, 900;
Central Pac flc, successor to Wes-
tern Pacific 100000; Burlington and
Missouri River 2,441, 900; Sioux City and
Pacific 60,00O; Northen Pacific A, 900, 900
Oregon Branch Central Pacific 5000, 600;
Oregon and California $500, 900; Atlantic
and Pacific $4,000, 900; Southern Pacific
6,OO0,0O0; Southern Pacific Branch Line
3,620,000; Oregon Central 1900 900. To
these lands given away by the Federal Gov
ernment since 1862 are to be added SO, 49O,-
263 acres of our public lands given away to
the different states for the same purpose,
making over 100, 900, 900 acres or territory
of 800, 900 square miles sacrificed and for
ever parted land.
To use Mr.. Lore's words in Congress.-
Out of this vast domain you could carve two
hundred and forty States of the extent of
Rhode Island, with her 1,24O square miles;
one hundred and fifty States of the size of
Delaware, with her 2, 900 square miles; sew
en- States the size of Pennsylvania with her
45,215 square miles; four and one half times
as large as all the New England States
(Maine, 33,040 square miles; New Hamp-
shire, Z, 3O5 square miles; Vermont, 9,565
square miles; Massachusetts,, s315 square
miles; Rhode Island, 1850 square miles;
Connecticut 1890 square miles,, &C, ,4G5;
three times as large as the great states of
New York Gao, 40 square miles), Pennsyl-
vania CAS-, 215 square miles), and New Jersy
T,s14 square miles), 102, 200; one and a half
times as large as the great German Empire,
with a0s, 624 square miles; nearly three times
as large as Great Britain and Ireland, which
have l21, ,571 square miles. and nearly equal
in extent to the thirteen original States,
which contain 1926, ,O65 square miles. These