The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-02-25
ESTABLISHED AUGUST "a. 1852.
CAPITAL FANCIES,
SOME BROAD sRlMs IN CONGRESS
And Other Matters Of Note At the Seat Of Wisdom.
Forfeiture OF ilaiitoad Land Grants and /.
tho Protests Of Innocent Ssttltrs-The
House SlashinE In With . Meat N.

From Our Special Correspondent. AL .
WASHINGTON, February o3.--Tbc House
Committee on Publc Landa has just made
very important concession which will be
Of Interest 10 all land ownera, and par,icu.
larly 10 the residents in the sections Affect.
ed by tho proposed forfeiture Of railroad
land grants. The amount OF land which
this committee proposts forieiting Ia nearly
l00.0O0.00o acres. Bills are already before
the committee for the forfeiture Of fully
this amount, and thus far everything OF.
fered has been iavorably considered and
In most cases fayorably reported. The
House seems to be even more earnest than
tho committee and everything reported
from the committee iorleiting land grants
has been eagerly passed, sometimes without
discussion and without division. The re-.
suit has been great alarm among pso.
plo who have purchased lands from the
railroad companies. In many casc4 par.
ties have purchased land from these com.
panles settled upon them and made homes
with the expectation Of getting their titles
as soon as patents were granted to the
companies by tho government. These
wholesale forfeitures have threatened the
homes Of these people, and .peli.
tons have come in large numbers, espe.
cially from along the line OF the Northern
Pacific, protesting against this sweeping
forfeiture which would render 30 many
people homeless. Theue petitions. have at
last had their effect. The Committee on
Public Lands in one Of their sessions this
week insertedaclauss in one OF the for
leiture bills confirming to setters who have
purchased from railroads title to their
lands. This was done in the case OF only
one road, but it will prove, it is believed,
an important precedent and the result will
probably be that in all cases where men
have in good faith purchased lands from
railroad companies and settled upon them,
and made improvements and are now oc.
cupying them as homes they will not be
disturbed. This is largely the case along
the Northern Pacific. Thousands aud
thousands Of homes III that section would
be endangered by this wholesale forfeit.
ure without some saving clause OF this
kind, and the members from that section
who feel called upon to especially champion
the case OF tielr constituents are very
much gratiGed With this course Of tho COM
mittee. "
"What do you think will bo tho late Of
these sweeping forfeiture bills when
they reach the Senate" yuur correspond.
en-. asksd OF Senator McMullen, OF Miune-
sofa. +...,.-
''Don't know" he answered; reiiecsively.
II think that tho Senate will probably not
act as promptly on al! these bills as the
House seemed inclined to. I presume
some Of them will pass, indeed the Senate
was, l believe, taa frs, to pass II bill OF this
nature at this session, bill folfei,ing
Iron Mountain railroad lands in Missouri
having passed this body some time since.
| think, however, that in gone cases at
least Il forfeiture proposition will meet with
very strong opposition"
SLOW about Northern Pac;fic?"
"That l think will receive good deal OF
careful attention. tbs Senate has always
been inclined 10 favorable consideration
OF the claims OF the Northern Pacific. II
has opened up, q vast country and very
valuable one, and there is d general feeling
among Us at this end Of the Capitol that
the road is entitled to good deal OF credit
for what it Lss done for the people, and it
ought to be tried with consideration and as
much lenieucy as possible"