The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-09-11
The Public Lands.

We make the following extract from
a speech delivered by Hon James w.
Newman at Portsmouth,, showing the
utter IaIthiessness OF the Republican
party In regard io the subject of the
public domain. Mr.. Newman said:
There are AT present few QUESTIONS
that merit lie attention Of The people
more Than those arising from the pub
lie 'ioha'f, its history and future dis
I0sitioH- Those lands ait, Ia hccUne
the homes of millions of t,ilrrs toward
which the progressive steps nf a rest
less, enLerprising people are constantly
turning.
The Republican leaders have sud
denly begun TO manifest Il great inter
EST IN the preservation of the public
domain, yrt with what sincerity" The
first national platform that party ever
issued declared that these lands ht.long-
ed 10 the people, that they should not
he sold tD Individuals nor granted TO
cOrpuI atinus. hut be held rs Il sacred
trust ani granted i'll limited quantities
To- ayiual settlers free of cost. In 1860,
in the first platform upon which il
stepped into power, it likewise protest
ed against any sale or alienation to
others of the public lands, :" and de-
clared for homestead measures.
How has it kept the faith? In four
! teen wears, from 1861 tn 1873, the Re-
pubiit",ns III sole control of the Gov
! ernment, voted away over 1872, 600, 900
acres of this very land that they had
declared sacred to actual settlers. To
| the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1864
they gave over As, ,0OO, 900 acres, to the
! Atlantic and Pacific Railroad they
gave over IS, ,000, 900, and notwithstand-
! ing many of the railroad companies to
whom grants were made failed to carry
out their contracts and forfeited their
claims To the lands, a Republican Con-
gress refuses to pass acts of forfeiture.
| Mr.. Holman, of Indiana, two years
ago, introduced bill to that effect,
declaring such lands restored To the
| public dumain-tO again become the
| inheritance of the peOple-but it was
| Sirangled i'll committee. Mr.. Blaine
! i'll his letter OF acceptance says that
| the public domain should hencefOrth
| be held as a sacred trust for the benefit
| of those seeking homes Has his
| party not made similar declarations
before and utterly disregarded them +?
| Can the people trust these lands to u
| party whose leaders i'll fourteen years
voted away to railroad corporations as
| many acres as are embraced in the
original thirteen States ,, AS much
land as is contained in the New Eng
land States, added 10 that of New York,
| New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, In
diana and Illinois - reaching from
! Maine to the Mississippi Rivera par
ty, too, which was unwilling to declare
forfeited millions of acres in cases
where railroad companies had failed
to carry out the conditions of the grants
On the other hand, the Democratic
party have protected uud fostered the
public lands as the heritage of the peo-
pie. Every foot of land acquired by
the United States, with the exception
of Alaska, with its ice and snow and
It's long nights OF cold and gloom, was
acquired under the administration of
The Democratic party. Louisiana and
Florida and Texas, that broad, rich
empire of the South west, and CalifOr-
MIA and New Mexico, with their eX-
haustless mines of gold and silver,
were brought into the Union through
tiIa diplomacy of the Democratic party
During the long and almost continuous
administration ot that party from 1901
tu 1861, there was given away but 81,
GO, ,uuO-and these grants were to the
HItlt loI lllttIiIdl lih lToNelnellLS -
white not one acre was given to pri
vate corporations. Let me recall n fact
In 1871 the people returned for the first
time for many years II Democratic ma
jpri!y to the House of Representatives..
The piuudering of the public lands at
once ceased, aud not an acre of the
public domain has been voted away
4iuce that period IL il stated that
ninety six millions acres of these lanG:s
about Oue-half ,L the gIants-have
been forfeited hy these railroad corpn
rations. ~ Republican House refused
To act upon stIcIi forfeiture.
The present Democratic House of
Representatives rcsIn'nded nobIy to
the demands of the penpl" AT its last
-..--sinu. six bills i,st--,,,I the i1ou-e
declaring the forfeiture of uneaI ned
land grants, as follows: