Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-30

'rovernment AZ its Own volitioa. anc
manhood. As IN the old world, stsud
silent aud ahs-hed
B1t gentlemen saw the country par
neateti by iht-S. grant. - prosperous
marvellous an ltS prosperity but hNv-
they Considered that the wealth which
Is nov being developed With such start
ling rapldity under these grants is tn,
wealth Of the few That these grea
private fortunes not only IN boads auC
STOCKS. but IN the more precious wealtt
ol ISrd lar more precIous than money
or bon or sticks TO the people and e
this R-pGblIc-iuese vast estates great
e. than hav- ever before been formed IL
the sam period of time IN the history
OF IN nkind, belong to monarchy. bu,
ore the haroEncers of woe and death q
free institutions. Do MT the gentle
men know that this Vast wealth which
attends the apparent prosperity of this
period IL not the wealth that gives
greatness aud strength to a republic
/ but the wealth that builds palaces, un-
dermines tue foundations Of free gov
ernment and wrings from tue heart of
labor the cry of despair? With the
pushc lands exhausted. with the rem
nants of the Indian tribes d.spoiled of
their reservations AMI the lanis seized
upon by capitalists and merciless specu
sttors Except so far as you have
pledged them in advance to The railroad
cbrporatIons), and lands everywhere
advanced In price beyond the reach Of
lsooring men, with the hope of better
fortu:e aud of independent homes
dying ont of the heart of labor, with
men tuliv conscious OF t wrong you
have done them by your egislation. can
the peaceful order Of society ba hoped
for as of OH? lam not astonisnel that
gentlemen deem Ibis early hour an OPP
port1ne mDiuent 80 urge the policy of A
great navy; II will come, for it does
come III The natural order before great
army. Capital is timia and full of sug-
Pest,ons: the navy is the most remote,
but | am not surprised that here and
there comes also the lntination that
Your army is too small These, too NAV
be some of ths bitter fruits of your itH
perial grants. | fear that it will be
seen soon enough that when yOa havs
destroyed the very foundations Of secur-
lily and hope upon which labor has
rested Sd long, the Old-tirue repOse and
peaceful order will be nc more. Gentle
men should no. forget that the wrong
that has been done 10 labOrinS men and
their children by giving over their nat
ural inheritance 20 IN accursed mouop-
oily, will In due time te considered by
the most intelligent body Of laboring
men who eyer debated public wrong
ken fHlly aware Of their rights, and
capable of asserting them.
l have been u Intentionally led into
this discussion of the results of the
land grant railroad policy by the as
sumption Of gentlemen that that policy
was wise and beneticent, and that the
Government should treat with kindly
cons deration the corportions which
have obtained the benefit of these
grants; but know of no subject which
80 lmpcrativeiy demands the earAes.
House has. | think, most wisely given
thus great question of the public lands
and forfeited grants a Commanding po
sitlon. For myself, | demand in the
name of every laboring man III America
that these corporations whose railroads
were built and equipped by your bounty
shall bear p1biic burdens on the basis
Of the benefits you have 30 lavishly be-
slowed on them. These corporations to
the extent they have fulfilled
-
hold them until our over swell
ing popul .tiou and the labor of our
millions of labOring men in every field
of humtn industry shSll have enhanced
their value. To this extent there Ii no
remedy for the evil done. Bat common
justice to the VIII lie people and tho
highest pablo policy demand that to
the extent that default has been by the
land gr,nt corporations tine forfeiture
should De s.eruly declared and the lands
restored to the public domain:I iu-
dulge the confident hope and belief that
before thus Congress shall adjourn this
House at least will have declared tn.
forfeiture and restoration of over lUO,-
0O0.oOO acres of these grants to the peo-
pie and with every acre of the public
land adapted to any form If agr,cul-
ture pl iced under the safeguard of the
homestead law alone. all til st remains
Of our once great inheritance is at least
secure. cannot doubt that the people
with Ons voice will command that it
sh I'll be done.
But, Mr.. Chairman, no remedy can be
complete. Tue evils done to our free
institutions bv the legislation of Con
gress from 1862 to 1919 will survive the
memory OF tine men who passed the
laws as we'll IA of those who at every
step Resisted their enactment. great
monopoly of land admits Of n , remedy:
II IL 4 cri,ne aga,nJ, tue hu nan race.
and deserves the execratiOn of man
k.nd. No time can palliate tae wrong.
No, sir: when the time SHALL come to
CONSIDER and write the history of these
grants and the measures Of public pol
ICY you have gathered around them.
when the fruits Of that legislation shall
have ripened in all its bitterness, the
phllos shioal historian will pause with
astonI shment Il. this robbery of she
common inheritance of our people.
How could 1t happen that, after the
public lands had been guarded against
monopoly for near = century with sleep
less vigilance for homes Of successive
generations. Snoring up free institu-
tions by the freehold of the citizen, a
party which in its first advent into
power was capable of euacting So
wise measure rs the home
stead law should go back On all
the traditions of the Government and
within fifteen years after its advent into
power turn over to soulless monopoly
and heartiess specul ,tlon the grand IN
heritance of the people. OF course,
there b ,s been and will bs marvellous
| development of Resources, towns and
cities but out Of all there rises up a
I deadly presence IN republIc-private
estates greater than any king in the
/ plenituds Of power ever conferred on a
| favorite wealth and perpetual fran
chises. arrogant and exacting. cautious
| aud timld, intrenched AS in q citadel in
every department of your Government,
and silently controlling every avenue OF
power while In the near future how
humiliatlng the thought millions OF
our people with their wives and children
homeless and miserable. who, but fol
these imperial estates, would have been
independent freeholders. with prosper
Gus and happy homes. adding to tn,
stability and true glory Of their country
The legislation III II fosters the wealth
of the few. and facilitates the prnxIt
of private iortunes oat of the common
wealth of the rrpu ol,c i, harbingrr o.
dishonor and decay to free institution,
that wnlcn FIRMLY unaoids the eqna
rights of all men 10 protection and JUS
tice, and l"ay-s all else to tho enterpris
and industry of the people, diffuse
wealth and elevates all silently an,
surely "a the d-ws of heaven fall upo,
and refresh the e,rth. The one an