The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-08-28
HENDRICKS AND LAND
GRANTS.

The Democrats are in the habit Of
blaming tho Republican party with Civ
ing away the public land to the railroads
and other interpretations. To hear 9
Democratic orator or read Democratic
newspapers one would think that the
Democrats Of the present day were eth
CT very innocent or g very ignorant set
OF "reformers." because they seem utter
ly oblivious TO the fact that their
grand ~ party has q record on "land
grabbing" as they call it, which is as
unWholesOme and uninterestIng to the
average Democratic 'reiOrmer" Of to-
day as the party's war record.
We have but TO turn TO the
days when the Democratic party
was in power, as THE News
has frequently asserted. to show that
the Democratic party is the father of
the land grant system, and that its pres
ent pretensiOns Of virtue on this point
are IS hollow as those put up that it was
loyal party during the rebellion. The
record shows that the very man which
the party Is now running for wee presi.
dent, Thomas A. Hendricks, voted,
while he was a member OF The house and
senate, for niRety-OHe different land
grants, which gave away 0Uer eighty mill
ions If acres OF the public domaiu.
In his letter Of acceptance. Mr.. Hen
bricks says:
81 have examined with care the de-
claration Of principles adopted by the
convention, copy OF which you sub
united TO me, and in their sum and sub
stance heartily indorse and approve
the same"
Mr.. Hendricks has thus placed him
self squarely on the Chicago platform of
that party adopted at Chicago last month,
and broadly indOrses and approves as
just and true its every assertion and
statement, whether of principle or of
fact, and every implication thereof.
What the platform approves he ap-
proves; what it denOunces and con-
dennis, he denounces and condemns.
Turning to that platform We find it con-
tains the following declaration, among
others, arraigning the Republican par.
ty:
sit (the Republican party processes
the policy OF reserving the public lands
Tor small holding by actual settlers. 1t
has given away the peoples heritage till
now few railroads and non resident
alines, individual and corporate, possess
"A larger area than all our farms between
the seas"
The foregoing is plain and uncquiVo-
cal condemnation and denuncIation oil
the Republican party for the grant oil
public lands TO aid the construction oil
railroads acrUss the continent Mr.
Hendricks Endorsement of this platform
Is full and broad Endorsement and ap-
prOval Of its condemnation and denunc.
iailon OF these grants, and Ofthe senators
and representatives ia congress who par.
ticipated in making them. The candor
the consistency, the political honor OF
Mr.. Hendricks in this endorsement will
appear by showing the relation he sus.
tanned to these railroad grants and the
part he played in making them.
The granting Of public lands TO aid In
the construction of railroads did mol
originate with the Republican party.
There is q work entitled ''The Public Do.
main, its History, with Statistics" pub.
lished by authority of congress, from
which it appears that the whole number
of acres of the public lands granted for
railroad purposes Is in round numbers
155, O00. 900, as follows: