The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-03-26

racine F8llrOaQ company ID cAOItAlS
from the settlers on it's lands higher
price per acre than was offered them. A
number of the company's board of direc-
tors and Northern Pacific officials now in
the city say positively that the company
has not broken faith with the settlers
on railroad lands. They say that the re-
solution referred to was adopted No
vember 1S, 1879, when the road had not
been constructed between the Missouri,
in Dakota, and the Columbia in WASH
ington territory. A distance of about
1000 miles. For greater part of this
distance government land surveys had
not been made, and settlers were deter
red from going into the country in ad-
vance of the building of the road, fearing
that when surveys should be made they
might find their improvements to be on
railroad land and they be forced to paw a
high price for the land. To quiet this
apprehension and encourage settlement
the company gave assurance to settlers
that in case their quarter section claims
should prove to be railroad land they
would only be required to pay the same
price per acre as demanded by the gov
eminent for pre-emption claims, namely,
$3.50, with an addition of ten cents per
acre to cover the costs of surveys and
conveyance.
The resolution giving this assurance
applied only to agricultural lands and
expressly excepted coal, iron and timber
lands and lands required for townsites
and for the use Of the company in con-
nection with the operation of the road,
subsequently as the construction of the
road progressed and agricultural sections
near its line were surveyed SO settlers
could select government or railroad land,
at their option. The policy of the COM
pany was changed and the system adop-
ted of examining lands and grading them
in price on the basis of their value. Of
this change the company gave extensive
public notice, but the resolution of 1879
is still in force so far as settlers are con-
cerned who have a right to claim Its be-
nefits.
Under the terms of the resolution such
instances cannot be numerous and the
company is at all times ready to remedy
any injury that may have been done
when proper proof is presented. The
privilege of purchase at a minimum price
they say, was never intended to apply to
more than 100 acres to each actual set
tier, the policy of the company being to
discourage speculation and reserve its
agricultural lands for small farmers who
cultivate their own holdings and make
homes upon them for their families. In
all cases where settlers have gone upon
townsite lands or upon other lands ex-
empted from the companys offer, it has
been the company's intention and pol
icy to treat them with fairness and lib
erality.
The railroad officials further say the
charges of injustice toward settlers seem
designed to create prejudice in congress
against the recognition of the company's
plain. legal and equitable right to retain
its land grant, rather than to remedy
any real abuses. They also state that
much of the larger proportion of all land
sales heretofore made in the district
named have been made at minimum
prices ordered by the board. They as
sert that mistaken impression prevails
as to the character and value of lands
embraced within the Northern Pacific
grant, especially those in Montana and
Idaho. They estimate the available
land suitable for farming purposes in
those territories to inure the company is
less than two millions of acres, the re-
naming two millions of acres being
mountain ranges and arid and broken
lands, invaluable, or if at all, only for
grazing purposes.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, march
16.-Gen. T. L. Rosser, who came here a
short time since from his present home
in Minnesota, representing syndicate
of capitalists interested in canal across
the Isthmus of Panama at Nicaragua,
has returned. He was a his way to the
intended seat of operations and called at
the department of state to obtain an otti-
cial certifcation of the fact which he
presented undoubted verifcation of, that
he represented reputable corporation,
legally organized. He desired letters
which he would use only in authentica-
ton of his being the only authorized
agent OF this concern, IN order to obtain
courteous treatment at the hands of the
Nicaraguan government. Upon making
this application he was surprised at being
informed that the desired documents
could not be issued to him. The admin
istration. he was told, believed it had
obtained from the Nicaraguan govern
ment what was equivalent to a special
concession for the construction of such a
work in the name of the United States,
and could not lend its aid to any private
corporation to prosecute similar work.
No indication as to whether the govern
ment had any present intention of avail
ing itself of these special privileges could
be obtained. Gen. Rosser went back
disguised.
WASHINGTON, March ia bill was
introduced IN the House by Budd pro
hibiting the importation and sale Of
opium. It recites that opium smoking
among the people of the United States ls
spreading with frightful rapidity under
the fostering care of the Chinese, and
that the importation of opium has in
creased from sO,O75 pounds in 1881 to
29S, ,152 pounds in 1883, and it is now
proposed to reduce the duty thereon &c
per cent, that the habit of opium smok'
ing when once acquired cannot be over
come; its victims will not not live in any
place place where the drug cannot be
procured, and that nearly 10 per cent O.
our Chinese population are slaves to thu
pipe. The bill provides that the impor
tation Of oninm. except a0ueOss extract