Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-22
DOUBTFUL ABOUT COMPLETION wIru-
OUT THE GRANT.
sacramento Daily Bee, February 18th.


There is great deal of claptrap being
INDUCED in at this time, in and out OF
Congress, regarding the former land grants
by the Government {, railroad companies
OF course It is never understood thst these
companies intend to keep such land grants
for their own private use, nor TO destroy
them. They were given in lieu OF money
to aid in opening up new and unoccupied
territory, and must be sold by the compa-
MES in order to realize means with which
to carry on their enterprises. Hence these
grants do not partake of the evils OF land
grabbing, as in the cases of individuals, for
the latter usually hold on to their grabs
until they may demand exorbitant prices.
Wherever railroads penetrate the wilder
ness or plains, there settlers follow. The
result is that for every section given by
the Government it sells another that might
havd remained unsold for century to
come. In many instances the railroad
COMPANIES sell their land as low as the
san he could have been purchased from
th4 Government 1t was but a
vFry few months ago that we
knew of party having bought tract of
:, railroad land in Placer county, IN this
State, for 81 80 per acre, for which the
purchaser refused So per acre the next day.
and can now get $40 per acre for it for
grape. growing purposes. And yet the
price paid for this tract was higher than
that paid for most of the land sold by the
company in the same locality. Every foot
of Government land in that vicinity was
long since sold, and much of it is now COW
cred with orchards and farms. But for
the presence of the railroad, however, that
section would even now be little better than
bowling wilderness. Commenting on the
present attitude of the lower branch of
Congress regarding railroad land grants,
the New York San says the position OF the
majority sis without sense of discTimina-
ton or equity. The Mail and Express
thinks that there is great danger of their
ssoverdoing what they seem to regard as
commendable thing, andsuggests that 'the
public interests may be greatly endan-
gered by the weak yielding of timid
Congressman TO an unreasonlng war
against all land grants. These
remarks apply with much force
to the case OF the California and Oregon
Company, whose land grant is in danger of
being taken away by the present Congress.
Without the aid of that grant it is doubt.
ful il the company Will or can complete the
road from Reddiug to the Oregon line; and
tbs thousands of immigrants who have set
along the proposed route in anticipa-
ton Of having railroad communication
with the outer world, would in that event
be i plated and left in u helpless condition.
Whatever prejudice any person may have
against the giving of railroad land grants
in general, or at all in the future, surely
no citizen of this State should now desire
to have the Government take away the
grant bestowed upon the California and
Oregon Company as ah inducement to
build the road in question. A few years
delay 10 the completion of the road can
make no practical difference to the Govern.
ment, and the forfeiture OF the grant
simply to satisfy the unreasonable demands
of men who are striving to make political
capital for themselves and their party
would be an act of great injustice.