National Republican., 1884-01-21
Railroad Land Legislation.

Railroad Land Liquidation.
| Tho house committee on public lands is
certainly manifcstng commondablo zeal in
dealing with railroad land grants They
have already proven their sincerity and in
corruptibility by their unanimous action in
favor of bill to forfeit the Texas Paci fic
| land grant. Messr5. Cobb and, Payson are
preparing the BILL and are reported as taking
much care to make it exhaustive aud closed
| against any double construction. When
finished it is to be printed so that
members may Vote intelligontly upon
motion to pass it through the house under
a suspension of the rules. 1t is not likely to
encounter much, if any, opposition. Tho
people throughout the country understand the
truth in regard to this and other railroad
land grants SO well, by reason of constant
newspaper discussion, that it will not be safe
for any member from public lands state to
aid a corporation TO take what was never
granted it, as the Southern Pacific seeks to
do, nor to aid any corporations to retain their
grasp upon lands granted them upon condi-
tions which, without sufficient excuse, they
have failed to fulfill.
But not only are these uuearned and for
feitable land grants to DO restored to the pub.
lie domain, where they of right belong, but
another gross and insolent abuse of govern
ment bounty toward railway corporations
is to be corrected. 1t is this: In the land
grant laws is provision that the railway
companies shall have the right to patents for
their lands, when earned, upon payment by
them of tho cost of survey. But as these
laws were for the most part framed by the solic-
itors of the corporations, they never work both
ways. In this matter of the survey
there is no requirement that the
companies shall pay tho cost and
receive patents for their lands as fast as
earned. The consequence has bccn that tho
railway kings escape taxation on their land
grants within the states. They only want
patents as fast as they sell Thus many mill
ions Of acres of land remain in the name OF
the United States which arc really the prop
!
not asking for patents to these lands their
wealthy owners fleece the states of tho taxes
on them, and leave the burdens of the gov
ernment to be borne by the less ailluent.
This is a gross outrage upon the people. who
see their lands given away to aid in tho con-
struction of railroads, and yet not used
for that purpose, but retained, untaxable be-
cause unpatented, to await an increase in
value from $3.50 to $50 per acre. The Cen
tral Pacific Railroad company mortgaged its
lands and borrowed eight millions of dollars
on them, instead of selling them within three
years. as the law required. When the at
tempt was made to execute that provision Of
law which required that all lands not dis
posed of within three years should be sold by
the government with other public lands, and
the proceeds so to the company the cunning
railroad lawyers pointed out to tho court
smart trick praoticed by them in drawing the
law. They said in effective wrote disposed of"
instead of sold" on purpose to take advantage
ofthe phrase afterward. OF course every SEN
|
understood the words disposed Of" to mean
"sold," and the latter expression would have
been adopted if any one had proposed it,
But it was not done, and the courts years
; afterward maintained that lands that were
, only mortgagod woro disposed Of And so
, the Central Pacific holds on to lands granted
in aid of the building of its road, and
taxes its customers to pay tho interest on
the $S,OJO,OOO for which those lands
are disposed Of" by mortgage instead
5 of having been sold for cash to the people,
1 whose right to them tho law intonded to
| preserve. This wrong cannot bo rightel; but
? tho other one, by which they dodge
S taxation, can be and seems likely to be. Tho
/ subcommittee of tho house committee on Pa
cRc railroads will to-day hear Interested par
ties on the question Of compelling the railway
corporations to pay for the cost Of surveying
aud selecting the lands granted by congress
to aid in the construction of their roads,
The Pacific railroad committee will bo earn
estly watched, to sec if 1t is as proof against
railroad influence as the public lands commit
, tee has shown itself to be- Let tho democratic
house send to the republican senate bills to for
felt all forfetable grNnt3 and to compel the re-
cipients of the. peoples bounty to accept thoir
lands and pay taxes on thom like other folks,
and the people will SEQ that their will aud
power command respect. Whoever ialterj or
. turns back after putting his hand to tho plow
will suffer in public estimation as one who
represents private instead Of public interest
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