Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-30
LAND M0N0p I'-V.
,,.mu Way in WhIeh Our
u rusli, Dem'ia Has BIN
Squ,rd'' d.
,,.n. Land .r""' system >"'""
,pb, IN. Villa"
Qoimaa.

nitjcr dfP'~f lsl;t. 4 ..htes
h''N "a from oficl,l reports shoVin'
guy ;. the period embraced oft"eef
IIr, I.os 90. 1852. and March T. ' is'', s.n ,r'
gun oons aggregate Of nearly two hnh
s,.d s- million acres of our p-1l.' 'ana' D.
''' -, voted away by Congress III hio
hau No.. the total length of 'h@ ran
=" 'a So, which the grants were made
n ~ sG3 miles. Mr. Holman. III dis
s .,.sng ,tis mattel SPOKE as Iol'ows VS.,
u.,, ara the conditions GU which
WI" 20 "a uere medet Whist riRhts
tbese ooyarume' reserved IN giving
ha'e ~ common wealth OF its people
sssy '- some reservations, two of
.u.m . meaQer aud incon3i .eI%'e, ! au
'a. =, hn, s,ill sonnet hing. In all o' 'heSt
NV, ,,s running through All these years
t arc the conditions, Vsried som.
We, sue in terms. but stiil substantially
'Hs In sna the said railroad shall be and
an a nntllc highway for tho uae OF
isu'a.n avsr, meut Of the United States,
Me s,oro all toll or other charges upon
,hs transportation of any properly or
'.a,ns Wv Of the United states -,
TIL. III. ia the first right reserved 70 th"
o..a,,ment. and even here III the be
',nn,. fraudulent purpose. In
s'SId ssu"h,adl dlyCoppress understood by these
oouo". .t., tbs railroad should trans
s",. [ ,bs "property and troops OF the
E";.sa Statss free of charge, but yon
.s.s,vs a sIioht ambiguity IN the lang
'sos and under this ambiguity the ou
o,sne Court has decided that the 1"V-
smmeu, has the night 10 put i's own
locomotives and ears on these roads,
IA hv its own employees transport It's
rror.r,y and troops free which OF
sourse is impractlcGhleb: but II the
,,,l,oa3 tran,pIrt4 the II ,vsrntnent
n,orer,y and troops, then the Govern-
msnt shall pay the railroad company oo
rer cent Of the usual rates oi transport.
alton. This was decided IN the case nf
The itebisop. Topeka aul Santa Fe
Railroad Company ". the United
States. and vet the land grant o tiiat
,owpsny was made four years after
t,oueress had. by a joint Resolution l
had the honor to Introduce III 1867, de
ssred that the meaning of the terms
employed in that reservation wa. tht'
The land grant corporation sipiio
transport the property and troop. ot tie
United States free Of charge.
The other right reserved ia all these
grants is in less ambiguous language,
and in all the same in substance:
The said railroad shall transport the
nails of the United States at such
price IA Congress shall by law direct.
Now. these two provisious cover all
the rights reserved to the United States
In consideration of these impsria |
grants. Contrary to the manifest IN
tenti0n OF Congress, these corporations
have under the extraordinary decision
have named received millions of dol
lars from your treasury for transport
ing your property aud troops, and
are still annually receiving large sum-,
and will for all time. But, rs ! have
shown you, We have the clear and un-
questionable right To fix tho rate at
which these land grant roads shall
transport orr mails. l. not 10 per cent
Of the amount YOU pay To railroad com
panies which built their own railroads a
reasonable compensation TO he paid by
the Government | think 1t IL. and
more than reasonable.
There are other grants which | have
not included in either Of the foregoing
tables, where not spadeful of earth
nas been dug IN the construction OF a
iallfoad, yet the lands ATE Withdrawn
liom settlement and claimed bv the cor
poratlons, although the grants were
long since forfeited The forfeiture of
ltesa grants will OF course be declared.
W all these grants, over lO9,00,0O0
scfes, including over 100000 acres
!ls House has already declared for
iel'sd. are beyond any reasonable ques
Won forfeited. and the declaration of
llat forfeiture by Congress is demand
"a by The highest consideration % pa.
mpoiiey, common honesty. and justice
@he people. Even tn the extent these
anu grant railroads enumerated in the
an' @ble were completed. Won paid
| 49, 10 hhNV oHbWIi, itSt year I'll -itt.
a Tor transporting your mails. Tins
WI would as to these roads. To the ex
"u' they are entitled To the lands grant
" anu including the Pacific systems.
Ne 10 the treasury annually. think.
asI a million of dollars. perhaps more;
ou' Tue restoration of the forfeited
sIsn's TO the public domain i. of far
s'es'er moment than any such none
aV consideration. So that this bill eau
Wssy declares that none of It's provis-
s snail be construed to waive or i'm
~" ANY rlght now existing in favor OF
us osi'ed States. While these cnrpo-
suoos generally withhold the obtain
Soi patehts for their land to avoid
.aAAtlsn. aud are IN the main hold
'usir lands until the govern,nen
..a sau- snail be exhausted. they still h ,d
@.se on, patents up TO June -. lss2, for
a. %s.A'asi acres. II in the adjustment
.SScse .e"W vast grants they obtain oven
'oo more, II will be because iucor
u wealth Is stronger in controlling
nr.su llfs than the sense of justice an,
s.e rsn. ou'y which controls this Govern
ss".,m maintaining the rights of il,
m 10 patents have already issueC
,sn ,~sune ". lSs2. date of lat speciti,
VT VT ior t'.si5.9il acres, a territory il
S,s,xSlega'e as large as the two erea
Ana ol Indiana and Ohio combined
Ana seafly half million Of acres more
sSm;.,sis .a,s Is already done. In the las
al Spa.Woie report OF the COMMISSIONS
N. ,c lands,we are told that durin.
\ s,.., year twelve railroad patents
susSa "a pages of record. were is
u.se les, SIR: and instead of thes,
ho,a wells being covered with Cheerful
mna., ana a great multitude OF pros
mi as ana independe IT cl,lzeus. n hand
Ana. 'sen became the proprie,ors q
nssss estates dwRrtine tie bsronia
ilsmss OF Europe. Have the gen
and woo defend this policy oonsid
ds,.lo,s surely. under this p,lcy. If 1t
oId1r.w n shall be completed. tn
ias,sne ne republican simplicity of ou
s''ohs Will give place to A splt. iii,
snmsnt controlled and snn,,r,e
s.al,h! power ana concentrate
u,s D'' the fac, mus, now he app,r.r
p,n, "o demands which the G,vef,
for ~ uia make on these corporation
uals Iree transportation OF Il
al t;mp popefty and troops. now and 1,
n,ss NJ, could Compensate ,hl. Govern
er,n,s's Tvs people for the lands IL h,
the ~ ihe legislator who inside
pnn,.s 'e monetary value of the lar
nmrs enotmous as II Is, takes a al
Ns vain. View of the subject. IL
~ sue OF these vast miIl,o - OF acr
1sesn,A IN money from the publ
by ths OF expressed in bonds issu,
4. as Eovsrnment payable in mone
vs,,Sly SS1ly evil to our free ins,,,ntio
fortunes Vs been the granting OF gre
Go,e,.oy oy the special favorit,sm
4, theht 10 a portion of its r..or