Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-01-25
LAND GRANT FoRFE,ruREs.

Action of the House Committee on the
Texas Pacific Donation.
Washington, Jan. 22-The house com.
mittee on public lands at its meeting last
night, at which all the members but two
were present, unanimously agreed to re-
port to the house bill declaring forfeit.
ed the lands granted to the Texas Pacific
railroad. The bill agreed upon by the
committee contains, besides the pro.
vision declaring the forfeiture of lands
granted to aid in the construction Of the
railroad, provisions validating all acts of
the department of the interior, its officers
and local lard Offices, in permitting
homestead eDlrles, selections and pur-
chases OF lands granted to the company,
and in issuing patents or certificates aud
lists thereon, and confirming the rights
and titles of parties or persons holding
patents or claiming the right of title un-
der such certificates. The report lecltes
the provisions Of the act incerpol atipR
the Texas Pacific, and briefly sum
marizes the history of the company
and legislation in its interest down to
November, 1881, when the fight between
the Texas Pacific and Southern Pacific
ended by contract between them. It
invites special attention to the hostility
between the two companies down to this
date and quotes largely from the recent
ly published Huntington correspondence
to establish the fact of such hostility
and Its character. The report says on
this point: "These letters tell the story
plainly of the hostile position of the
Southern Pacific towards the Texas Pa.
clhc during all these years, and neither
had nor claimed any rights east of Yu-
ma" And ION the question as to the
relation of these two companies during
oil the years the two lines were being
constructed, your committee do not find
a single act performed by either that was
not hostile in Its character to the other"
1t calls attention also to the opposition
Of the Southern Pacific in the forty.fit
and forty y-sixth congresses to the requests
Of Scott for guaranty for his road.
After presenting these facts the com.
mittee gave as its conclusion that the
Southern Pacific was hostile enterprise
; to the Texas Pacific until all lts road had
been constructed to Sierra Blanca, Tex.
and until the contract of November, 1881
was cOnsumated. and that 1t shrank from
nothing which tended to defeat the worn
the Texas Pacific was engaged in of con
structing competing through line o.
railroad to the Pacific ocean; that while
, 1t was nominally an independent corpor
, alton, it was in fact practically the Cen
, trail Pacific; that the Southern Pacif,
+ was built with money raised by the Cen
, tral Pacific on outside securities baset
, upon it and operated aod controlled by
. that company; that so far as congress il
concerned the Southern Pacific never hat
any rights east of Yuma upon which i
? could base claim against the govern
) ment either legal or equitable; that i
built its road expressly, and without th
9 intention or expectation or hope of re-
. ceiviug dollar Of aid or acre of Ian
\ therefor from the government; that b
8 its action it aided in defeating the build
Q ing of the road contemplated by cor
;. gress. Common notoriety show
|. that trans.continental transportatio
/. now stands in this condition: The mex
:. route north of this, the Atlantic an
r Pacific, is controlled by the Centrs
8 Pacific west of Colorado, and by Goul
i. east Of it. The Central Pacific and Unio
i. Pacific, with government disconnectior
j, east OF Omaha, control the middl
r route. By subsidising the Pacific ma
!. the Central Pacific keeps the water rout
under control. The Northern Pacific
"a not only in the pool with the Centra
y but an agreement has been made betwee
J. them whereby the territory OF the grel
% northwest is divided between them as {
.e transportation as though the ownershi
- of country followed the building into
y subject to which the practical assertio
le OF ownership of transportation of freigl
20 for the entire Pacific coast is under Co
ts tro. of a few men who adopt as rnle f
r. charge "all the traffic will bear" TT
- rapport declares that congress has fu
al legal authority to declare the grant fo
r feited, and says it seems perfectly Gle
re to the committee that the Terminating
"a the estate for beech of condition
" which it was granted rests with coneres
st The Jamestown Capital says that
n new snow piow employed by the Mort
of arm pncifso 10 .3aoorsh,J 40 a ,,,o.k :..-