The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-09-25


Granted. But we're they sent there by the
railroads or the peoplci And are not the
dividends OF the people Of just as much con-
sequence rs the dividends OF the stockhold-
crsf Who protects the farmer, or the mcr-
chant Or the mechanic OF the Third Con-
gressional District OF Minnesota, and keeps
their dividends up to renumerative
pointl No one. II they cannot stand the
inevitable pressure OF competition, regulated
by the law Of supply and demand, they must
60 to the wall.
MfSsRsoTA's INTEREST IN THE BILL.
II Reagan's bill could have gotten out of
that man-trap Of q packed committee there
were votes enough to have passed It through
the House, and II II had survived the ordeal
Of the Senate not a man In the Third District
but to-day would be richer by Its passage, In
lesscncl freights and increased prices. But
Mr.. Strait stood at the door, with sixty-eight
other Republicans and ten Democrats, and
kept 1t back. Aud now he asks you to re-
elect him!
Err peie HrcMep,. We know Hercules by
the size Of his foot. Laughter and APP
plause.]
might rest here. But will 50 step
farther.
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC FORFEITED LAND
GRANT.
The Northern Pacific railroad was granted
an immense tract Of land, on condition that
II should complete its road by the 4th day Of
July 1876; failing In this the whole control
n t,,tg
the hands Of Congress. On the 4th day Of
July, 1882, six years after the time fixed in
the act, the company had completed l.2o3ia
miles, and had Loo miles yet TO build.
Fhey were already In default. They had
eurnsd, on the completed part Of the road,
about 30, 600, 900 acres Of land, estimated 70
be worth, nj $3.50 per acre, SO 900. 900, Of
this they had sold 100000 acres for SILL
565, 400 90; while the cost Of the whole road,
ut S2S, 900 per mile, chat being the esti-
mated amount per mile necessary. accord
ing to the data Of the Auditor OF Railroad Ac-
counts), would be sol, 400, 900. The ac-
count then stood thus:
Total value Of lands received for half
the ROAD. 1880. ........ .Sto,VVo,Uu
Total cost or the whole road. ........ 81, 100000
SURPLUS. ........s....s......S t,ooffVVo
Under these circumstances, the company
being in default for six years, 1t was urged
with great reason, that the unearned land on
the uncompleted half OF the road, had better
20 back to the general government, and be
distributed among the settlers as homesteads.
1t was urged that the company could
not complain because they had already
received for building half the road, lands
enough to build the whole road, and seven
million dollars over rs free gift 1t was
said that when government gave means
enough to cover the tclole cost ofd road; and
then donated 1t to the stockholders; they
| ought to rest satisfied and not ask for $780,
ooo, 900 more. [Applause.l
THE FATE OF THE BILL
But on the cath day of July, 1882, Proctor
Knott Of Kentucky, Dem.) introduced a
report from the minority OF the committee
on the judiciary, signed by himself, David
h. Culberson, X. W. Townshend and Van
! II. Manning. rccitng the above facts and
concluding with a joint resolution, declaring
! the lands on the uncompleted portion for.
feited for breach of conditions Of the grant
and restoring them to the public domain.
MAJOR STRAITS VOTE.
This'report aud resolution the speaker, Cha
superb lunk-head, keifer, Of Ohio,) held coult
CasWell, Of Wisconsin, objected; the monop
o!ists were rcsorting again to the policy o
obstruction: 10 reach vote Proctor Knot
made an appeal from the ruling Of the chair
= motion was made to lay the appeal on thu
| table, and on this the yeas and nays wer,
called. The vote stood yeas, o.; nays, 10
Dunncll and Washburn did not vote eithe
way; bit .N,vor STRAIT eoted 10 lay TIE appeal o.
the table aud thus prsut The pissag
Of he resolution to forfeit the M
earned lands. The yeas had 1t an,
the settler can now buy his lands, at = high
price, from the railroad company, instead Q
taking them a. a free gift from the govern
ment. Applause
IN FAVOR OF THE MAINE LIQUOR LAW.
Subsequently, on the 2lst January, 1884
Mr.. Holman (Dem.). Of Indiana, introduce,
the following resolution in the House:
Resolved, That in the judgment Of thi
House, all the public lands heretofore granite
to states and corporations to aid in the con
struetion of railroads, so far as tho same ar
now subject to forfeiture by reason Of tn
non -fulnllment Of the conditions on whicl
the grants were made, ought to be declared fol
feited to the United States and restored
the public domain.
This resolution was adopted by an ovel
whelming vote: yeas 25l, nays Il; an
Major Strait voted forit He is like the fcl
low who was In favorof the Maine liquor Law
but opposed to putting it in force. Laugh
teri As long rs mere platitudes we're r.
quired, the major was on hand with as lou
yea as any Of them; but when 1t came
reducing the patitudes to practice, and sa,
ing So, ooo, 900 to the settlers of Dakot,
Montana, Idaho and Washington territorie,
the Major begged to be counted out. lAl
plausc.
THE BACKBONE LAND GRANT.
But II may be said tina. the Majors vote .
the Northern Pacific Railroad bill was give
on local grounds, and that since the vol
las, referred to the Major has experienced
change of heart. Not bit Of IT, for after I'll
passage of this resolution We find the Maic
backing up one OF the most villainous fraut
ever brought before Congress. refer |
what is known a. .sthc Backbone Ian
grant, otherwise, ''the New Orleans, Bato
Rouge 4 Nickshurg Railroad" ''the blacke
sheep" says the Chicago Express Of Mare
%, 1854, ...n the whole lot Of railroad swil
dies, corpor.
ton so stepped in corruptio
that II man was as pure as the driven snow
and but touched the rotten thing with the 4
of his finger, 1t would give dark color
| every fiber OF his body daughter aud Al
plause) A corporation which issued, as "
arc told, 5000, 900 Of bonds, printed them 0
credit aud distributed them for corrupt pu
poses.
THE MAJOR VOTED FOR 1T.
, And when this road was In default, and
I was proposed In accordance with the re
olution for which be had just voted, TO 70
, felt Its unearncd lands, and restore them
In. nuhlie aomain MIs,r SfyfH In co,,.,,.4