The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-04-08
FORFEITED TEXAS AND PACIFIC
RAILWAY GRANTS.
The Sentinel has received the following
information from the General Land Office:

The Sentinel has received the following
information from the General Land Office:
You ere advised that the lands granted to the
Texas ana Pacific Railway Company, Which were
declared forfeited aud restored 10 the public
domain BY the act OF Congress, approved February
5. 1855, sre the sections and parts OF sections,
desisnsted by odd numbers. within forty miles on
each side OF the line OF general route oil said con-
psny's road through the Southern part OF the
Territories of New Mexico and Arizona, aui
within twenty miles on each side OF said line
(Oniside the limits OF the grant for the Branch
Lire OF the Southern Pacific Railroai) in Southern
Ca ornia-
SAID lands are now subject 10 entry under the
pre- tmptiOn. homestead and other general laws
relating 20 unoffered lands at the local United
Territory; Tucson and Prescott Arizona Territory,
and Los Angeles, California, and are rated as
nTe.empIion ana homestead Laws exeept in cases
where settlement was prior 10 the date OF receipt
NJ the local office OF the order Withdrawing them
for the benefit OF the railroad grant.
The above described lands embrace some
OF the most fertile and most desirable Of
the public domain, and upon much OF which
the Texss and Pacific Railway Company had
placed high price Actual settlers, who
propose taking up Government lands 10 the
Southwest. will do we'll 10 turn their steps
in the direction CT these forfeited strips
which are thrown open to the public for
presumption or homestead claims after hsv.
ing been practically reserve d for many years
ing desirable lands in the vicinity of these
have been taken up.
What contrast to this action of Secretary
Lamar is that OF his predecessor, Senator
Teller. The former, with the interest and
welfare of the people at heart, compels q
powerful railroad Company to disgorge big
slice of the public domain, which it had not
earned and was trying to absorb without
complying with the terms Of the grant.
Ex-Secretary Teller while in Office was, on
the other hand, the friend and champion OF
railroad corr oratioDs and land grabbers, and
kept an extra force of clerks busy, nights
and Sundays included, making out patents for
ZOO 600 acres of public Ian ds in Louisiana, con-
veyiDg them to 9 railroad company which hsd
not even pretended to carry out the provis
ions of the stipulations-had not built the
road, ner does it expect to. A more imam
Gus steal was never perpetrated than this act
of Senator Teller when that champion oil
monorOlies. was Secretary Of the Interior
Nor did his iDfamy stop here. He is found
guilty Of having taken from Indian tribes
their reservations, directly in violation o.
the titles given them in treaties, which oul
Government is bound to respect, as deter
mined by recent Supreme Court decisions in
the premiEes.
Hsd the Government remained in ths
hands of a Republican administration an
other four years there would have been little
left Of the public domain at the end of ths
time-it would have gone almost bodily int
the cspacous nav OF powerful rairos'
corporations. through such outrageous lant
grab processes as that adopted By Senate
Teller and his ilk, and as CHARACTERIZED tn
s.veraI Republican administrations for th'
past twenty years.