Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1885-01-08
The Movement to Reduce the Price Of
Government Lands In Railioad Limits.


A meeting of the citizens OF Morter
county was held u few days ago at Man
dan which was addressed by John A
ltea, register Of the land Office at Bis
marck. The subject IS one of more OF
less interest 10 all the counties included II
the land grant in proportion as the gov
ernment land within that limit are already
taken up. From the report of the meet.
ing as published in the Mandan Pioneer
we extract the following which will be
Of interest to our readers and may stim :
ulatc IN this county cooperation IN the
movement:
Mr. Rea then explained what has beea
done in the matter by the different towns
along the Northern Pacific. Nearly all
the counties have perfected organizations
for the purpose of memorializlng Con-
gress in the interest of the settler. The
proposed measure has met with no oppo-
sition and if oil the people act in unison
there IS every reason to believe that con-
gress will grant the desiredi relief. The
proposed reduction has all the arguments
in its favor. The double minimum price
Of g. so is a remnant of an old ldea that
the public lands should be made source
of revenue to the government. This idea
has failed as the public domain has cost
the government twenty-five millions Of
dollars more than has been realized from
sales. In 1850 Jefferson DAVIS made .
motion in congress, which was carried,
fixing ths double minimum price for
fifteen mile limit on the Illinois Central
railroad. This was before the homestead
law was passed, and 1t should never have
been applied to homestead settlers. At
subsequent dates this double minimum
price was applied 10 the 55,0O0,O0 Of
acres along the Texas Pacific, the Union
Pacific and the Northern Pacific. 1t VIZ
tually makes the. settler pay for the ad
joining sec tion Of railroad land.
When the settler proves up he must if
he commutes with the government, pay
e4o0 10 get title, whereas il the Original
price Of sl.2s per acre prevailed he would
only have to pay 5000. When he goes to
the banker to borro v: money to prove up,
lie finds that he can much more readily
borrow 5000 on his quarter section than
440O, and If he can borrow more than
e20o, he can use the surplus to complete
his buildings and make other improve
ments-thus adding TO his comforts and
enriching the country.
After discussing the project at SOM
length the meeting passed the following
resolution
TO the Senate and House OF Represene
tatives Of the United States in congress
assembled.
We the citizens OF Morton county, Da-
kota, respectfully represent that the pro-
visions Of the public land laws which fix
the price of the public lands within the
limits Of certain railroad grants at unjust
and burdcns0me discrimination against
settlers locating within such limits. That
the gilt of alternate sections of land to
railroad corporations from whom they
are largely acquired py spectators, is Of
ten times hindrance to the actual Set
tlement Of the country. That pre-emp-
tors, and homestead settlers who are by
necessity obliged to commute their claims
ought not to be compelled to pay for the
land granted to the railroads, as is virtu-
ally the case under the present laws.
That we believe the public domain
ought to be devoted to furnishing homes
for settlers and not to increasing the rev.
enues of the repleted treasury OF the goy-
ernmeut. Wherefore we earnestly petl-
ton your Honorable Body by appropriate
legislation to reduce the price of such
lands within the railroad grant limits as
are now placed in the market at two dol
lars and fifty cents per acre, to one dollar
and twenty five cents per acre, and this
your petitioners will ever pray.