Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-14
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The temper Of Congress 10 oppossd &c
any further grace 70 the holaers Of an.
cared land srants That 10 nnqnes-
tionaoly The feeling Of the people also.
when the buik Of tetss grants we're
made IL seemed a. teoaSh the pablo
domain vas in xnanstible, and a. though
the lands given away would never POS
sess any value unless the roads gavs
them vAlae- nov the public domain 10
nearly exhausted and the lands have Q
vsloe independently of the roads.
Hsuce ue are nss surprised to learn
that when the CoumiItee on Public
Lands agreed TO present q ust ,ri:y re-
port declaring the forfeiture OF all the
lands granted to the Atlantic and Pa
einc, except that along the road which
Is already bailt. minority Of the com
mitsee dissesssd and are preparing .
report ealing for TIE forfeit1re of the
whole grant. IL 10 o dry question Of
lsv. IL the company earned tie grant.
II 10 ectitied 70 have is. II IL did not
earn IL according 10 tie strict letter of
the law, Is should have meme OF it. The
country cannot afford, in justice TO set-
tiers. 70 be generous 20 corporations.
They must have Just What thev earned.
and eaFaed within the time Set, not an
acre more.
ne whole country 10 covered With IN
earned land grants During the Presi-
dency of Mr.. Lincoln S6I, 327 acres Of
land were granted to the Oregon Central
Military Road. and during the Presi-
dencv Of Mr.. johnson 40, 10y more acres
sere granted TO foar ether wagon com
panies IN the same State Of Oregon. In
all. something like 10000 acres Of the
public domain vent Into the hands OF
companies. Is 10 said that not one of
the roads has been built in compliance
With Law. and that some OF them have
not even been begun; yet the com pauiea
bold the grants and are selling lands u
settlers. Surely 10 10 high time thai
soDe forfeiting were done here. Land
IN Oregon 10 property, and there 10 littls
DOUBT that the sections chosen by the
Oregon companies we're good Of theiI
kind.
Officers OF corporations whose land
grants are in danger cry out against the
Ijustice of forfeitures. They say they
built their roads on the strength of the
grants, and that thsy osehs not to b
deprived Of them. This 10 not quite
thkO4oSars wv AOo4 ShASo ooURbC~
With its bargain with the United Ssates
runs the smallest risk Of losing its land
grant. Ii is not IN the power Of ConRrss,
to forfeit il il it would. But where the
company did net keep its bargain, vher,
il did net build the road a. stipulated
or where it did not build il in time, ther
the question for Congress ID whether II
sAould overlook the failars and confirm
the grant. ct q cost to the public domain
| Of 90 much land. or whether IL shoulc
stand upoa the letter Of the Law anc
increase the area of land open to settler
| by 80 much. 1t il q question, In Q word
whether Congress should be JOSS or gen
erous. Were the situation different
we're the public domain - large a. Il
vas at the end Of the war; we're their
millions Of acres d for homesseads go
log a-beRGing; then Congress might
afford to deal literally vita the eompa
| nies and forgive thea their shortoom
ines. But - It is, legislators at Wash
ineton have no alternative bat to do theiI
duty and save every possible asrs fsl
the people.