The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-11-06
GETTING BACK THE HOMES.

- '''e- 1SNO'N wv. f'ONVt-Ss
The Republican Party Believed In Giving
Away the Land to Great Corporations,
md tho Democratic Party Is Reclaim
ing II for the People.
1t was the Republican party which
inauguratcd the wholesale giving away
of the homes of the people, in the vast
areas of good land added to our do
main by the Democratic party. It is
often said that the Democrats began the
policy, and the land given by the State
of Illinois to the Illinois Central has
been held up as frightful example.
But that was not gift The consid-
eration was heavy annual tax which
has been and still is faithfully paid,
and the taxes thus saved to the people
have reimbursed them over and over
again for the original investment.
1t was the Republicans who inaug-
urated giving the lands directly to the
corporations in large slices and letting
them keep them whether they ever
built the roads or not. The extent to
which this has been done has often
been made public, but it will be long
time before the theme will grow old.
Here is brief list of q few of the worst
cases:
Kansas Pacific. ........... 5000 900 acres
Central Pncitic................. T.0i7,G00 acres
Western Pucic. c................ 1,l00. 400 acres
Central branch Union Pacific. sO,4O0 acres
Sioux City Pacific (SenatOr
Jim Wilson'S slice) ......... 1900 acres
Union Pacific. iic.................. 12,0J0O0O acres
Northern Pacific. 4s,0O0,215 acres
Texas Pacific ic...............,.. 14,G0O0D0 acres
Atlantic Pacific. ............ 4g,0000)0 acres
Total. ........................1 139 4O3.O26 acres
This is almost exactly four times as
much land as the State of Iowa con-
tains. Think of the happy homes it
would make for the miserable toilers
crowded in our large cities. Think of
how much anarchy and rioting and un-
rest it would save by relieving the
crowded centers of population of their
pressure.
But this is not all. In his recent
speech at Koesauqua, Mr. l.. A.
Palmer, of Mt. Pleasant, said:
The vast areas taken by railroads are only
part of the maadministruton of tho million
the Administration of President Cleveland
began it was reported that immense tracts of
land had been allowed by pnst Secretaries of
the Interior to slip into the hands of wealthy
kings whose baronies of land covered by
multitude of cattle controlled by cattle bar.
ons who were as insolent US they were
wealthy
In the report of Commissioner Sparks the
following startling facts come to light: Dur.
ing the last nineteen months 375 actions or
suits have been brought to the attention of
the land department. OF these. thirty.flve
cases have been decided. These dccisi ons
turn b4ek into the public domain l,Ao.OOo
acres. Fences are being removed which en-
closed 1926 acres.
But the report says further that the syndi-
Gates and corporations trespassinY and hold
ing these lands nre so powerful that it will
take some years to remove them all. There
is probably twice as much land inclosed by
them as is shown by the foregoing report.
Already the Democrats have reversed
this wicked policy and restored mill
ions of acres, and millions of homes,
to the people to whom they belong,
and for whom they were acquired by
the Democrats of past generations.
Who can refuse to thank them for itp
Let not those who have homes forget
to be thankful for good to those who
have none. 1.-The poor We have al
ways with you," and the best way to
help them is to give them homes and
fertile fields in which to dig and delve
and find their own living. The follow
ing telegram shows that the Demo-
cratic policy is to be still pursued as
long as the Democrats are given the
power to do it:
The Interior Department has in contempla.
tion plan by which the efforts to forfeit the
unearned land grants, which were unsuccess-
ful in Congress, may be successful through
departmental action. The law officers of the
land office have the subject now under con-
sideration. and IL the plan shall meet the ap-
proval of the Secretary OF the Interior 1t will
be put into operation. Some time ago the In
terror Department decided that no land grant
road should be considered to have earned its
grants until it had filed a corrected plat of
the entire road and of the granted land
claimed. Proceeding from this decision as
basis 1T is suggested that o suit may lie
against the Northern Pacific road, in which
the Government will maintain that 1t is not
entitled to any of the land which 1t claims;
fer instance in the grant from Duluth to
Puget's Sound, because these lands were not
earned, and the perfected plat for that part of
the route was not filed within the time pre-
scribed. This theory proceeds of course. from
the assumption that the road could not earn
any OF the lands IT u did not return the whole
grant, and on this theory the Secretary of tho
Interior will doubtless be asked to clear the