The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-11-17

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 UNI
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 maladministratiOn of the million
ARE leaders of the Republican party. When
the Administration of President Cleveland
land had been allowed by past 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 as they wore
wealthy.
In the report of Commissioner Spar1
following startling facts come to light:
ing the last nineteen months 375 action
suits have been brought to the attention Of
the land department. Of these, thirty.fve
cases have been decided. These decisions
turn back into the public domain 100000
But the report says further that the .syndi-
Gates and corporations trespassing and hold.
ing these lands are SO powerful that It will
take some years to remove them all There
is probably twice as much land Enclosed by
them as is shown by the foregoing report.
Already the Democrats have reversed
this wicked policy and restored mill
ions of acres, aud 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. 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 delye
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:
1 The Interior Department has in contempla
| ton plan by which the efforts to forfeit the
| unearned land grants which were unsuccess-
| full in Congress, may be successful through
| departmental action. The law officers Of the
land office have the subject now under con-
sheraton, and if the plan shall meet the ap.
| proval of the Secretary OF the Interior it 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 corrected plat of
the entire road and of the granted land
claimed Proceeding from this decision as q
basis, it is suggested that q suit may lie
| against the Northern Pacific road, in which
| the Government will maintain that it Is not
entitled to any Of, the land which it claims:
for instance in the grant from Duluth to
| Pugets Sound, because these lands were not
earned, and the perfected plat for that part OF
scribed. This theory proceeds. of course. from
the assumption that the road could not earn
any of the lands il IL did not return the whole
grant, and on this theory the Secretary of the
lands forfeited and open to settle nent.-De.
| MOiHeS Leader.