Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1886-02-18
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AMERICAS LAND QUESTION

<1<A - AsAS - A~@AAN - - ~~S - ~~~s
We herewith submit few pointers ON
this very serious matter taken from an
Article in the North American Revisw,
written by A. j. Desmond. 1t is high
time Uncle Sam called malt" Mr.. Des-
mond says: The number Of great farms
is doubling every three Years; tbs, renters
are sainin on the land owners. Private
corporations own swaths Of territory
equal to dozen states; and what seems
most to have touched the national pride,
foreign landlords have possessed them
selves of millions Of our best acies."
The growth of large farms will be made
to appear from comparison Of statistics
gathered in 1870 and 1880 In 1870 farms
under 100 acres numbered 2.075, 1888, in
1880 they were 2,2Os,374. an increase of
10 per cent, In 1870 farms over 100 acres
ald under 500 we're SOS, ,054, in 1880 they
numbered 1895, 1888, an increase OF 200
per cent. In 1870 farms over 500 and
under l,cO0 acres were $4,000, in 1880.
5000, an increase Of 500 per cent. In
1870 farms over 1000 were 3,400, in
1880 %, 600, an increase of 500 per cent.
The census Of 1880 shows there
are l, 924, 900 American tenant far ners, or
900, 900 more than Ireland had in tho
palmiest day Of Irish landlordism The
kernel Of the evil is the lavish land grants
that have been made to RAILROADS. The
real persons mainly benefited by these
grants ate either native or foreign land
lords. The first grant was to the Illinois
Central, September 20, 1850, of 1856, 900.
Up to 1861 railroads received in this
manner 100000 acres, or nea.ly as
much as the entire state OF West yir-
ginia. In July, 1862, l2,000,09G acres
was granted direct, to the Union Pacific.
During the nations peril in 1854, when
our national debt arose from 1854 900, 900
in 1862 to 2,6Sl, ,OOO, ,0JO la 1854. the great
corporations swooped like harpies upon
our public domain and one hundred
million acres were feeced from the gov
ernmenr-or rather from the people, twice
the extent of all the New England states.
Thus. while fghhng to retain eleven re-
fractory states, the nation permitted itself
to be cozened out Of territory sufficient
to form twelve new ones. Up to 1885, the
total amount Of lands given by congress TO
different stuves in aid of railroads
amounts to 3s,000,OO0, a srend total of
I72, 200, an exg anse of territory a
little less than the original thirteen colo
nies and laige than France and Englan
combined. Mr.. Desmond shows by sta
tistics that congress thus erred terribly,
for since congress has quit gr rInting public
domain TO railroads, the increase Of miles
OF railroads in operation has been
nearly 100 per cent in five years Out of
these lands granted to railroad corpora
tons he gives a list Of names Of twenty
nine English firms who own 20,647 900
acres. An expanse Of territory as large as
ireland in the hands Of twenty nine, alien
absentee landlords. Among Americans
he names Colonel Murphy's estate of
4 900, 900 acres: Standard Oil Company
with 600, 200 acres; Ex. Senator Dorsey
with 500.000 acres in New Mexico; Mr..
Disston with over 2,000.000 acres in
Florida; the Glenn. Vanderbilt and Dali
7, mple wheat farms. In New York Col.
Church collects his rents from lso farms.
many OF them 500 acres in size and all
made valuable by increasing density Of
population. To conclude briefly, Uncle
Sa started out with 900, ,0OO,O00 acres Of
available land. OF this. during the rsst
half century, there b. past igto the hands
of actual settlers, private parties, what
bats been sIyen TO states for school nds
ana granted rs swamp lands, for land /
bounties for military and naval service. !
sor CANALS and wagon roads. also, railroad |
gran total Of 100000. 600, leav- |
ing only 100000, 900.
II is clear that by the end of the ceu.u- I
ry there will not be an acre Of public land
open for cuitivat on. These IRE facts for
the people and cur statesmen to ruminaie
over Men past the prime OF life at
present whiting will see the day when
l6G acres of Hand in Hand county will be
a princely domain.