Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-09-27
NUMBER IL.

SeeMSl III lcO4s y dVs Va S0Ak SS0 - 2
granted to the Central Pacific and
Western Railway 8 900, 900 acres, TO
Hannihal and st. Joseph, Sioux City
and Pacific and the Burlington and
Missouri River railroads 8, ,262. .544 acres.
to the Northern Pacific Al. .000, 900, maxi
ing total of So. .2s2,544 acres given
away in one day. More than two and
half times as much given away in
one day, without any return. than had
been granted to the states In the pre-
ceding eighty-five years.
The Republican party had now got
ten its hand well in, was prosperonsly
started on its mission Of ridding the
yeomanry of future generations OF
homes, and was SO well pleased with
its work that 1t thirsted to again try it
on. Opportunity soon came. On July
9Th, 1866, the Atlantic and Pacific
Railroad was given AZ. 600, 900 acres and
the Southern Pacific the nice little
poultry farm Of 9, $40, 900. Total for one
day of 81 $50, 900 acres.
Again their favored henchmen thirst
ed for pelf, again congress remembered
the public domain and again an act OF
congress responded to their demand.
On March 81. 1871, the Southern Paci-
fic got 8. $40. 900 and the New Orleans,
Ration Rouge & Vickshurg line got
8, 500, 900 and the Texas and Pacific got
Is 900 900, making total for tlat day
of q, ,32O, 900 acres.
Making total granted to corpora
tions alone in these four days. and With
out value in return of 164, 122.544 acres,
and seven times as much as was grant
ed away in the preceding eighty-five
years. These lands are naturally as
fertile as these of Europe. And upon
an area no larger than these are the
populations Of England, Scotland,
Wales and France supported with
ease
The combined area of England,
Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Germ
any only exceeds the combined gifts OF
our lands by the Republicans about the
number of acres contained III the grant
of 1871. given above. and those coun-
tries contain population of more than
|a2, 900, 800 people. Just think. ia those
four days enough of the public lands
were alienated to have Sustained more
than eo,oo0, ,oo0of our present popuia-
| tion.
That is the Republican record on the
granting away and getting rid Of lands
which should have been reserved for
settlement by our sons and grandsons,
as our present farms were settled by
our fathers and grandfathers.
| For the first time In fourteen years,
the Democrats obtained q majority Ia
the House in 1874. and either In that
or the senate, ,one Or the other. havere.
tanned majority ever since. And
since that time not ansacte has bssn
granted away save under the reguiaI
laws to actual purchasers FOR money o.
under the homestead. prescription and
timber culture acts. No baroniaL lord
lily or ducal estate has, for favored
monopoly, been carved out Of the com.
mon domain. From 1874 to the pres.
ent time the Democratic representa-.
| tives and senators have been endeavor.
ing to undo tie wrong done from 1851
to 1874. but always and ever the Re
publican senators and representatives
have stood in the way and obstructed
by votes and voices the undoing Of the
wrong they bad done.
Compare the above Republican rec.
ord on tile land grants with their plat.
form of 1888, and their record on the
forfeiture OF this land back TO the gov.
ernment as unjustly with held from
settlement. Their platform pledges
their party to forfeit this land and te
restore it to the public domain.
That pledge in connection with thei,
record in making these grants shows
an admission on their part. 1st. Thai
these lands ought never to have beer
granted. I'd. That such grants were
robbery upon the people. Sd. That nj
lawful title has ever passed to grantees
4th. That such pledge on the part o.
such party is repudiafion by the Re,
publican party OF its own former acts
4 5th. That If such lands should never
have been granted, ard should now be
forfeited, they should have been forfeit
Led by the Republican party when i
/ was in power, and their pledge now tt
i forfeit them when they are out Of pow
er is an arraignmeDt of their owr
course in ever granting them. ans
Having granted them. ii not having
themselves forfeited them when they
were in possession Of all the dep art
ments of government. 9th. That ths
claim Of the Republicans to credit. ii
i thar tile laws under which these lands
were granted contained clauses Of for
feiture, under which they must now d,
Il forfeited, If forfeited at all, is-not opera
4 tive in their favor but rather againe
them, for the reason that the Republi
cans were in power, and had control q
the interior departments for years afte
these conditions were broken and no
complied with on the part Of the grant
i ees, at least as far as concerns the 50. 900.
Loco acres which the Interior Depart
ment under Cleveland has airea,ly for
feited. u fact, the public prints br.s
tied with the assertion that the Repub
can Secretary Of Interior Teller
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