Nevada County picayune., 1888-04-25
Hon T C McRae and the Wheel
 Demands.
From the Locksburg Tocsin

Demands.
 From the Locksburg Tocsin
 We have been asked by number of Wheelers if we thought Hon. T. C. McRae would endorse the Wheel Demands. Not knowing how to an- swer. we wrote to Mir. McRae, and we this week give his answer in full. It settles one very important ques- tion, and strengthens us in the posi- ton we have taken-that there is no necessity for a third party, and that all the wishes of the Wheel can he secured through the Democratic par ty. Some bills have already been presented to Congress, and are in the hands of proper committees, which when they become laws, will accomplish just what the Wheelers have demanded, and this has been done without any demand being made upon the party. It plainly shows that the Democratic party is watchful of the peoples interests, and Hon. T. C. McRae, being the originator of many of these meas ures, has shown that he is al work for the people. We earnestly ask every Wheeler to read what Mr. Me Rae has to say on the demands, and l l,, n tion his position:
 HoUsE OF REPREsENTATIvEs
 Washington, D. C.. April ,, lSSs. l,
 Dear Sir:-Yours enclosing a copy of National Wheel Demands. with the request that l define my views there on. has been received. l thought my position on these questions was well understood by the public. but l dc not hesitate to state again in writing For convenience l will answer the thirteen demands seriatim.
 l. To so much of this as would re- serve the public lands for actual set tiers. and prevent it going into the hands of railroads and other corpora tions, fully agree. In an address to the people in the canvass of 1885, l stated that public lands should be held for actual homestead set tiers" and as member of the Pub. l lie Lands Committee in the House, l have industriouslv labored to SC shape legislation. as my record in Congress will attest. Ours is the great agricultural country of the world. In 1880. with only fifteen per cent of our area in cultivation. we produced thirty per cent of the grain of the world. This result is largely due to the fact that the great body of the farmers own the lands they work. That centralization which has characterized our manufacturing in. dustries has not. and cannot. under our system. attach to agriculture .- The average size of the farm has fall. en from 2O3 acres in 1850 to l34 ir 1880, and nearl Y three-fourths ot | the whole are cultivated by theil owners. To assist in keeping uI this condition of affairs l have fa- vorcd tine repeal of all laws for the disposition of agricultural lands. eX' cept the homestead law, and sought to amend that so as to make it easy for an honest settler to get his land and impossible for spectators to ac. Quire title from the government That part of the demand which re, fers to taxation of land held for spec. ulative purposes is hardly applica. ble to Congress because no land i, now taxed by the United States. II is, l believe, without exception. the subject of taxation in the States.and the demand should therefore be made upon the Legislature of the County Boards of Equalization.
 ,. In the same address l declared that if elected 1 would favor "the forfeiture of all grants of lands tC Railroad Companies where they have failed to comply with the conditions of the grant, and have kept my promise. Since have been in Con. gross all such bills have been referr. ed to the Committee of which l am a member, and without exception we have recommended forfeitures - Many million acres have been res tored to the public domain, and as many more would have been restored l but for the adverse action of the Sen ate. Early in this Congress intro- duced three bills upon this subject numbered 1899, s2OOO and 2OOl, cop cs of which l send you. Bills sub stantiallv like these have been re- ported favorably to the House from our Committee and l think they will all pass. The Committee did me tue honor of placing me in charge of | the Northern Pacific bill, which is the largest and most valuable grant ever made by Congress. l send you a copy thereon. The land involved in this bill alone will reach thirty mil lions of acres of the very best lands of the northwest.
 By the passage of the act approved March 3rd 1887, Statute 2i, page 476, our committee and Congress did all that can be done here to prevent aliens from acquiring title to lands in the United States. The Legisla- ture must attend to such matters in the States.
 3. am in favor of paying the pub lie debt as fast as can be, and am