Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1890-11-14

cies OF the Pu0Hc Land system
Anaiyzed.
"A POWERFUL PLEA.
Now i presume that there is not a poor
man or woman within the hearing Of my
voice that could not get rich before break
fast in the morning if they would only
do that to me before | 60 toabed tonight.
But when they obtained fifty-two mill
lion dollars worth Of land they did not
build the road. What do you suppose
they did then! Why, osaid one Of them,
we want you to give us the privilege Of
issuing thirty millions more OF bonds,
these bonds to run thirty years, the inter
est to bear six per cent. You, the United
States government, TO pay the interest
out Of the public treasury every six
months, and the principal at the end Of
thirty years in case We fail to meet it.
And when they received that privilege
they did not build the road. What do
you suppose they did then? Why, they
organized : wheel within a wheel. They
called ita Cssdit Mobsher. People, in aft
er years, wanted to know what kind Of
an animal that was. Well, they said il
was FRRNCH one and that it was a
great construction company that was to
.builp the Union and Central Pacific rail-
way: Who was it composed of? Why,
iii was the. directors of the Union and
Pacific railway, let the contract to build
the road to themselves as directors of the
Credit Mobilier. And in two years they
divided twenty millions out of the thirty
as dividends and pui it in their pockets,
and the road was not built yet Then
they fell bacd on their cheek again and
went begging at the door of congress
once more, and congress taid, what do
pou fellows want now And they re-;
piled that they wanted congress to give
them the privilege to issue 100000, 600
more bonds to bear six per cent interest,
to run, thirty years. and, they to have the
first mortgage on the road, and that the
United States government to take a
lsecond mortgage in the place Of the first
Zone that they now held. and their second
issue 81 bonds to Do sold toSan European
Syndicate, and that the United States
government agree to pay the interest dur
ling the thirty years, and agree to meet
the principa. at the end OF that time in
case the company refused to. And con-
gress said aye, and passed the bill in this
form, and sent it up to the upper house,
the senate of the United States, the house
of Lords Of America, that great conserva-
tive body, which is fifty years behind the
people in ideas and tow hundred ahead
of them in rascality, said aye, and the
bill became a law. Fellow citizens, it is
twenty odd years since these acts Of legis-
lation were passed. How does our &C
count stand with the Union and Pacific
railway? We have paid in interest on
these bonds, out of the public treasury
upwards Of $68,0OO,OO We stand re-
sponsibie for the principal of S64, 600, 600
more. We gave them $52, 900. 900 worth
of land. and what have we got to show
for it? Why we have got q second mort
gage on the roads, and a European syndi-
cate holds the first mortgage. The gov
eminent furnished the public credit to
build these roads. Did these companies,
when they received this credit, allow
| American labor to earn it? Not bit OF
il. They made a contract with the SIX
i Chinese companies of San Francisco tc
furnish Is. 600 Cinnamon for three years
at S15 per month and found, and agreed
to carry their Dones home to China il
case they died on their hands. The rea
son that they didnot hirs, American labor
was that the price at that time was S2. sc
per day.
The chairman of the committee OF
Public Lands Of the 4Sth congress report:
to that body that these same capitalist:
are now building parallel lines righ'
along side Of the government roads to pay
heavy dividends on their own roads, ant
/ they We're knocking at the door c
congress with Funding bill, asking fol
an extension, of seventy years to pay thi!
Indebtedness with . .proviso in the bill
that the government should pay the in
Iterest during that length Of time, This
my fellow citizens, is but one of th,
many iniquitous acts that have bcel
passed by our national legislature dur
ling the past quarter of u century.
/ The 10Th congress appointed com
mission to investigate the condition o
those roads. Among other men wh'
they summoned to appear before then
and testify was Colts NJ. Huntington th
4 president of the Southern Pacific railway
| He under oath testified that he was
member of the construction committe
that built these roads. ana tina; they re
ceived S174,000 in stock, ard governmen
| bonds per mile for constructing thes
roads. Competent engineers, some 0