Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1890-09-19
PUBLIC LAND ROBBERY,
A Pointed Article on the Subject From the
Able Pen of Waiter Price, Of
Letcher, s. D.
HoW the United States Government Has
Nursed the Railroads From the PUB
lie Crib.

lie Crib.
LAND GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES
Very few people among the farmers
and other laboring classes are aware of
the immense amount of land given and
the financial aid rendered to the railroads
of this country to aid their construction.
was astonished when got to reading
the report of the secretary of the interior
as published in the bound volume of
message and Documents for 1888 -'89
and kindly furnished me by the courtesy
|of Hon. J. A. Pickler. It seems impossi-
BILE to believe that our government has
been SO corrupt, or if not inspired by cor
ruption in many Of the cases, SO reckless
ly profigate and lavish in it's gifts. The
whole matter looks at this day as, unwise
and Of penny wise and pound foolish
nature, as if inspired by only good ma
! ture.
There is such an immense amount of
such transactions that can mention but
a few Of them. l will not even have time
to add up the items and give up the sum
total Of all this nations wealth-the peo-
ple's inheritance recklessly squan-
dered. open on page s91 and find the
statement that the Union Pacific has re-
ceived the greatest subsidy of any rail-
| .ao5 %.o,,, <ho Trr;<ad S<o<oc IN 10 ~
802 find the statement that it had dis
posed of 1924, 1912 cash, and stand
ing out on time sales, Sl3, 53S, ,86l.24.
This.reports up to Dec. 81, 1887. On
page 91O find that the principal Of
bonds issued by the United States to the
Union Pacific railroad, including the
Kansas Pacific branch, to be $50, $50, SIP,
and the interest paid thereon by the
Uniten States, $40, ,s51.74; total, $685..
682, ,363.74. That is, the government is
sued its bonds to the Union Pacific rail
way, which they sold for cash, and nov
the United States has been paying th'
delinquent interest on them to tn
amount Of $40, ,142.8 .851.74. The United
States is Secured by a second mortgag
on the road-bed. In the meantime tn
Union Pacific railroad has credits to th'
amount of 1923, 410, 532 % for transporta
tion, etc.
!, Well, all this staggers me but l go OF
to the next, the Central Pacific. On pag.
S91 find that up to Dec. 81, 1877, tina
2. 4O2, 1884 "a acres of land had been pat
ented, and total receipts from all sale!
amounted to 81, ,8l4, 424.55. Over to pag'
9lO again see that the amount Of subsi
dy and interest amounts to SEC, O,497, SIT.
81, with $50, 612, 1S0.58 yet unpaid. l nov
skip over a few pages and come to thu
, Northern Pacific railroad. On page 81.
l find that the total number Of acres re
ceived is IS, 2s3, ,959,- of which $780,
14O, 81, acres have been sold up to Dec
81, 1887 for S22, GA, 4O5. 81 cash, and 81,
OS4, OO2. .32 on time. l do not notice any
cash subsidy given this railroad, but no
tice that the United States government j:
liberal patron of the company.
And so it goes all the weary way
through. To continue making a con
densed statement, as have been doing
would fill a page Of the Ruralist ant
weary the reader beyond endurance. The
average voter knows nothing about these
things. For many years he has beer
blndly gulping down everything the g
O. D. s have set before him, while the ma
tion was being robbed. Without making
any calculation whatever, will estimate
that enough has been squandered in lanc
grants and subsidies, if properly used, te
construct three trans-continental rail
roads. just think, brother farmer, what
a competition three great railroads
stretching from the Atlantic to the Paci
fic and running through our most fertile
country would be!
But it's done, and the railroad magnate
sitting in power with his millions of ILL
gotten gains, with the banker loaded
with usury on one hand, and the distillel
on the other hand with his blood money
wrung from the hearts and souls of the
people, asks in autocratic insolence:
what are you going to do about it?'
And the party slave cringes and bows to
his g. o. p. that aided and abetted these
steals and cries aloud that he perfers his
slavery to his liberty, his drunkenness to
sobriety, and that those who are protest
ing against their condition are cranks and
deserve the lash!
0, yes, it makes me heart-sick and re,
belllous, too, when 1 think mssy be re-
CURED by my government at any time tc
leave my family and h1umble home, anc
serve my country for years at s15 /;
month and forage, ind that in event o
disease or wounds incurred thereby Cal
oras out twenty five more years of suf
lerlng Win a /pittance of pension, ane
l. L Il III