The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-10-06
THE PEOPLES HERITAGE.
A Glimpse At a Great CFims--HOV the
Public Lands We're SquandGred.
An Empire % Territory Given %
Corporations The Era Of
the Lobbyists and
DOOdleFa.


THE successful construction Of ths
Great Northern railroad without any land
grant or other subsidy, and at far less
apparent cost than that Of any other
transcontinental road. is q forcible re-
minder Of the shaueiul squanderinG ol
the peoples heritage, the public domain,
by the republican party.
According to testimony given before a
committee Of the Minnesota legislature
last winter, the entire amount Of Great
Northern stock, issued some years ago,
was $2S, 900, 900. The bonded indebted
ness is tls,OOO 4 mile, making total
capitalization Of 81, 900 a mile. On this
It has built it's road. The other trans
continental roads cost, apparently, sew
eral times this amount per mile, and re-
ceived vast gifts oi land from the govern
ment.
In fourteen years. from March 4, 1851
to March 4, 1875, when q democratic
house came in, l63,64S,94 acres ol
land were granted by republican con
gresses 10 railroads. The first Of these
grants, the odd.numbered sections fol
ten miles each side Of the road for dis
tance Of ,O3S miles, was granted july l.
1867, to the Union Pacific. The next
year this was doubled and made twenty
miles on each side. Besides this the gov.
eminent guaranteed 4 large amount Of
Union Pacific bonds, the interest on
which the people, not the road, have to
pay. The Northern Pacific obtained a
similar grant Of land-tWentY miles wide
through states and forty through territor-
ies-there being no states then west Of
Minnesota along its line except Oregon.
Other roads, all ever the sonth and west,
came focking to Washington for land,
and none were denied. Any company
that could raise money enough to pro-
cure charter, make maps, and hire lob
byists and supply them bountiiully with
Doodle, could get a land grant. o! the
peoples heritage made 4 merry time.
An area of l6S, ,64S,s44 acres is not to
be easily Judged Of except by comparison,
1t is 256, ,60S square miles. That 10 ter
ritory equal in area to the states ol
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Mass
achusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West
Virginia combined, with over 5000
square miles, or another Connecticut, to
spare. Or it is equal to the combined
area Of the great states Of Ohio, Illinois
Indiana, Iowa and MissoHri. Or 1t Il
equal to the states Of California and Ore
gon combined. And this vast domain
the republican party, in the short spare
Of fourteen years, gave the corporations
alone, besides nearly 1900, 900 acres to
states for railroad AID wagon road pur-
poses. No wonder the third party peo'
pie accuse the republican party Of a great
crime against the people in this matter.
But they also say that the two parties
are Just alike. On the contrary in this
as in other matters, there is q sharp con-
trast. The democratic party never grant
ed an acre Of land directly to 4 railroad
or other corporation. It did, before the
war, grant land to the state Of Illinois, Ia
aid Of the Illinois Central railroad, and
that road lie paying To the state per cent
Of its gross earnings to this day.
These grants were made to these road
under certain conditions: They were tC
be built within certain time. Relying
upon the conditions settlers went upon
lands and paid double price for them
and waited till despair drove out hope
before railroad came. Under republi'
can rule a.settler had to show strict com
pliance with the law; the railroad com
panies were exempt from all law. They
did not pretend to keep their contracts
Yet their lands were not forfeited as their
charters required. Railroad and bOOd-
le" controlled all republican legislation
as they do 70 DAY.
Since the democrats had a majority in
the house, they have made persistent,
and, In many cases, successful efforts to
have these unearned lands forfeited.
There were thirty-seven roads that had
failed 10 whole or in part to build their
roads according to charter. The demo
Gratis, during the iorty-eighth, fOrty-ninth
and fitieth congresses, succeeded in fore
ing through bills restoring to the people
50, ,9S7 $40 acres Of these Ian de, not In
Gliding the Northern Pacific lands west
Of wallula. This is an area about equal
TO the state Of Kansas. Iv
These facts, though often told before,
are worthy Of repetition now. when The
party that perPetrated this gigantic rob
berry Of the people is seeking 10 retain OF
again gain power. This great crime
against the people should never be for
gotten or forgiven. What could be done
II