The record-union., 1893-11-03
APPROVING VOICES.
The Country Press Upon the Letter of
Mr.. Huntington.

Red Bluff NeaOS: 1t is too much to eX-
pect that the Southern Pacific will make
present OF their lands to the unfortunate
settlers, but the company has given in
structions to sell them to the settlers ''at
the same price the company would have
sold them for before they were occupied"
In other words, no advantage will be
taken of these who have made improve
ments, but they are to be charged only
for the land as if uninlprOved. This
seems to be a fair proposition. The Gov
ernment should return to the settlers
every dollar wrongfully taken from them
in paying for these lands, and then, if the
railroad carries out it's promise, they will
have sustained but little damage.
Woodland Democrat: We regret to see
disposition upon the part of a few San
Francisco journals to sneer at and deride
Mr.. Huntington's communication, and
attempt to carry the impression that it
was inspired by anything but sincere
motives and spirit of fairness. News
papers as we'll as men who fear to criti-
else a corporation when wrong, or lack
the courage to commend it when right,
are demagogues whose action is 1nt1u-
enced wholly by personal and selfish con-
siderations. They may thrive tempor-
arily by appealing to popular prejudices,
but sooner or later the mask will be torn
from them and people will know them as
they are. 1t is perfectly safe to assume
that not many private individuals would
deal so magnanimously with the settlers
who have suddenly been left without
title to the lands that they had supposed
belonged to them, and upon which they
have made substantial improvements.
Indeed, we do not recall single instance
in which a private citizen has recovered
the title to real estate after it has stood i'll
the name of others for years, in which
any allowance has been made TO the orig
inal settler for any increase in value by
reason of improvements or other condi-
tiOns.
Riverside Enterprise: President Hunt
ington of the Southern Pacific has per-
formed a graceful act in regard to the set
tiers on the west side Of the San Joaquin
Valley. These people are occupying and
have improved some $1,000 acres, which
have recently been declared by the courts
to be the property of the railroad. The
lands have, of course, greatly enhanced
in value. Now that the controversy over
the title has been ended in favor of the
company, Mr.. Huntington has given or
ders that the settlers can keep their hold
ings upon payment of the small price per
acre which the lands would have cost
them had they purchased them of the
company in the first instance.
Oakland Enquirer No paper is more
willing to praise the Southern Pacific or
G. p. Huntington, when either does some
thing really worthy of praise, than is the
E1lQUi7er. Such an act is the decision of
Mr.. Huntington to sell to the Tulare set
tiers the lands they took up (supposing
them to be Government lands) and are
now occupying at the same prices which
would have been charged before the
present improvements were created
that is, that the naked land would have
been worth five or six years ago. If this
means the sale for 81 90 an acre, or there
abouts, of land which could now be sold
for $40, we think it is a very white thing
for Mr. Huntington TO do, and the San
Francisco papers which are sneering at
the transaction are wrong.