The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-16
Who Owns the Land.

Upon the theory of our govern
ment, the supreme executive author
ity is delegated to it by the people,
and all the powers Of government are
exercised, not by the right of inner
itance or succession, but solely by
the consent of the governed. In the
same manner, all the property in the
pnblic domain belongs to the nation
at large, and is only held in trust by
government to be administered for
the benefit of the entire people.
Hence it logically follows that every
American citizen owns an undivided
interest in the public domain, and
when homestead is granted to any
one, he simply has allotted to him in
severalty part Of aUh0t he already
o,cned in common with the rest of the
nation.
1t is well-knOwn principle with
us that private property cannot be
taken for public use, without full and
fair compensation to the owner.
And we think it is equally clear that
public property belonging to the ma
ton at large cannot be granted away
for private use without full compen-
sation therefor, except to bona fde
homesteaders.
Then upon what theory of law or
equity have the vast tracts of public
domain, and vast sums Of public
treasure been given to corporations
aoithoh the payment of any compensation
THEREFOR?
The amounts realized by railroads
and other corporations from these
grants is almost beyond computation.
By reliable estimates, founded on
statistics, it appears that over two
billion dollars in lands and bonuses
have been given away to railroad
companies, equal to an assessment of
81 per acre on all the land in the Uni
ted States. The value of these land
grants and subsidies would long
since have paid off the national debt
and the interest on the proceeds of
the same would ere this have built
up surplus in the United States
treasury bearing respectable COM
parison with the amount of the ma
tiOnal debt, as it now exists.
Or in other words, the resources of
the nation have been stolen and pre-
sented to corporations, while the ma
tional debt has been allowed to re-
main and the people have been taxed
to pay the interest upon it instead of
having the national debt paid out of
the public domain, SO that now, in
stead of being without a national
debt, with big surplus in the treas
ury, a large portion of the debt still,
remains and the fat corporations,
have the public treasure in their
pockets instead of it's being in the
national treasury where it belongs.
AS only a portion of the total
amount OF land in the United States
has been settled, it follows that the
tax of 81 per acre on all the land in
the country is equal to tax of Seve-
raj dollars an acre on the settled pOr-
ton, and it is safe to say that this is
at very low estimate equal to IS per
acre for every acre of Improved land IN,
the country. AS matter of fact, a
careful estimate would show this to
be nearer 500 an acre on all Improved
lands. But let us call it S. an acre
only. Is it any wonder that times
have become hard, when every farm
er, in addition to the cost of his land
and his Improvements has had to pay
more than SIS an acre on his land as a
tax for the special benefit of the rail-
roads, besides his state and county
taxes; or at the rate of something
over $33 head for every man woman
and child in the United States, which
according to the recognized standard
amounts to $165 for each head of
family.
Or let us take still more pleas
ing view of it. Relying upon govern
ment statistics, we find that at the
time most of these great land grants
were made they cost the head of each
family engaged in farming somewhat
over ST, 200. No wonder people in
the old country think American far
mers must be rich, when they see
them pulling 81, 200 rolls out of their
pants pockets and presenting them
as a free gift to the railroads, for that
is just what it means. The only won
der is that farmer can be found in
the country who has a shirt to his
back or bed to lie on; and they
would not, either, if this country
were not so wonderfully rich that we
can stand more robbing than any ma
tiOn on Gods footstool.
And then to be told that the rail-
roads have done so much good that