Great Falls weekly tribune., 1895-08-02
RAILROAD DODGE.

After many weary days and hard bat
ties the people of Montana, Idaho and
Washington succeeded in securing legis-
lation by which it is possible to exempt
the mineral lands in the several states
from the opera tons of the railroad land
grant. At the last moment and when
the passage of the act was a reasonable
certainty, the representatives of the
Northern Pacific gave quasi support to
the measure. The commission created
by the law to classify the lands are now
in the field and are performing their du-
ties. 1t is evident they are not doing it
to the satisfaction of the road. There
has been mild protest or two filed by
the agents of the road in this state lust
to keep up appearances, but the Willy
gentlemen are attacking the commission
at the fountain head and have inaugu-
rated a war in Washington. The North
ern Pacific is in the hands of receivers
and is known to be hopelessly bankrupt,
but just the same there is enough money
in the wreck to keep a well paid lobby
in Washington to look out for the inter
ests of the receivers and the men who
wrecked the road and who yet hope to
pluck the few feathers that are still left
on the almost naked bird.
This lobby is attempting to earn it's
money. 1t has made an insidious and
cunning onslaught on the commission.
1t is using the clerks in the land de.
partment and the Associated Press as
it's ready agents. The ball has been set in
motion by medium of press dispatch in
which an official of the land office is quot
ed as saying that it will take the commits
sion between four and ten years to com
plete it's labors at an expense of many mill
ions of dollars, and the dispatch concludes:
THE mineral land act was passed on
the urgent solicitations Of citizens IN the
northwestern states, who beleve that
large quantities Of valuable mineral
lands lying within the grant or indem-
nifty limits of the railroads are being
patented TO those roads in violation of
law. In order to determine what part
of these lands are mineral il will be
necessary TO make some sort of inspec-
ton. Without consulting thn officials
of the land Office to ascertain the best
way to determine what part of the
lnp ,ls, ,,,ioaral tho
sentatives in congress secured the pass
age of the act providing for the appoint
ment of mineral land inspectors. If the
estimates of the land officials are any
where nearly correct. very little will have
been accomplished by the time the law
expires under which the inspectors are
extend these acts for many years and
pruvlia for the expenditure of many
hundreds of thousands Of dollars in order
to carry out the wishes of the western
people that no valuable mineral lands
shall be given to railroad companies"
The design of this publication 10 ap-
parent. When congress meets an appro-
priation will be called for to defray the
expense of the commission. Economy
will of course be tie watchword and this
appropriation will be attacked on the
line indicated that it will take years to
complete the job. The land officers at
Washington will be called on and they
will look wise and declare they were not
consulted and that in their opinion the
few thousands Of dollars should not be
expended.
ern representatives should be on their
guard to meet and circumvent il.
TTnifad Sfataa officials fiuura ont tb a 4