The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-06
THE WASTE or ouR PUBLIC LANDS

ment does the News want than that?
THE WASTE OF OH PUBLIC LANDS.
No doubt many readers Of the Journal
were astonished at the figures presented
a day or two ago from the report of the
state auditor of Minnesota relative to the
enormous waste of the public lands in that
State by grants to railroad companies.
They showed that in the aggregate more
than 20, GG 900 acres had been thus granted
by Congress and state legislation, the pres
ent estimated value of which is $lo3. O00. 600.
These grants aggregate nearly one-half the
entire area of the State of Minnesota and
nearly two-thirds that OF Indiana. The aud
itor calls attention TO the fact that many
OF the grants have lapsed or have been for
feited by the grantees through violation OF
contract. and recommends that suit be
brought TO recover them. Possession is nine
points of the law. and ii is doubtful if any
of the lands Will ever be recovered.
a true history of the disposition of the
public lands of the United States would
be a surprising story of lack of foresight.
reckless legislation. wanton dissipation of
national wealth, and. too often, of greed
and corruption. Such a history can never
be written. The subject is too great and
the materials too scattered. and too many
OF the contemporaneous facts are obliter-
ated. 1t would be different from any other
narrative ever written, because there has
been nothing in the worlds history at all
comparable to the reckless disposition of
our public lands. Perhaps it was partly in
evitable in the necessary s~ubjugation and
rapid peopling of the continent, but if il
were to do over again. in the light of ex-
perience. it could be done far more wisely
and with incalculable gain to the govern
ment. Reference is now mad to the land
grants to corporations. though there has
been almost as much recklessness and
waste i'm dealing with individuals. The
grants TO corporations include canal as
well as railroad companies. and Indiana
heads the list. The first grant of public
land ever made by Congress in aid OF a
public work was to the Wabash and Erie
canal, in 1927. This grant and two others
in lS4l and 1916. respectively. aggregated l.
1o5.S1f acres. of which 26s.535 lay in Ohio
and 1~,4S9,279 in Indiana. From 1877 To 1866
Congress granted to different canal COM
panies a total of 4,i05, 9S6 acres in the
States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin
and Michigan. 1t is not known if one of
them is now i'm existence. One of the grants
in 1923 was 5O0.0 900 acres for general canal
purposes" Nothing more was ever heard
of General Canal. Probably the land was
not worth a great deal at the time of the
grant. but it was at least worth holding OH
to. The land grants for educational pur-
poses. though not always wisely managed.
can be commended on the whole. There
have been granted for public schools i'm
the different States So OO, 600 acres. for uni
versities /. 265, 600 acres and for agricultural
colleges 100000 acres. No fault can be
found with these land grants. But far ex-
ceeding all other grants combined and be-
wildering by their number and magnitude
are the land grants made by acts of Con-
gress to States and corporations for rail-
road purposes The first grant of this kind
was made III 1850, to the Illinois Central
Railroad. and was for 1855, 053 acres in IlIi-
nois. From 1850 to 1870 Congress passed $50
dSIo SidLlinS anu u TdiIOdt companies.
The ~footings of these grants are not ac-
cessible, but they embrace some hundreds
of millions of acres. The Union Pacific got
1000. 900 acres; the Kansas faeific. 5000, 600;
the Central Pacific. 5000. 900 acres: the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, 3.0O0.O0O
acres: the Northern Pacific, AZ, OO0. 900 acres:
the Souther Pacific. 9,52O.0OO acres; the
yF;.-,- Iy...- q 49, 4 n "a ---
the St. Louis, Iron Mountain q Southern,
200, 267 acres; the Chicago, Rock Island q
Pacific. 1.26l 600 acres; the Hannibal & ST.
Joseph. 7S1, 944 acres; the Iowa Falls &
Sioux City. 1.226, 163 acres; the Chicago &
1,164. O0U acres; the St. Paul
& Pacific, Leases acres, and SO on. The
grants named include but a small number
of those made, and their aggregate value
is beyond computation. Something could be
said in defense of the policy as Il neces-
sary means of developing the country by
the construction of railroads. but there can
be no doubt that it has been accompanied
by "a great deal of recklessness and waste.
Agricultural lands of great value and min
eraI deposits representing incalculable
wealth have been scattered right and left
like. waste paper. 1t is too late to reform
the past. but some lessons might yet be
learned for the future.