The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-01-11
DAY OF RECKONING.

DAY OF RECKONING.
The more the land frauds OF Oregon
are being investigated the more is the
public amazed at the prominent men
implicated. While no one likes to be-
lieve that prominent United States SEN
ators and congressman are implicated
yet from the evidence adduced and the
statements of the officials investigating
the matter it is apparent that there is
stronger evidence against prominent
officials than they are aware of. II
what is claimed is true, Senator Mitch.
ell and Congressman Herman are ac-
tually implicated or participated in any
way to defraud the government they
should be treated the same as an ordi-
nary citizen. They are entitled to no
more consideration than the man that
was induced to file on a timber claim
and commit perjury at the behest of
the timber syndicates. The Tacoma
Ledger in an editorial says:
The signs indicate a troublous time
for various species of big thieves at
last. 1t is best to use this plain word
for they are men who to gain great
wealth have persistently and audac.
iously violated and defied laws, while
posing as being models and leaders in
the country's business life. We allude
to those who have made and are max
ing enormous profits out of the COM
mon people. the producers and con-
sumers. either by violations of laws on
by the corrupt procurement vicious.
class legislation, unfaithful administra-
ton. or unjust adjudication. They are
not as guilty as the corrupted or base
ly influenced legislators. executive Of
hcers and judges who have been their
tools, but they deserve no softer name
than thieves nevertheless.
Just now especial attention is at
tracted to the land thieves. The Puters
and McKinleys were only small IL
shrewd tools. Behind them was a more |
or less corrupt or at best a contemp- /
tibly hoodwinked government, infested
with lot Of unprincipled or incompet- |
enh politicians But behind all these
were the big beneficiaries, the men who |
with the aid of these official and pri- /
vate agents and tools possessed
themselves of millions upon millions
Of acres Of the choicest timber lands
Of the country left-most of them. in
fact-at perhaps an average of one
tenth their present value.
That these great timber land own
ers did business on a large scale, and
spent great deal of money to acquire
these immensely valuable lands, does
not change the nature of the transac-
ion, for in almost every case the spirit
and even the letter of the law were
The lands were the govern
nent's, the peoples; by trickery fraud
md perjury, 1t passed into possession
# the big syndiactes. Thus the people
lave been robbed Of tens of millions
Why. then, should we not call these
men robbers as well as the men who
AXE small amounts of property from
'ightful owners by force?
"The rich man who robs by chican-
,ry is more dangerous and deserving of
than the poor man who
obs by the strong arm method. He
njures more people, and he corrupts
nen to serve the people, SO that they
NOW not on whom to depend.
But the big land thieves are not all.
There are those who form the beef
rust, as a sample Of many, that with
he aid of the big railroad corporations
ire able absolutely to name their own
'rices both to the cattle raisers on the
arms and ranges, and to the meat
consumers in all cities throughout the g
.ountry. They are avaricious, of s
curse; as the attorney general says t
hey are oppressive and merciless;
hey offer low prices to the cattle own t
rs and extort high prices from con- |
umers; they are gang of wholesale |
obbers as much as the bandits of i
Europe that we have read of ever were, I
nd yet 1t is regarded as doubtful if T
hey can be routed, broken up, or even 7
eriously molested, by the government t
( 100000 daily plundered people. But t
he government is preparing to attack i
lem mildly, and may accomplish some c
hing.
Evidence is overwhelming that tha Y
Ig railroad corporations comprise an. t
ther organization that defies laws 4