Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-09-17
Stone and the Public Lands.
Mexico Weekly Intelligencer, Aug. 26.l

(MeXlco Weekly lntell1gencer, Aug. 26l
In the years first following the
Civil War, the Federal Govern
ment made large land grants in
aid of the construction of railroads,
such as the Northern Pacific, At
lantic & Pacific, Southern Pacific
and others, amounting in the ag-
gregate to something like two hum
dred million acres. Alternate Sec
tions on each of the lines of rail-
road were granted, varying with
different roads from ten to twenty
miles in width, or a total of from
twenty to forty miles, running, of
course, for long distances. In
nearly all those grants it was con-
ditioned that the grant should be
null and void, and the lands restor-
ed to the public domain, if the
company receiving them failed to
begin the construction of the road
within a time named, or failed to
complete SO many miles each year
and finish the road by another date
fixed.
When William j. Stone went to
the House of Representatives in
1885 he was assigned to the Public
Lands Committee, and made a
member of the subcommittee hav-
ing jurisdiction over land grants
to railroads. 1t was found, upon
investigation by the sub-com-
mittee of which Stone was a mem
ber, that most of the land grant
railroads had not completed their
lines in accordance with the re-
quirements of the contracts, or had
otherwise failed to comply with the
conditions imposed. Most of the
roads began the work of construc-
ton within the time fixed, but none
of the larger roads was completed
within the required time. Some
had built a third, or a half, and
the remainder was still in process
of construction in some cases, and
in others the work was at stand
still. There was great agitation in
Congress and throughout the coun-
try over the railroads failure to
keep faith with the government.
The Supreme Court held that a
legislative declaration of fore
feiture was necessary to restore
the lands to the public domain.
Mr.. Stone introduced bills provid-
ing for such forefeitures, and took
an active part in the fight. So con-
spicuous did he become in the de-
bates in the House on the subject,
and in the investigation before
the committees, that, by common
consent, he was accepted as the
leader against the railroads. He
was generally in charge of the
forfeiture bills on the floor, and
bore the brunt of the many bat
ties that were fought out there.
There was long struggle, with
powerful railroad lobby Influences
ceaselessly at work in Washing
ton, for hundreds of millions were
involved. Stone and his col
leagues on the Public Lands Com
mittee succeeded, however, in get
ting most of their bills through the
House, but the Senate held out for
long time against the forfeiture
of the entire grants. Agreements
we're ultimately reached between
the two Houses, and, while Stone
was still at the helm and leading
the fight, there was secured the
forfeiture and restoration of ap-
proximately sixty million acres.
In other words, a domain as large
as the State of Missouri was saved
for the homemakers of the West.
After Stone left Congress and be-
came Governor, the fight still went
on and many millions more were
forfeited. But it was Stone who
took up the peoples fight in the
first instance, and to him more than
any other is due the credit. AS a
result of his contest against such
great odds there are millions OF
homes throughout the West today
carved out of lands wrested from
the clutches of the Pacific Railroads
and turned over to the people to be
possessed and improved as other
government lands.
And yet, now and then, someone
rises to inquire "What did Stone
ever do for the peopleP" If Coils
P. Huntington and the other Pa
c;fic railroad magnates, who were
forced to disgorge their unlawful
holdings, could testify, they could
be forced to make a good case fol
Stone. They and their artful rep
resentatives remembered how he
stood out against all their ma
chinations and almost singlehand-