The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-31
Much Land Donated to Railway
in the United States.
This Was Cause of Rapid GrOwtI
in Mileage.
A DELAY IN THE WEST.
Many Years Would Have Been
Lost in Kansas.
Other Items of General Inter-
est in Traffic World.

One of the remarkable features of
the history of the railroads of the Uni
ted States has been their construction
in advance even of the lines of settle
ment of the population, says the New
York Globe. The introduction of rail-
roads early in the last century found
the greater part of Europe densely
populated, and the railroads were con-
structed between large cities possess
ing numerous industries and carrying
on an extensive commerce. The build
ers Of the early railroads in Europe
traffic Immediately upon the construc-
ton of their lines. In the United
States and Canada the conditions were
radically different.
These two countries possessed COM
paratively small but rapidly increas-
ing population, most of whom lived
within a few hundred miles of the At
lantic seaboard. Further inland, and
extending through to the Pacific coast,
lay a vast area possessing almost in
exhaustible natural resources and ca
pable of supporting a population as
great as nearly the whole of Europe.
To develop and populate this territory
adequate transportation facilities were
essential.
The works first undertaken were wa
gon roads and canals, in the aid of
the construction of which the United
States granted 5000, 900 acres of land.
Had it not been for the influence of
liberal land grants the construction of
these wagon roads and canals, as well
as the early railroads in the west,
would have been delayed for a number
of years.
In 1850 the United States made its
first grant of lands to aid in the con-
struction of a railroad, this grant being
made to the state of Illinois, which
subsequently transferred the lands to
Illinois Central
grant consisted of 2,505,00 acres, and
the results proved so satisfactory that
the various states, as well as the fed
eral government, offered liberal land
grants to the promoters of other rail-
roads.
While land grants were obtained by
a large number of railroads, the larg-
est acreage was obtained by the build
ers of the Great Western trunk lines.
The original act granted 100000 acres
to the Union Pacific and the Central
Pacific railroads. The original grant
to the Northern Pacific called for S.
000, 900 acres, while the grant to the
Atlantic and Pacific called for $4,000, 600.
Altogether, the area Of lands granted
to aid in the construction Of railroads
is estimated at 190, 1000, 900 acres, of
which about $4,000, 900 acres were for
feited by subsequent legislation. In ad-
dition to these land grants, the United
States government made loans to Cen
L
cific, Central Branch, Western Pacific,
and the Sioux City and Pacific, which
including interest, amounted to over
$4,000 900.
Aside from the fact that the construc-
ton of the western railroads has enor-
mously increased the wealth of the
country, 1t is claimed by the railroads
that the United States government lost
nothing through it's liberal grants of
land in aid of the construction Of the
railroads. The laws making the land
grants of odd numbered sections in
practically every case, provided that
the even numbered sections retained by
the government within the limits of
the several grants should not be sold
at less than $3.50 an acre; or twice the
price at which this land had been pre-
viously held.
The railroads being naturally DESTROYS
of increasing the population and de-
veloping the natural resources of the
territory through which their lines ran,