Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-06
How Congress Came to the Aid
of the Western Timber
GrafterS


the timber corporations There they do the job with mules
and donkey engines.
In the National Capitol log rolling also part of the bust
the timber corporations There they job
money, tools and donkey Congressman.
Witness round, unvarnished tale of facts:
Among the railroad corporations grants
land public period Congressional
rupon and thevng following the close of the Civil War
the Oregon California Railroad Company with lines running
South from Portland through the fertile valleys and mbered
hills of Western Oregon This corporation granted
million three hundred and sixty thousand and of that i'm
much covered with the finest timber standing
on, this continent.
One provision of this grant peculiar it. The of
Congress stipulated that the California Railroad Company
should sell these lands ONLY TO ACTUAL SETTLERS, IN
LOTS NOT TO EXCEED 100 ACRES TO EACH PURCHASER
AND AT A PRICE NOT TO EXCEED TWO DOLLARS AND
HALF AN ACRE.
The stipulation plain concise The penalty
lating forfeiture of the grant
Oregon California Railroad took the land and
promptly proceeded ignore and violate the Spuaon the
grant segregated the land into lots of any size that suited
its convenience and sold these lots whatever prices could
obtain and the price always excess frequently
from twenty times excess the figure fixed by
gress.
In the year 1908 joint resolution of the Senate
directed the Attorney General of the United States bring suit
in equity to forfeit the titles of the railroad company and those
holding by purchase from the lands embraced grant
The suit pressed to trial and the Government
On August 90 1912 of Congress approved which
provides that individuals corporations claiming by purchase
from the Oregon California Railroad Company en-
braced in the original grant, procure decree of final for
fixture and reOban title the land by paying dol
lars and half to the United States.
The usual verbiage and fumaddde which distinguish
To VIII
with statute absent from the full act
the is stated
Having log rolled this bill through Congress- timber
grabbing corporations have busy boy pre-
serving pantry peonng their IT,
ties forfeited and then reganng title by paying the
ment $3.50 for their immensely valuable illegally
obtained tract timber One corporation A. Smith
Lumber Company has just obtained in this way United
States District Court Portland possession
of standing timber
the express the Act of Congress estab
fishing the original grant that these timber sold
to actual settlers only and lots not exceed 100
Because the railroad did sell these timber lands
thousands of to timber corporations the grant
cared forfeited having obtained forfeiture showing
the Government turns around and by virtue of the log
ed through Congress by the timber gaers year ago. conveys
the identical timber grabbers identical public
timber lands in lots of the identical illegal
So that, as the stands
The railroad keeps the money the original
illegal sales.
The grabbers again have of the immense
tracts they illegally got from the railroad.
The Government gets less than ehrtieth the
lands
The actual settlers the common people get nothing.
And listen again BY virtue this act log rolled
in the interest of the timber rabber the small owner
bought his 16acre parcel good paid the railroad
for it years ago. LOSES HIS LAND UNLESS HE GOES
THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS INVENTED BY THE TIM
BER-GRABBERs TO CINCH THEIR GRIP UPON THEIR IL
LEGALLY OBTAINED HOLDINGS.
He go court file stipulation forfeiture to the
Government and buy back his land at the
original price of $3.50
And matter whether paid railroad company So or
$50 for his land THE RAILROAD KEEPS THE MON
EY HE PAID IT. and he pay the price
originally fixed by Congress in the grant the railroad
In Government of Untad States bayro