The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-02-27
VIE BOHEMIAN COURIER, WEDNESDAY. FEBRuARv . 100.

the state for the granting of a sub.
shy IN the form of deed for land r.
the concern which is putting up the
long green"
% that the readers or The Courier
may be in a better position to form
an intelligent opinion on the subject.
the following story of the Northern
Pacific land grant and the facts
from this weeks y. P. Information
Bulletin, is published herewith in
full:
sixty years ago when much of the
Northwest was a wilderness. the gov
eminent, by an act of congress, made
a grant OF land to a group of indi-
Vlduals on condition that they wougu
Dulld a railroad to the Pacific coast
oVer the northern route.
This became the Northern Pacifi.
railroad land grant. 1t was not a
GIT as many persons believe but
was really a bouns paid for the com
pletlon of a difficult and immensely
expensive undertaking-an accom-
pIlshment which the government nue.,
desired but was unwilling to attempt.
of transportation facilities
and hostile Indians made land s t7a
Northwest inaccessible and although
1t was being offered for sale by the
government at S1.25 an acre there
vas no demand for it.
Only the odd numbered section
within 20 miles of the railroad wi.
IN the States and 10 miles within the
territories, non-mineral, and o ex
cepted because of Indian and Militar
Reservations or because of entries
under the land settlement laws. were
granted to the company, but the &C,
automatically raised the price of al.
even numbered sections within the
limits of the grant to $3.50 per acre
mas the government, by encouraging
the construction OF the railroad. not
only created a good market for its
remaining land, but fixed a price ca:-
culated to reimburse it for the land
grant.
Thousands of acres of the land
grant have been sold by the company
Tor from 25 cents to $3.50 per acre.
wen with the higher land prices of
recent years, the net receipts average
only $500 pr acre for all land sold
up until June 80, 1923.
From any point of view, the lane
grant could not be regarded as a
gift" Railroads which received lane
grants are compelled by law to carry
the government mails at a discount
of 20 per cent from the regular com
pensation and this discount has cost
the Northern Pacific $4,96S, 597.79 ur
to June 80, 1928. Another law com.
pels these railroads to carry govern
ment freight and passengers such as
troops, military supplies, ETC., fol
half the usual rate. Here again thi.
reduction has cost the Northern Pa.
cific $8,846,330.67 up to June 80, 1928
These reductions will continue to be
made, subject to the control of con.
gress, as lang as the road is oper.
ated.
"1he company has fulfilled the con
ditioss Of the grant. Before there
was enough business 10 pay operating
expenses, it butt the railroad which
was necessary to start the develop
ment Of the great Northwest.
yet it has paid and continues to
pay in actual dvil@ls for every acr,
granted it by the government. N
subject mas been more misunderstood
by the public. In the long view, the
Northern Pacific would have beer
better off had it purchased the Ian,
from the government outright, in.
stead of accepting a land grant witN