The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1947-07-18
ny vERN AAuotANp

Washington "land'gfaht
railroads which charged the
government fun treigh, rates
during the war are paying Ton
the privilege in part by Tor
ieiting their claim TO ,hoas'
ands IT acres in public lands.
An interior Department tahu'
latl0n far ~ of the railroads
listed the land upon which
they laust rehnqnish long
standing claims, under = re,
cent supreme Court decision,
at some sa,sss acres,
This amount remained nom
an original appNruonment Of
9aa, Ts0 acres, Eight oi the ~
railroads had patented claims
To = total OF as6, Gaa acres he.
fore the war and thus retain
title to them
Largest Excluded
The taAulauon did not IN.
elude a g0th line, the largest
land grant railroad Of them all,
the Northern Pacific, Interior
Department officials said they
could not even guess al the
amount of land originally
claimed by this company, They
ventulea only that vi must
be hundreds OF thousands OF
acres
The railroad and the depart
ments Bureau Of Land Man
agemept must check over huge
volumes Of records 20 deter
mime this acreage, an eatlter
proposed study of Northern Pa.
ciflc landsgrAnt claims was
cancelled as not worth the cost
and tremendous amount of re.
search involved
Thpee quarters ~ a century
ago the government set cut TO
encourage settlement of the
vast, newly acquired areas at
the West and South
1t did this by granting 10 rail
road companies which would
build lines into the area acre
eye estimated by some authafls
ties al lSlS09,6 6a aereS-the
equivalent at Pennsylvania,
New York and the New Eng.
land States combined,
Saitlera Move In
When the railroads got
around to claiming the land
that had been given them, they
found large portions OF II al
ready occupied by newly.srs
rived settlers, Rather than dis
place these settlers, the govern,
ment allowed the RAILROADS 10
select other tracts, which be-
came known rs "lieu landS"@
in lieu of the original grants,
The original acts required the
landzgrant railroads To carry
government goOSS and person.
mel tree Through judicial IN.
terpretauonS, the land,Want
lines for half a century before
la40 carried government goods
and personnel az half the
standard commercial rates,
In the depression years earn.
ingS declined and steps were
taken TO help the carriers The
Transportation Act OF 1910 per,
mittea land grant roads To
charge the government bll
commercial rates except op
Army and NAVY freight and
personnel ON condition that
they release any land claims
they might have against the
government
Suit Pushed
Aftee the war the Santa Re
Pacific Railroad sued To as
Sert is rights 10 public lands
IN New Mexico and Arizona,
IN tn ground that these We're
"heu lands not involved IN the
rate increase release 90 claims
The District OF Columbia
District cour, dismissed the
suit hut the Circuit Count #
Appeals reversed the lower
courts decision,
fhe Supreme Court upset
the Circuit Court decision sus.
tanning IN appeal hN the seere
tafv 4 the interior The ST.
nreme Court ruled that TIE
la5o transportation act de-
ttned N intent 81 Congles
= Win the safe clean ol al
sueA claims bV any railroad
which awaited Itself 81 the ale
concessions
TIE nureau 90 land Man4aa
ment safa the forfeited land
~ remain M che public d.
man Much at n a until To-
demonstrating ans SOME IT Il
Is claimed ~ indian tribes
TIE eight fallroaIs which
patented claims e.ofe lale
Heasll4 Central and peaiaal
Ia Railroad patented aaaaA
aeHas Central Pacific, a8aa4.
Vnlan Pacific So Saaia Il
faelHa este Glands ether tan