Show LAND GRANTS little interest is bing ed in the matter of land grants to tho northern pacific railroad and we presume that some action will be taken to amend a wrong that has steadily grown into a great evil the land granted to this incorporation by the government is said to cover in area two such states the state of now york these mil lion of acres of fertile lands were given to a company as an incentive for them to push their line through the northern portion of the united states and open up to the commerce of the world an outlet for the products of the rich wheat fields of tho north and lor the transportation of stock from the many herds fattening on the verdant plains and valleys along tho protected course of the northern pacific upon condition however wore these grants made principal among them was the number of 5 ears in which the road was to ho completed the panic of 1873 a period long to be in commercial circles a quietus was forced upon the operations of the incorporation and but little if any work was accomplished complis hed a few years ago when the mention of its line was resumed in 1864 a bill authorizing the grant and limiting the ture to two years was lobbied through congress the project was merely for the purpose of building telegraph lines with a prospective railroad as a secondary consideration 1 ho ano years expired and the projectors had done nothing and congress was persuaded though somewhat bome what reluctantly luct antly to grant them another two years this carried them up to 1868 by this time jay cook su co and the first national bank of new york city became interested and gave a financial coloring to the project they succeeded in getting another extension of time up to 1877 and were to completa tp the road through to the columbia river within the period named and if they succeeded the government was to issue patent to the incorporation for acres of land otherwise the contract to be null and void july 1877 came and passed and the line had only been completed to bismark congress had the power to quash the contract but the immense weight of 9 powerful combination persuaded members to remain silent upon the question but a law clerk in the interior department boldly corner to the rescue and declares that secretary schurz according to the contract with the government and the pacific had no right to issue patent for lands for any portion of the completed roid that the failure of congress to recill its land grants does not justify the giving of a patent to an incorporation who failed to keep their portion of the contract the clerk has produced such a wonderful array of proofs and undisputable arguments that at present it appears though one of the most gigantic land grab swindles will be checked creck ed that was ever perpetrated on a government to be sure the completion of the northern pacific railroad to the coast is an absolute necessity for the of the people now somewhat isolated along ita projected route but we do not believe that the pioneers of the northern country want an outlet so bad as to have the Government swindled out of acres of land if the corporation would have complied with the requirements of the contract as far as po sible and would hive acted with bome degree of honesty the people and the would have felt boic kindly towards them but they had a chance to grab and they also had an obedient and willing tool in the person of ei schurz who decided that taff corporation should have patent alone their completed line tins last straw has broken the camels back and irwill bring out in the hinves tr iraq many things probably great many dreamed of |