Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-05-15

| son could purchase less quantity than quarter
In That year, provision made for the further
DIVISION OF the sections into Fights, thereby allow
| ing purchaser to buy only eighty acres, if he
wished to purchase moro. Daring the present
session OF Congress, further to extend accommo-
dation to the purchasers of the public lands, and
especially to the poorer classes, the sections have
been again divided into siXtccnthi, admitting a
| purchase of only forty
This uniform system of surveying and dividing
tho public lands applies to all the States and Terri
| tories within which they situated. Its great
advantages are manifest II insures perfect secur-
| ty OF title and certainty of boundary, and
quenily avoids those pcrpcxing land disputes, the
worst OF all species of litigation, the distressing
ELECTS oil which have hecn fatally experienced i'm
some OF the western States. But these are not
inc only advantages, great as they unqucstionaby
are. The system lays the foundation of useful
civil institutions, the benefit of which is con-
| hncd to the present generation, but will be trans
mited TO posturiiy.
| Under the operation of the system, thus briefly
sketched the progress ofthc settlement and popu.
lation of the United States has been altogether un.
examplod. Views which the committee will here
"iter present, conclusivcly demonstrate that
whilst the spirit of free emigration should not be
checked or counteracted, it stands in no need of
any fresh stimulus
Before proceeding to perform the specific duty
| assigned to the committee by the Senate they
| had thought il desirable to exhibit some general
| views OF this great national resource. For that
purpose, a call, through the Senate for informa.
'loh, has been made upon the Executive branch of
Tie Government n report has not ret been made;
but, as tue committee DESTROYS of avoiding
any delay not altogether indispensable, they have
awaited themselves o. report from the Secretary
OF the Treasury TO the House of Representatives,
| under date the 9th April, 1882 hereto annexed.
| marked A, and OF such other information us was
| accessible to Them
From that report it appears that the aggregate of
| all sums of money which have been expended by
the United States in the acquisition of the public
dina g
scs of louisiana and Florida up to the 30th dav
| OF September, 1881, and including also expenses
IN their sale and management, is S49,077, 55I 40;
ana that the amount of money received at the
Treasury, for proceeds of the sales of the public
lands TO the Both September, 1881, is S37 272 7l3
81 The Government, therefore, has not been re-
| imbursed by SlO,S01,S 1873 90. According to the
same report, it appears that the estimated amount
OF unsold lands, on which the foreign and Indian
titles have been c1tingushcd is 227 1893, SSl with
III the limits of the States and Territories; and
| that the Indian title remains on 1857 500 acres
within the limits. That there have
been granted to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Ala.
bama, tor Internal improvements, 3, lS7, 665 acres
Tor colleges, academies and universities in the new
States and Territories the quantity of sos 009; for
educatlon being the thirty part of the public
lands appropriated for common schools the amount
OF 1922, 53S acres; and for seats of Government
In some of the States and Territories 81 $50
acres. BY report of the Commissioner of the
| General Land Office, communicated to Congress
with the annual message of the President of the
| United States in December 1927, the total uuan-
tty of the public lands, beyond the boundaries of
the new States and Territories, was estimated to
| be 75O, 100000. The aggregate therefore, of all
the unsold and unappropriated public lands o. the
United States, surveyed and unsurvcycd, on which
! The Indian title remains has been cXtinguished
| lying Within and without the boundaries of the
new States and Territories, agreeaby TO the re-
ports now referred to- is 090, 81, 753 There
had been 1885, gSS, 22i acres SURVEYED and the ouon
| d 4 oil I'll I,,,
nary, 1876. When the information called for shall
be received, the subsequent surveys and sales up
| the present period will be ascertancd.
The committee are instructed by the Senate TO in
quIre into the eXpediency of reducing the price oil
the public lands, and also of ccding them the SC
vcral States iii which they situated reasonable
terms. The committee will proceed TO examine
these two subjects of inquiry distinctly, beginning
first with that which relates to a reduction o
price.
]. According to the existing mode of selling the
public lands they first offered public auction
for what they will bring in free and fair compoti
ton among the purchasers; when the public sale.
| cease, the lands remaining unsold may be bought
! from time to time at the established rate of one
dollar and quarter per The price was re
| dueed to that in 1920, from 50 per acre. OF
which it had previously stood from the first establish
ment OF the present system of selling the public
lands. A leading consideration with Congress in
the reduction of the price, that of substituting
cash sales for the credits which had been before al
! lowed, and which, on many accounts, it was deem
ed cXpcdicnt to abolish. A further reduction OF the
price. if CALLED for by the public interests must he
required, either LIST. Because the Government now
demands more than fair price for the public lands
or, IDLY. Because the existing price retards iniu
riously, the settlement and population of the new
States and Territories These suggestions deserve
separate and serious consideration.
i L. The conmlttee possess no means of deteFmin
ing the exact value of all the public lands now il
market; nor is it material at the present time, tina
tha,N
be accurately known 1t is presumable that con
siderable portion Of the immense quantity off; 70
10 sale, held by the United States, would not nov
command, and may not be intrinscally worth tn
minimum price fixed by law; the other hand
Is certain that large part is worth more. If Their
could be discrimination made, and the Cos m
Incut had any motive to hasten the sales beyond TIN
regular demands of the population, it might be pre-
per to establish different rates, according to tn
classes of land but the Government having 10 III
ducemcnt to such accelcFation, has hitherto Pre-
cccdcd the liberal policy of establishing modcr
ate price, and by subdivisions of the sections so t
accommodate the poorer citizens has placed the &C
QUESTION of a home within the reach of every in
dustriOUs man. For 800 any may pul
chase eighty, for s 80, forty of first rat
land, yielding, with proper cultivation, from fit
10 eighty bushels of Indian corn per acre, othc
equivalent crops.
+ There is no more satisfactory criterion of TIN
fairness Of the price of an article, than that ar
sing from the brsHncss of sales when it is offered
the market. On applying this rule, the conclr
sion would seem TO bc irresistible, that the est;
bllshcd price is not too high, The amount of th
sales in the year 1928, was $l0l6, 30S 10; in 1S2!
s Stills 49, in 1880, 81, 800, 1856 II; and d,
ring the year 1881, $4,000, 900. And the Secrt
tary OF the Treasury observes in his annual repor
at tic commencement OF this session, that 9Th
receipts from the public lands, dNrng the prcscr
year, II viii be perceived, hayc likewise excccdc
Q the estimates, and indeed hare goHe Jcyond q
4 tormcr crampic. 1t is believed that notwithsan,