Du Buque visitor. [volume] (Dubuque, Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1836-1837, 1836-08-17
b & BIZ d i & ISITOR

i u "
made in 1925, and we annex hereto, IN
4 table marked "a" theestimatesc COM
piled from these reports. To this ta-
Bile your committee would desire to-
call the attention ofthe Senate. From
this table it appears that but 100000
acres Of land were ascertained to be un-
| fit for cultivation in the whole State Of
| Ohio, and the average price of all the
unsold public lands in Ohio wasestima-
] ted at sixty-seven cents per acre; in
Indiana the quantity ,unit r cultiva-
j ton 2 ,43O, 900, and thes ffrage price
per acre, Of all the unsold public lands
ninety cents; in Illinois 6,027,OOO a.
ores unfit for cultivation, and the aver
age price per acre fifty cents, Of all the
unsold public lands; in Missouri. s.
700 900 acres unfit for cultivation, and
the average price per acre of all the UNI
sold public lands, twenty cents; in A.
labama, 6,9l5, 900 acres unfit for culti-1
walton, average price per acre Of all the
unsold public lands, twenty cents; Mis-
sissippi, s,294,ooo acres unfit for cul-
tttaat .:s.s, ri TT PEI aCTt, s6ven-
teen cents, of all the unsold public
lands; Louisiana, unfit for cultivation,
(ue,.y partial returns ! 6S7 900 acres,
average price per acre Of all the unsold
public lands, thirty-seven cents. From
the annexed table, made out from the
official returns, it appears that Of the
whole s3,llO,s73 acres unsold and SUBJ
ject to entry on the 3Oth ofJune, 1928,
there were returned 34,27S,O00 acres
unfit for cultivation; 5,6l4,OOo acres
first-rate (no doubt now entered and
the remainder, being 3,2ls, 900 acres,
inferior. But, from the general data
from the land Offices not making speci-
fic returns, but giving general informa-
ton, at least 100000 more must be
set down as unfit fer cultivation, ma
king the totalamount 56,2lS,ooo acres
unfit for cultivation. From the returns
furnished, the average price per acre
of the s2,llo,s73 subject to entry on
the 3oth June, 1928, is thirty cents,
Now, should this vast body of public
lands be held forever at one unvarying
price of 81 25 cents per acre? Is such
a course consonant with the spirit Of
the compacts by which these lands
were acquired? Is it just to the States
in which these lands are situate? Is it
wise as mere question of revenue?
Why hold at one unvarying price lands
SO utterly different in valne? As we'll
might you fix the golden eagle and a
fifty-cent piece Of silver at the same
value, because they were Of the same
size, as to fix section of refuse lands
and assertion Of fresh lands at the same
price, because their superficial extent
was the same.
4 Your committee will select, from
many cases of a similar character, that
of the Augusta land office, Mississippi,
as presented by the authentic returns.
The number Of acres unsold on the
3Oth Of June, 1928, was 100000 a
cres, the average price estimated by
the register and receiver, five to eight
cents per acre; first-rate none; worth
the minimum price none; unfit for cul-
tivation 5000, 600 of acres; which land
hadthen been subject to entry from five
, to eighteen years, and consequently
has been now subject to entry from
thirteen to twenty-six years. And is
this land selling, or will itever sell, al
!, the present price? By thcreturns from
, the Commissioner of the Land Office
under date of the 2lst Of April, 1886
! givinga statement ofthe lands purchas
: ed at that Office, from its establishment
to the close Of the year 1880, when tn.
valuable Choctaw lands were coded
and shortly afterwards in part attached
to this land district, itappears that thu
whole amount sold in the old distric
was 400 acres, and not an acre be
|. yond the minimum price. This pre-.
7 sents conclusive evidence that these
landsnever will sell at the present price
and that they are truly estimated, by
the register and receiver Of the lant
district, at an average price Of from
five to eight cents per acre. At TIN
present rate Of sales for the last TWEEN
'ity-six years, exhibited by the abov,
rctarns from that Office, it would re
quire 1889 years to sell out only one
half the lands in the Augusta land dis
Etrict, being period exceeding the time
from the creation Of the earth to til,
present moment; and many other o
I the old lard districts vii; exhibit near