The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-12-17
TIE PUBLIC LANDS.

In Senate, on Monday, the 18th instant, Mr..
Breese, pursuant to notice heretofore given, asked
and obtained leave to introduce bill to reduce and
graduate the price of the public ands and for other
purposes which was read the first and second time,
and on his motion, referred to the Committee on
Public Lands The following is the bill, of which
we have obtained copy, and publish for the bene-
fit of our readers. We presume, as the Commits
soner of the General Land Office, in his late able
report, declares that will take six months to make
the arrangements for classification, and as the bill
will not probably pass much before May or June
next, that the blank in the first section Of the bill
can scarcely be filled with any day short of the
3lst day of December, 1876. If it be desirable
that the public lands should pass into the hands of
settlers, from under the dominion Oft general gov
eminent, as far as is consistent with the public inter-
est and become settled and cultivated, this bill will
contribute to that end. Besides, it is estimated by
its friends be capable of bringing into the national
treasury a large amount of money, which, at the
q,.aliiu, will remain unsold for century.
BILL reduce and graduate the price Of the public
lands, and for other purposes.
Be enacted by the Senate and House Of Reprssenta-
fines of the United STATES of america in Congress
bied, That from and after the day of
next all the public lands of the United States then
subject to private entry shall be arranged into ive
classes in the manner following, namely: lands
which have been in market subject to private entry
FIVE years less, shall constitute the first class;
those which have been in market subject as afore-
said more than five years, and not exceeding ten
years. shall constitute the second class; those which
have been in market subject aforesaid more than
ten years, and not exceeding fifteen years, shall con-
stitute the third class; those which have been in
market subject as aforesaid more than fifteen years,
and not exceeng twenty years, shall constitute the
fourth class; those which have been in market more
than twenty years, and not exceeding thirty years,
shall constitute the fifth class; and which classifca-
ton of the said lands shall be made under the d.
recton OF the Secretary Of the Treasury, SO soon a
ter the passage of this act as is practicable in the
several States and Territories in which the same
may be situated.
Sec a. Be It further enacied, That the minimum
price Of the lands in the first class shall be one
dollar and twenty-five cents per acre; Of those
in the second class one dollar per acre. Of those
| in the third class seventy-fve cents per acre;
Of those in the fourth class fifty cents per
acre; of those in the fifth class twenty-five cents
per acre. and each and every tract of public
| land which may have been in market, or may mere
after be in market, subject to private entry exceed
ing thirty years, is hereby coded, in full properly 70
| the State in which the same may be situated.
Sec. 3. Be IL further enacted, That all the public
lands of the United States which now are, or may
hereafter be, brought into market, and become sub
ect to private entry, shall be subjected, as the Pc
RODS seyeray arrive as indicated by this act to tn
scale of graduation herein provided under the drec
ton of The Secretary of the Treasury, and be opc
/ tn entry and purchase agreeable thereto.
Sec. 4. Be IL further snacied, That every perso