New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-12-17
The Right of Dian 10 the soil-The Holland
Land Purchase in the Western part of the
state of Sew-Y0rk.

State OF NeW-1 Orhs
BATAvIA, Genesee Co y Y Dec. .
To tie Editor Of TIE Tribune:
Deay SIR: ! see that you are denounced N va
rious quarters for advocating the Right OF Man TO
the Soil, and for wishing to reserve the Public
Lands for the poor and landless citizens Of our
country, with limitation TO Land monopoly SO
TO secure the coming generations the possibility 81
obtaining portion Of the earth the COMMON in
heritance OF the Race not as tenants at viii bat
as freeholders
Allow .ne TO state briefly the history OF the sac
oi the " estern part Of the State OF New York
embracing all that section OF country West OF r
line running from the boundary OF the State Of
Pennsylvania due North 70 Lake Ontario which
line passes through the center Of Seneca Lake
Immediately East Of Geneva
This tract contains about 000. 900 acres Of land
and comprises the Counties Of Wayne. Ontario
Yates Steuben Allegany. Livingston. Monroe
Orleans, Genesee. Wyoming. Cattaraugns, Chau
tauque Erie and Niagara
In the year IL. or '73 Mr.. Phelps OF salisbury,
Conn then without means O, capital and engaged
in very humble branch Of commercial pursuits
conceived the bold project Of buying this immense
tract OF territory from the State OF Massachusetts
which was the owner Of it The state Of New
York held the legal jurisdiction but the pregmptve
right 10 the soil was vested in Massachusetts He
proposed to q Mr. Gorham oi Boston, 10 Join him in
the purchase. he being man OF some capital. The
purchase made by those TWO operators for less.
it is believed than SIX cents an acre The lands
were purchased on credit, and the buyers had the
right to pay in the certificates of the state which
were then selling for g. sd. in the pound This
fact being known II caused the certificates TO rise
70 par value and the purchasers becoming alarmed
reinquished all the lands lying west Of Genesee
River and comprising four millions and half Of
acres.
Mr.. Phelps then proposed to Robert Morris Of
Philadelphia q wealthy merchant and an extensive
operator, oon him in the repurchase oil the lands
relinquished After some negotiations they We're
unable to buy Jointly and Robert Morris bought
medium of his agent Samuel Ogden OF New Jersey
He paid for the 100000 1893 1873,
fraction under and half cents per
This purchase made think, in 792
The same or the following year. Robert Morris
sold three millions three hundred thousand acres OF
these lands To company Of capitalists in Holland
for 81 cents an acre clearing in the operation about
100000, besides rcscrvinC 200 600 acres which
he sold in tracts to various persons
The Indian title was extinguished III September
1884, for 100000 which was paid by Robert
Morris
The Holland Land Company had their lands sur
yeyed into townships in a. and 90. and opened
them for sale to settlers in February 70l They
were sold 10 the settlers who generally were
from the New England States at average of -
per acre, on credit.
In s37 the Holland Land Company sold out the
lands remaining on hand, together with the debts
due to them by the settlers to several companies
The total receipts of this company, including the
final sale amounted to over $4,000. 600
There is debt of several millions still due from
IL.
cages are held by the companies that purchased in
$50 and by some Trust Companies III New-Iork
that loaned the money to make the purchases
In reviewing this operation we see that the State
OF Massachusetts sold n vast extent OF territory 10
a Philadelphia merchant tor . cents acre
Il ct me remark that Massachusetts received the
title to the land by grant from he English C,OrH.
a rather questionable title, should think for
Americans who by n revolution. had thrown off and
trampled under foot the political claims Of that au
thority.
Robert Morris sold the larger part OF tins terri
tory to Foreign Company for 81 cents per
and tins Company sold II to the actual settlers to
the who came to cultivate il. Tor - per acre.
The men who settled the country, We're, as
said, New Englanders, and many OF them from
Massachusetts and thus this State saw. in few
wears lands which she had sold for u cents an
acre pass through the hands of a Merchant and
Foreign Company and re-sold TO her sons
for 50 per acre
And the men and the sons of the men who had
fought valiantly to disenthral themselves from
the political yoke OF Great Britain, left their homes
came To n wilderness. and gave the profits OF their
labor during good portion OF their lives to pay to
n Merchant and Foreign Company their profits
lands he title 10 'riich caS de1ced from Gre0t
Brt0utt3
But this is only the beginning OF the EVIL. The
sales OF these lands on credit proved most dsas
trous to the settlers Previous to the construction
OF the Erie Canal, completed in 50, produce gen
orally sold extremely low. or llero no sale for
it have seen wheat sold IN this town at Isl
cents bushel aud pay taken in goods upon which
one hundred per cent profit no doubt was made.
Interest accumulated Oh the mortgages OF the
settlers and so enormously was the debt resting
on the couptry increased. that considerable por
ton OF the lands. with the Improvements put upon
them were not worth the membranes The set
tiers also IN many cases mortsaged the farms,
which they had paid for 10 the Merchants with
whom they traded. and IN some cases 10 Lawyers
and Banks
Taking general survey OF the country, we find
large portion OF the farms pledged Tor the ori
sinal purchase money or mortgased or sold 70
Merchants Lawyers, Banks. &c Ii we follow the
fate OF the early settlers. who first came IN and
cultivated the lands. II Viii be found and state
this from the best information can obtain on the
subject nat not more than farmer ia ten eyer
ped ic' tie farm 1rhict he toi taken up and
cleared
Some were Obliged to sell at great sacrifices to
those who had the means III paving the Com
pally sold very considerable number, depriv
Ing the original settlers OF their Improvements and
many passed into the possession OF Merchants. Law
yerS &c The hard and: honest toll Of generation
was scattered like the chat and wasted rs II II
were valueless aud vet this toll was the only prop
criy oil the poor men that came into the country
What a irishtiul result What gigantic injas
tice somewhere in our Social System We see
families le:.vine their homes, and emisratins 70 =
wilderness We see them clearing = vast region
most heavily tmbcred telling by tree the
dense forests and converting them INTO productive
farms them combating with want and
disease tor ievers were common and violent in the
early settlement al the country, and after all tins
toll which exceeded in extent the labocs OF the
greatest srnies we that not more than oSE
FAMILY IN TgS has retained possession OF ITS farm
and reaped the fruits OF lis labors
Now suppose that Massachusetts,, instead OF sell
ling these lands Tor cents acre 10 Merchant
Spectator. had reserved them for sctual settlers.
for her own sons. and other emisrsntS from New
i; Ala u, -