The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-10-29
The Bounty Land Bill.
MILIvILLE, WIscoNsIN. Oct. is. Is5

| MLIvLLE, WISCONSIN, Oct. I5 1850.
| TO the Editor of the Republic.
In your paper of the 9th instant notice your re-
marks concerning the circular of the Secretary OF
the Interior in relation to the Bounty Land bill 1t
seems to that, in their anxiety to do Justice to
the soldiers, Legislators have overlooked larg
| number OF worthy citizens of the new States, who
have undergone The hardships of settling in a new
| country and who have improved portions of the
| lands but have not yet raised a sufficient amount
OF money to pay the Government price for the land
they occupy. They will now be compelled to Dor
| row money at such rates as mercess spectators
may ask OF them, or be liable TO have their little inn
provements located on by land warrants. The law
says, "any warrant which the holder or warranted
| may transmit 70 the General Land Office for that
purpose, shall DO located free of expense in such
State and land district said holder or warranted
may designate, and upon good farming land, so
far as the same aan be ascertained." This means,
of course far the fact be ascertained from
the plats and records in the land office.
Every one who lives in this new country knows
| that the Government surveys made in no less
sized lots than mile square, except where the
veys are on nayigable water courses, where the
meanders OF the streams naturally make fractions.
Now, the only data the land office has in regard TO
these lands are the reports of the surveyors, who
divide the lands into sections, and who have as lit
tic knowledge ofthe quality Of the land in the mid
die of these sections person who has never been
in the State. But an depressing from the point
wish to come ut, and in which actual settlers al
ready on the lands, are likely 10 be deeply injured.
Ii is this-nether the Commissioner Of the General
Land Office nor the local land officers have any
neans Of ascertaining what lands arc actually i'm
proved and occupied. Are they, when an applca-
tion is made for a tract Of land, going 10 send an
agent to examine it, Certainly nou Who then is
10 make the aihdavits that there is improvement,
How ia the arrangement TO be carried out without
conflicting with the provision Of the bill which says
Ono land warrant issued under the provisions Of
this act shall be laid upon any lands Of the United
States to which there shall be pre-emption right,
or upon which there shall be an actual settlement
and cultivation, except with the consent of such
settler, to be satisfactorily proven to the proper
oficcrl"
If carried out in the manner proposed il certainly
will cause endless litigation, and make some Of us
poor settlers suffer considerably. There is no way
that the Government prevent this injustice
being done without requiring an affidavit from
every party wishing TO locate that he has, from ac-
tual inspection Of the tract ascerSlncd that he is
interfering with no person simprovemcnt;a and there
is no way the warrantee can form any correct idea
Of the quality Of the land he is locating without OK.
amining for himself, or employing some one to do
it, SETTLER.