The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-11-09
Land REFORM.
STEAMER LYDIA COLLINS. ONO River. }
October u 1851

ostobsr q, 1851
Land Ldus Of the United Stafes- The b. ,.ufv Land
Scrip The Rights Of the Landsss Millions of tn.
Atlantic Safes-Lsto If Gen Thomas Jsserso,s
Sutherland 10 the Comm,ss ioner of the tieasyaz
Land O&ee- The Duty and Policy of our Nation.s
Government IN Regard 10 me Pubic Lands, &C.
JAMES GORDON BENNETT, ESQ,
SIR IL is fact, of which the people of the At
lantic Slater ought not to remain in ignorance that
the entire code of the United States land laws are
now but nudity The constitution of the United
States provides as follows; " The Congress shalE
have power to dispose of, and make all needfus
rules and regulations, pectipg the territory OF
other property belonging to the Uuited States"
Art. 4. SEQ. 3.
In pursuance of the preceding provision OF the
constitution Of the United States, Congress has
made enactments inhibitlng settlements upon the
public lands, without authority Of law and imposed
the penalties of enc years Imprisonment and 900
hne upon ofe nders in that ssect. Laws have also
been enacted by Congress, providing for the survey
OF portions OF the public dome IN into townships md
sections and Tor the sale OF such surveyed laads
the highest bidders, at public auction and tor the
sale, at minimum price, Of all offered lands which
should remain unsod aiter the public land sales :
and the penalties of two years imprisonment and
Sl,UOO hne have been provided for those who should
at the public sale of any OF lands of tho United
States, by any means hinder prevent any person
bidding upon or purchasing any tract or parcel OF
land offered for sale; and laCerly, by enactments
known the pre- empton laws, settle ments upon the
surveyed portions OF the public lands have be ID
authorized but not upon any of that which is I'M
surveyed. Yet, nevertheless all these enactments OK
Congress, the public lands OF the United States
have become free plumber for all the world, land the
rest Of mankind" The pre- emption laws are ia ne
manner regarded, except for the fraudulent entry
of choice and valuable parcels of land upon the
@ uub ne J.
0OOsetlers, each holding his possession in defiance
Of the penalties of the law; add the publ; iand
sales have become mere mocker'es-land spectators
AID squatters combining together to prevent, by
menace ano violence, all bidding at the public land
sales and thus all of the existing land laws or
the United states rendered iugatory.
former clerk in the Pension Once at Wash
ngton, was recently arrested at Cincinnati, and
committed to prison, CHI rRed with uttering forged
land warrants, for which he had supplied himself
with blanks during his clerkship. | have had 1T
suggested to me by friend residing at Washing
ton, that this clerk, while III the Pension Once did
quite business for himself IN tne way OF issuing
land warrants for his especial benefit; and fur
Their, that 1t is more than surmlsed that he has had
several assistants in his career of fraud, ami by
whose agency many thousands OF spurious land war
rants have been put ahoat Thcse It will be impos-
sible for the officers of the Land Office to detect, as
the blanks used were genuine, and IN many cases
the signatures were also genuine the iragds being
dupic ites of land warrants Issued upon bonn fhae
applications. But these do not include the sum
already obtained circulation The rolls OF the
and militia who have been in the service
of the United States, file in the public onces OF
the State governme nts, have been examined Tor
names, and for many of those kno Sn to have been
deceased ap p cations have been made, upon forged
papers, and lad warrants obtained The only re-
qured agents in these nefarious practices have been
scay justice of the peace. aud corrupt postmas-
ter, Of which there is no lack
The numbe of fraudulent land warrants which
have been issued from the Penson Office, (and for
the attainment of which only I've or three persons
have been convicted and sent 20 penitentiiry,)
are estimated to amount TO full third part Of the
whole number viii ,h have been put ah Dat and that
the amount of land to be taken by the land warrants
which will be issued under the provisions Of the act
approved September Is 1850, including those justly
and fraudulently obtained, will exceed 100000 600
OF acres Then, if these land warrants should be
made assgnable by a subsequent enactment OF
Congress, they will be the meas Of severng from
the public domain Of the UBited States all Of the
choice and valuable parcels, and OF conveying the
for long time to come, the cultivation Of large
exents Of the richest and most fertile lands of the
continent whereby idleness will be fostered, the
price Of provisions increased and want and poverty
awarded to many Of the people
IL the public lands are TO be relied upon as q
means of revenue for the repenishment Of the
tional treasury, (and | advocate that they should
no.O the laboring poor of the old States (who arc
the chief consumers of importations, and conss-
quentiy the principal contributors to the national
have right {, demand that the lands
solu snouIu Drlng the ngnest obtainaoe price; ana
yet Uhe government at Washington having al
lowed the land laws Of the United States to besome
dead letters) the best parcels Of the public lands
are being disposed Of and parted with for mere no.
minal prices.
Enclosed herewith, send you printed copy of a
which l., some months since ad-
dressed to the Commissioner Of the General Land
Office, at Washington, and which embraces a
truthful account Of ''squattcrism, IL exists
on the public domain of the United States AL
though this account covers but q small section of
country and Includes but a single class of people,
it may be taken as a picture of the whole. as
"squattersm" is in all places alike beg that you
WILL ut an early convenient moment, give this
document to the public in the columns Of tho
HERALD.
IL is the true policy of our national government
to have settled the vast domain Of wild lands in
cluded in the bounds Of this Union Let the public
Ia Dds be reduced to possession aud cultivation by
actual settlers and the whole people become there
by interested in the institution by which they
The public lands should be granted to
none but for actual settlement and cultivation. To
grant them to SPECTATORS, heretofore, is vio-
lation Of the best interest Of the government and
a ~rong to the people, whose labor supports that
government. have the honor to be, SIR,
Your very humble servant,
tn. JEFFERSON SUTHERLAND.