The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-09

| TsE LITTLE HOMESTEAD BILL-FREE FARMS
IN TIE GADsDEN CoUNTRY.-One of our Wash
ington correspondents advises us that the bill
providing for the surveys of public lands in
Kansas, Nebraska and New Mexico, and for free
farms Of quarter section to actual settlers
| does not extend the free farm principle to Kan
sas and Nebraska, but limits it to the Territory
| of New Mexico. He calls our attention to the
| second section of the bill which 10 as follows,
applying Gully to the Territory of New NJ, 4
| leo -
white male citizen of the United States or every white
male above the age Of twenty years. who has decar
ing in said terri tory prior to the FIRST day Of JANUARY
eighteen hundred and fifty three who may be still
quarter section or one hundred and sxy acres land
And 10 every white male cit OF the United States
or every White male above the Of twenty years.
who las declared hs intention TO become citizen and
who shall have removed shall to and settle in
said territory between the first day of January eight
cen huI bred and fifty three and the first day Of Janu
airy, eighteen hundred and fifty eight there shall in Ike
maer be donated quarter section or one hundred
and sixty acres, on condition of actual settlement ana
cultivation tor not less than four years Provi ted how
ever, That each of said donations shall include the act
ua fett Eent and Improvement Of the dopee and shalt
oe selected by legal Subdivisions, within three months
after survey OF the land where the settlement was
made before the survey and whore the settlement was
r.
the settlement has been made and all persons failing to
designate the boundaries of their claims within that Il ne
shall forfeit all right to the
This is :" keeping the word OF promise to the
ear, and breaking it to the bopen with admirs-
bic GOODNESS. We donbt if there are one hua.
bred and sixty acres Of unoocupied arabic land
among all the deserts OF the Territory of New
Mexico, as bounded month ago. But a late
OF IF - II l.
sion-incorporates all the country acquired by
the Gadsden treaty into the Territory of New
Mcss:co, so that actual settlers in the Gads-
den country ere entitled according to the terms
above laid DOWN. to & farm there of one hun
dred and sixty acres Of land fee gratis for moth
ing And let the landless remember that they
arc indebted for this act of generosity entirely
to Santa Anna and the administration. Ten
millions Of dollars was the price paid for this
Gadsden country, equal, perhaps, in size to the
fine State OF Tennessee--it is annexed to
New Mexico, and actual settlers are entitled to
free farms oil over the deserts of that Territory,
including the Gadsden country.
Perhaps the Gadsden country was bought of
Santa Anna for the express purpose of an ex.
permental homestead bill. fit succeeds there.
we may next have the benefits of the act ex-
tef ded all along the SUBMITS of the Rocky
Mountains, and all over the burning sands of
the volcanic Great Basin Of Utah. Meantime
the free soil squatters in Kansas and Nebraska
must be content with the new bill introduced
in the House by Mr.. Cobb OF Alabama, and
passed and approved, providing for the reduc.
ton and graduation of the prices Of the public
lands. The little out-and-out homestead bill is
limited 10 New Mexico and the Gadsden coun-
try. win nobody accept q farm in Gen.
Gadsdens purchase, as gratuity? win
nobody appreciate the magnanimity of Santa
Anna and the administration