The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-04-24
THE PUBLIC LANDS.

asst as ~ one time was the patrhmony
of public !ants belonging 10 the United
States, and ;,lniost i'npoSsiLIc as it then ap.
pcarcd that they could be entirely alienatcd
except 10y division among the States, n
measure that was smo,here, by political
opposition without much attention being
paid either to lis Justice or propricty, it is
evident tI,at the give away policy 50 liter-
ally pursued during The last ten years
is rapidly accomplishing II result that differs
only in name, und in quality of fairness,
from tho system Of distribution proposed
and advocated. by Mr.. Clay. Tho lands
arc not apporlioncd to the States having a
common l,cirship in them, but they are by
donation, 10y bounty warrants, by railroad
grants. and 10y condemnation as swamp
lands, Icing rapidly por;ioncd among the
people Of the States, which after I'LL amounts
to pretty mitch tho same thing. We have
u sc,nioi'icial announcement that it will
require very nearly two millions of land to
satisfy the bounty warrants issued during
March, and as that month has not been II
more than usually industrious one in The Pen
sion Office, VIC may gather i'rrm the statement
some approximation Of the vast extent Of
territory that will be thu, alienatcl ,lmring
the whole year. The report OF the Com
missioner OF the Land Office for 1880, af.
for!s some figures which when placed in
comparison with the prvious years gives IL
striking illustration cf the extent of the
give away system.
Sold for cash T,U35I3J lJ,729J2i
Located viii, military
ScriO and land war
rants ......... :,Iasoa l.sl5,5eo
Swamp ln;ils ,OnatcGtu
States. .......u, ,n3"Sl% 7,l1"7lG
Donations to roads, Sc. l,75l.!62 ,,5S
Total. .........2 .23,l3S,"l3 2l,557, 100
The aggregate quantity Of land aienatc.l,
10y sale or otherwise, during the first quar-
ter Of the present ii$ca! year, w:ts 1892 900
acres, OF which 2,4oO, ,OGO acres were grant
cd in donations to States and individuals;
making for the fifteen months 29,S90, ,O79
acres. We have not the official figures
for the second quarter, but it is probably
not less than 100000 ol acres, maxim"
for the eighteen months total of about
3G,0Oo,OOo acres, and the two remaining
quarters for the year ending Oh 3Oth Sep
tc,nhcr next, will probably leave the t,:,l
not below 50,On0,U00 Of acres, an arure-
gate Of territory larger >!,an I'LL the New
Eng lane! States. The large increase in the
amount OF sales for cash in 1855 over 1851,
is explained by tho t;srt that the act rcluc-
ing the price of lands according. to the
period they have bccn III market, to rates
varying from one dollar to twelve and Il
half cents per acre, went into operation in
July, 1851. Under that law iO,2GO,93G
acres have been sold for the small sum of
1881 t.09G-tle average price being 80
cents per acre. The receipts from the pub
lie lands during the two years aud three
months ending September 80, 1855, were
so2,4S0,000, and during the past twenty
years have been over $10G,OOO,OOO. Tie
total appropriations of land for tho satistac-
ton Of Virginia Military bounty warrants
amount to 100000.
but tie most extraordinary and whole
sale alienation of the public lands has been
done under cover of what is known rs the
swamp land acts, first PASSED in lS49 and
so and extended in 1855. The Southern
and Western States have under the provi-
sions Of these acts been permitted to con-
dcinn 47Si9,799 acres Of the public do.
main rs "swamp lan!s' and TO appropriate
TO themselves Of the amount condemned
33,GS5,425 acres. Much of the land thus
condemned as submerged, or worthless,
IS positively asserted to hc valuable terri
tory and quite us marketable as much of
that held by the United States. The pro-
cess Of absorption under these acts is still
going on, Congress having passed an act
providing that for al lands thus condemned
by the States, others of equal extent should
bc set off to them.
We have collated these facts and figures
in reference to the alienation of the public
domain rather with the view Of showing
the curiostics Of our land system than for
any purpose of dcnouncing it rs n scheme
of general spoliation, though the exhibit
suggests how justly condemnation is meri
ted. But the matter is one in Which re-
form is barely possible and not at all prob.
able. Our Congressman have too many
temptations to pcrnctuate the system and
j. affords too large Il margin for pecuniary
and political speculation, for them to viii
lngly institute the close inquiries that arc
needed to clearly expose its rottenness. -
Grants to States, donations to railroad COM
panics, or condemnations as j" swamp lands"
successfully engineered through Congress,
are achievements that make for the ambi-
tipus politician u large amount of home
popularity which he would very unwillinely
forego. 1t is but just, however, to say
that this indiscriminatc squandcring of the
public lands is not wholly an evil. On the
contrary it has borne in its effects on the
rapid settlement and improvement of the
country good fruits that 60 far to reconcile
us to its temptations to fraud and other
Objectionable features. The abundance of
bounty land warrants has stimulated loca-
ton and settlement with them, and the
land i'll the viclnage still held 10y the United
States has been increased in value and more
rapidly sold for cash. As, however, Con-
rress will no dOnbt find othor ,,ro,ovt f,r