Nebraska advertiser., 1858-05-13
THE ADVERTISER.
II. W. FURNAs. EDITION.
THURSDAY MORNING, EAY "a, 1855.
Land Sales.

tudb bhS ACOAHS
caused by the appearance Of the Presi-
dents Proclamation for land sales is not
confined to this county or this District.
Meetings are being held in nearly every
portion Of the Territory, and provisions
being made for sending delegates to Wash
ington. We received a letter since our
last issue from a friend in Washington
city upon this subject, in which he says:
"The President has been so repeatedly
imporfunedby parties In your Territory
in favor of sales, and no evidence to the
contrary, that he came to the conclusion
that such a disposition Of your lands was
really desirable on the part Of your citi-
zens.p Being satisfied that some such
gene had been played to bring about the
land sales in this Territory, we set our
self to work to ferret the thing out. Per-
hans we are to- late to accomplish anything
we wish the President, however, to know
the reason no remonstranees were sent up
from this Territory, before the issuing Of
his Proclamation; it was because Of the
assurance he had givenus in his messages,
of his disapprobation of such modes of
disposing of the Public Lands. We read
with pleasure his opinions upon this sub
ject, and suppOsing he meant what he
said, rested easily, feeling no fears of
land sales during his administration. We
cannot Just at this moment plac: our hands
upon his inaugural message, that we may
quote from it on the subject of public
lands, but if our memory does not betray,
he, in that message, was even stronger
than in his last annual message, from
which we extract the following:
"Our system for the disposal of the
public lands, originating with the fathers
of the republic, has been improved aslex-
perience pointed the way, and gradually
adapted to the growth and settlement of
our western States and Territories 1t
has worked well in practice. Already
thirteen States andseVen Territories have
been carved out of these lands, and still
more than a thousand millions of acres re-
main unsold. Whata boundless prospect
this presents to our country, of future
prosperity and power!
"Whilst the public lands, as a source
of revenue, are of great importance their
importance Is far greater as furnishing
homes for a hardy and independent race
of honest and industrious citizens, who
desire to subdue and cultivate the soil.
They ought to be administered m~ainlywith
a.Yiewof promoting this wise and benev-
client policy. In appropriating them for
any other purpose, we ought to use even
greater economy than if they had been
converted into money and the proceeds
were already in the public treasury. TIC
squander away this richest and noblest in.
heritance whichany people have ever en-
joyed upon objects of doubtful ~constitu-
t~ionality or expediency, would be to vio-
late one of the most important trusts ever
committed to any people, Whilst Idc
not deny to Congress the power. When
acting bona fde as a proprietor, to give
away portions of them for the purpose OF
increasing the value of the remainder
yet, considering the great temptation tC
abuse this power, we cannot be too eau.
tious in its exercise.
"Aetual settlers, under existing laws are
protected against other purchasers at the
public sales, in their right of pre-emp.
ton, to the extent of a quarter section, oil
160 acres of land. The remainder may
thenbe disposed of at public or entered
at private sale in unlimited quantities.
Speculation has of late years prevailed
10 a great extent in the public lands. The
consequence has been that large portions
of them have become the property of in.
dividusls and companies, and thus the
price is greatly enhanced to those who de-
sire to purchase for actual settlement. Ii
order to limit the area of speculation a;
much as possible. the extinction of the In
dian title and the extension of the public
surveys ought only to keep pace with the
tide Of emigration.
"If Congress should hereafter gran
alternate sections 10 States or companies
as they have done heretofore, | recon-
mend that the intermediate sections re
tanned by the government should be sub,
ject to pre-emption by actual settlers.
at ought ever to be our cardinal policy
TO reserve the public land as much as may
be for actual settlers, and this at moder,
ate prices. We shall thus not only bes
promote the prosperity of the new States
and Territories, and the power of the
Union, but shall secure homes for on
pOsterity for many generations" s
Couldn't squatters sleep soundly aftei
reading the above; feeling that there
was no danger of loOsing their home.
upon which they had expended their las
dollar for such improvements as were
necessary to secure them from the in
clemencies of the season., and provide
subsistence for themselves and families
Did they dream after reading such from
such a source that the moment they haC
realized this point, their homes were t.
be exposed to the mercies Of the heart
less SPECTATOR, or they forced to sub
nit to the extreme expressions of the ex