The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-11
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Annual Report or the > ercsnry Of The
Interior.
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Interior.
DEPARTMENT or rHs tsssoE Dec 2, 1853
sR-ln the administration Of The Interior Department
there subject Of greater pnude OF deeper nte-
the people the Unod than that Of ,e pub
lie lands Our system Of disposng Of them the Just
and equal and at the the most conducive 70 their
rapid reclamation from wild unproduc
state tla, devised by any government
which has Possessed Of uncu vatcd land
II system peculiar 10 the United States and is based
the simple hut just principle that the pubic do
main IS the property Of the people Of all the States coec
lively, any individual desiring appropriate to himself
any particular torton II Is allowed by paying
INTO the common treasury moderate consideration.
Large grants have been made by Congress from time 70
time 10 several Of the States, OF portions Of the public
lands yug within their respective limits, TO he app,ed 70
pubic ns,s The principle which thus has been Justified
tat AZ laaded prop es~ the United States receives
fui remuneration Tor the grants IN the enhanced value and
mere feaS sale OF the residue Of the public lands result
ng from the execution OF the respective trusts by the
With but few exceptions, grants have never mad,
TO individuals, except remuneration meritorious
SERVICES, oi for the public benefit
carrier legislation provision made passing
the title to indlvduiis for limited quantities Of land,
Oraoins their improvements when their only claim of
tln possess settlement ~ prior To certain
dates. THIS policy, which grew Of the peculiar
d,t,on o French, SPANISH and British settlements,
but tenn orary applicable 10 certain circumstances and
regarded rs measure OF justice and toe quoting titles
rather than as "A donation OF lands,
In Florida however, and in the Territories Of Oregon
Washington and New ~ sco, ons provision
iof tho allowance o the elalms Of settlers who
then upon the public lands without the payment Of con
sideraton, but donaton grants to persons
Who should eng ate anu settle wnn specified Of
tine such ae,Ds though inur,np Ia n,,vdaaia were
made a Of public defence were believe to
BE- we'll calculated promote thr military strength
tapt settlements exposed the hostile attacks prcda
tbry visits Of indian tribes but, . of
public policy, IL has proved faaclons, ought
not to be renewed. These prol'red donations
have always been coupled the condition
Of acta settlement aud occupancy for period Of lss
than four years and the rights and benefits accrung
hcreom though not aIenable by the settler have been
secured 10 hs hers oi his death On account Of
I'll. length Of residence reaurel aud the ether conditions
imposed canants the result far has been that
eonpcaiions have arn' ~ determining titles and n these
complications and consequent delays the ttrs To the ada
cent iaLos have been involved.
The enterprise aud ioudness for change which ehirac
t:fise The ffotcfsman too often make htm impatient OF
50 long residence before eaoying 'he absolute
hs settlement, and an nTusiont forfeiture of his
is frequently incurred.
Wherever the pre cmp,ion laws arc available as means
OF seeming homes thc settlers viii generally pefcr to
lJy tner lands, and complete titIos unce
rather than wait Tor years, and then btn trir pltns
without me ia, racl of uny rhta Il n,s. i
by The tact that Congress has been constrained
sense a justice to ihosc who have b 70 avail tbg4n
selves Of the benefit OF tho several tnaon act p4-s
laws Tor their relief substituting payments il cash hsu
/ oi further continued residence.
AZ apt illustration oi these view VII refer the
practical working u the donation ~ ia ~. Slte ~
Florida The grant of land under the pt artnai
o,cnl alton oi fiorida approved August i1, limit
ed 10 two hundred thnahd acres. Ina ef
tiers to avail themselves 81 the benefits ~ ms grant
shown by the ssusuce Of thousand t,t htnafc AMI
twenty permits for one hundred and sixty each,
which announced 10 tbs aggregate ~ iAo hanif-d and ce
zen thousand TIRE, hundie ed and siNty acres.
In the year iss4 supplemental act passed subst
utntng cash paymrns Tor the condition ~ continued
deuce AMI unvr the original and only
hundred and sixteen claims have been finally ap
proved and patented ainouutng chiecn housand nve
| hundred md sixty
ou the st july 1915 another passed for tho
relei those permits had been Granted ,tis.
pensing with continued Residence thc spect1 tract
THIS act required the employment agent the
lusimcni 81 TINS class 81 eases, and appears that
r a n rlu anna
anu Iaicheo amounting 10 forty yr thousand hun
dred and eighty acres. There stiil atty
CLAIMS suspended for causes amounting 10 np
thousand one hundred and twenty acresand fex any
Of those will ovrr bo carried paten,--whist there are
eight hundred ana stxtyhye clais Which have
soutely fcifened and cancelled amounting one hun
dted and .,ty eight thouad four hundred
the foregoing statement u viii b. perceived that only
about taet tn whole asea proposed to be grant
cd been occurred finally n claimants under the acts OF
Iss2 and lsl4 (and small portion of this was paid for)
that not fourth has hcen finally the re-
having ac' of is4s, and thni than thirds has
been wholly iorf.i,rf
havo 10 hcshancy therefore, y expressing the
oriDon that system ~ donations Of THIS character while
is not called tor by tho ,-ro m, settler unsise un
Just, unequal, and fraught With schcr has crnbar
rasscd corngnitts and retarded rather than accelerated
settlements
Under system Of public sales and pre- cmp,ion
rights settle ments have been made and per
nancrt basis The tide os emigration has rolled westward
from the Atante coast driving m. indian before III and
leaving nourshng s,ate. and prosperous com
munies. ii Il Ia. reached the heart IL the con
Lncst vhr from The chores Of the Pec,c, for several
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