The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1859-09-30
Land Reform.

unnatural-contrary to the genius of our
Republican institutions, and has been
brought about by circumstances, rather
than the design of the founders of our
government. The laws of the United
States-very properly-give to the Gen
eral Government alone the power and priv
ilege of extingulshing the Indian title to
lands; not that the government may there
by have the monopoly Of lucrative traf-
fic, or that the nation should derive rev.
enue from land speculation; but because
any other system of purchasing Indian
lands except through the medium of trea
ty between the United States and the In
dian owners, would lead to endless uncer-
tainty and litigation concerning land titles,
| and not unfrequently might result in Indi-
an wars, or civil conflicts. The Govern
ment then becomes the purchaser of. Indi
an lands, not as speculator or monopolist,
but simply as trustee for the people, in
Older that future purchasers of the lands
may be assured of a perfect title, and
peaceable possession. All, or nearly all,
the Indian treaties made by our Govern
ment for the purchase of lends, have been
made at the request of the Government;
and the reason given for such request, has
been, that our people wanted the lands for
settlement and cultivation and it was new
er proclaimed that the government wished
to buy for the purpose Of speculation, or
that others might speculate therein. Such
a proclamation would have shocked the
feelings of every true friend of popular
government.
If, then, the government does not intend
to play the odous part of land Spectator,
but holds the public lands only as trustee
for the people, and wishes to facilitate the
Improvement and settlement of the public
domain, it is a manifest duty of government
to administer the trust in such way as to
give it the most value, and to carry out in
the fullest manner the principle or policy
upon which the original purchase from the
Indians was founded, to wit: their speedy
settlement and improvement by the people,
and this principle or policy should be the
only guide of the government in the dis
posal of the public lands.
Now in what manner can this principle
be best carried out! Simply by granting
the public lands in limited quantities to
actual settlers, free of COST with such con-
ditions and restrictions only as viii! ensure
their occupancy and improvement, and by
not disposing of one acre of the public do
main to any person who will not occupy
it. In this way only can the government
free itself from the reproach in the first
place of specializing in lands, and in the
second place of inviting and encouraging
private capitalists also to purchase i'm
mense tracts of the public lands for specu-
lation, thereby hndering and retarding the
settlement and improvement of the new
States and Territories, and in the end com
pelling the working classes-the actual
settlers-to pay the money which goes to
make up the enormous profits of the
Spectator. The present system Of dispos-
ing of the public lands is certainly opposed
to our ideas Of the principles that should
be uppermost in popular government like
ours. 1t is wrong in policy, and is we be-
lieve the grand work of more evils in our
body polite, than all other causes put to
gether.
We shall continue this subject again
from time to time, and endeavour to awak-
en- the people to its Importance.