Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-03-15

/ ~ v,
arrayed itself in opposition to this benef cent
policy. The Republican party, on the other
hand, is committed to this measure by its votes
ia Congress, by its resolves in State con ven.
tions, and by its devotion to the great central
idea of its existence-the rights and interests
| of free labor a.t..-. = rr.....
EARLY in this session I introduced bill,
which now awaits the action of the House
| providing that any person who is twenty-one
years, or more, old, or who is the head of
family, may enter one hundred and sixty acres
of any land subject to pre-emption, or upon
which he may have pre-emption claim and
by cultivating the same for five years, shall be
entitled to patent from the Government on
the payment of the usual fees of the land Of
Zee, and ten dollars to cover the cost of sur
veyng and managing.
The land policy, as now conducted, permits
the President, in his direction, to expose to
public sale, by proclamation, any or all of the
public lands, after the same are surveyed
Every person settled on the lands so adver-
tiSed for sale, must, before the day fixed in
the proclamation of the President, pay for his
lands, or they are liable to be sold 10 any bid
der who offers one dollar and twenty five
cents. or more, per acre. During the days of
sale fixed by the President, any one can pur-
chase, at one dollar aad twenty-five cents per
acre, as mauy acres of land, not before pre-
empted, as he desires, selecting his own loca-
ton. The lands that remain unsoId at the ex.
piration OF the days of sale fixed by the Pres
ident, are subject to private entry that is,
any person can enter at the land Office any or
all OF the lands, that are at that time unSOld,
at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, if
the same have not been offered for sale more
than ten years if for longer PERIOD then at
Il less price, acoQrding to the length of time
they may have been in the market Thus un-
der the existing policy, there is no restraint
on land monopoly. The RothschiIdS the
BariDgs, or any other Of the worlds million
aires, may become the owners of untold acres
of our public domain to be resold to the set
tiers or to bc held as an Investment for future
speculation.
Congress, as the tiustcc of the whole peo-
pie, is vested. 10y the condition of the grants
from the Sta:e and by the Constitution, with
the sole discretionary power of diSpoSiug of
these lands But, in the exercise of a sound
discretion, it becomes its duty to dispose of
them in tie way that will best promote the
greatness and glory of tire Republic Aud
how can that be accomplished SO well as by
policy that will secure them in limited guam
titles to the actual cultivator, at the least
possible cost, and thus prevent the evils of
system of land monop poly-one of the direst,
deadlieSt curses that ever paralyZcd the euer-
gies of @atioC erSsslsied the armof industry?
1t needs Re lengthy dissertation to portray its
evilS Its history in the Old WorIu Is written
iR7SighS and tears Under its influence you
behold there the proudest and most splendid
aristocractS side by side with the most alject
and debased people vast manors hemmcd in
by hedges as sporting ground for the nobil-
ity, while men are dying beside the incIosure
for the want of land to TILL Under its blight
ing influence you behold industry in rags, and
patience in deSpaic Such are some of the
fruits Of Hand monopoly in the Old World
and skaE we permit its seeds to vegetate in
the virgin soil of the New? Our present sys
TEN is subject to like evils, not so. great in
magnitude perhaps bat similar in Kind.
OF the three hEn@rcd aud eighty eight mil
lion eight hundred and fify-eight thousand
three hundred and twenty-five acres of land
disposed of by the Government to September
so, 1859, one hundred and forty seven Riliion
eighty eight thousand two hundred and seventy
three acres we're sol for cash, and two hundred
and fOCty-one million seven hundred aud
seventy thousand and ffty-two acres were do
mated in grants to individuals, corporations,
and States. ... .. e.. r r ..
The Government had received from the sales
of the public lands, as appears from the re-
port of the Commissioner of the Land Office,
to June 80, 1888. one hundred aud forty-two
million two hundred and eighty-tree Thousand
C. l.,,l on1 o;,.hT lnlln
which add thirtv-eight million three hundred
and thirty-six thousand one hundred and sixty
dollars and ninety cents, received since that
time, would make the gross amount received
Frem the lands to September 80, 1859, one
handred aHd eighty million six hundred and
nineteen thousand six hundred and thirty.
eight dollars and ninety cents while the en-
tire cost, including purchase money, extingush-
ing of ludian title surveying, and managing,
has been, for the same period, ninety-one mil
lion nine huuured and ninety-four thousand
and thirteen dollars, leaving net revenue to
the Government, over and above all cost, of
lightweight million six hundred and twenty
five thousand six hundred and twenty five dol
lars and ninety cents with oEe hundred and
thirty-sy million nine hundred and seventy
thousand Line hRnaFed and forty one acres
surveyed but unsOld, of which eighty million
acres are subject to private entry.
Of the one hundred and forty-SeVen nil
lion lightweight thousand two hundred and
seventy-three acres sold by the Government,
not more than one half of it, probably was
bought at Government rates by the actual
cultirator the ether half, l sssume, cost the
cqltjyator, on an Average, at least four dollars
per acre over the Government price So he
would pay, on seventy three million Eve hun
ared and forty-foar thousand one hundred and
thirty-six acres, being one half the quantity
sold by the Government, two hundred and