Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1861-12-14
3f(isttllantous.
The Public Lands.

The Secretary of1he Interior is opposed to
any further issue Of bounty land warrants and
refers to the condition of the land department,
as follows:
On the 30th September, 1861, there were
So, sos, ,595, ,25 acres of the public lands which
had been surveyed but not proclaimed for
public sale, The lands surveyed and offered
at pulic sale previous to that time, and then
subject to private entry, amounted to 1862
735, Ga acres, making an aggregate OF public
lands surveyed and ready for sale OF l3l,2lS,-
3306 80 acres.
The public lands have ceased substantially
for the present, at least, to be a source Of
revenue to the Government. The liberal
manner in which the acts Of Congress grant
ing swamp and Oyerilowed lands to the States,
have been construed ard executed, the grants
Of large quantities to add 10 the construction
Of railroads, and the quantity required to
locate bounty land warrants for military
services, have combined to reduce the cash
sales to su amount little more than sufficient
TO meet the expenses OF our land system.
The net income from sales during the last
fiscal year will hardly reach the sum OF
S200,000.
The bounty land warrants and scrip issued
under different acts of Congress, previous to
Sept. 30, 1861, embrace on aggregate Of
1l,7l6,l12 acres Of land. OF this amount
there have been located: For Revolutionary
services, S,2006l2 acres, for service 10 the
war with Great Britain, 4.650.l20 acres for
Canadian volunteers, 70, $50 acres for servi-
ces n the Mexican War and other services,
under the acts OF lS47, 1850, 1852 aud 1855,
in oil 81, ,l3S, $40 acres leaving yet to be loca.
tod u,arr n,A L.,
1854, ,120 acres.
Unless Congress shall authorize the issue
of additional warrants, this drain upon the
public lands will soon cease.
The proprety Of issuing bounty land war.
rants to the volunteers who have been called
into service to suppress the existing insurrec
ton, is already subject OF discussion, and
must be determined by Congress. A warrant
! for iG0 acres to each volunteer engaged in
! the service would absorb over one hundred
millions OF acres, much larger amount than
has been issued under all previous laws. 1t
| is evident that the issue of such al amount
of warrants would destroy all hope of deriving
any revenue from the public lands, at least
for many years. And while such measure
would deprive the Government of all income
! from this source it would afford but little
benefit to the volunteers. These warrants
are now sold in the market at about fifty
cents per acre. An addition of the large
amount necessary to supply the volunteers
would necessarily reduce the price of them to
O merely nominal sum.
The bounty of the Government, dispensed
to the volunteers in this form, would fail to
realize to them the advantages intended.
A Il the best lands would fall into the hands
OF speculators who would be enabled to
purchase them at q nominal price and sell
them to settlers at full prices as fast as emf.
grafton to the west would require them for
settlement. If additional compensation to
TO the volunteers, beyond the amount now au.
thorized by law, shall be deemed Just and pro.
per, it will be better both forahe volunteers
and the Government to make such compensa
tlon by direct appropriation OF money, or o.
Government securities. This would give
them the foil benefit of the appropriation
made, while the Government would, by keep
ing the lands until they shall be demanded fol
settlement, realize their foil value.
The valuable and extensive mineral land.
owned by the Government 10 California anC
New Mexico have hitherto produced no reve
nue.. All who chose to do so have been per
mitteG to work them without Limitation. i
is believed that no other Government owninl
valuable mineral lands has ever refused I,
avai itself Of the Opportunity OF deriving I