Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1864-02-23
know how much has been

about Wamp and refuse lands but l
know that after all such deductions, It
the do main is protected, the lands now
possess an intrinsic vaue Of one d 'll.r
per acre. II, however. we assume halt
d,liar an acre rs their present value, We
for,lty the Federal Treasury with seven
hundred millions OF dollars. XIV IN this,
a, tho outset of our neW fin 4ncial ca err.
will re rels, ded with marked sst.slac-
ton AS security. Bat es iuisted, as thy
may be, IT cared for, ut one dollar per
acre, we have On hand the means of ex
trgaisrlny one half Of the ma inna
dcbt. /, l., howcveS, in the prospective
valve OF the domain that we are TO look
for glowing pceuni. ny resalta. Firs'.
atop giving away the lan'!s. Second,
~ fence them with protective laws. bird,
sell them, ueder snch system that the
land. will increase in valu ~ they di-
minish in scres until, with five years,
the available SIC ms will sell Tor SUM
sufi ieIt to pay, not only the int, rest on
the debt, but TO ult.matly retire the
debt itself. rs other war debts were.
Jrurn.l- approving the suggestion
which devote. the public domain o the
publi, ire, snfy, un 'erc .timaie ts value.
Vi t,i. class, the New Yu.k World and
Phil ,delph inquirer, IN we'll c,n iutr
81 art'cl, stall to disc ov. r, in the ands,
what Dr.. johnson, speaking of anoth
element, dcs ribed as "the pptcn'i iii
ty of acquiring wealth beyond thu
dreams OF ava,ice"
Fo tunatcly, am able to f,riify this
posilion by "lac,s aud iign es." In 1850
Congres gtaniel 100000 acres OF
land I, aid the CONSTRUCTOR Of the ',lili-
nois Central RsIroad" That company
comDeuced operations in 1853. IL
December. SG3, the company had sold
l,3l2,37j acres Of its land, on which
$6,740Sl4.SS 10 casa had been re eived;
while $9,9l4,O0s.44 in good and ava'a-
BILE securities, remain due. TIE whole
amount pad and payable, therefore, is
$l6,663, S23 ~.
vi their land grant. 1,2s2626 acres
rem ain unsold. These nnsold Iaods are
now tstim tied 10 be worth at least sl7,
100000 mating total Of neatly $34,
100000.
IL is thus shown that public lands Civ
en- to q sirgle railroad company, prop
erly mana. ed, have in vA.ue risen to a
sum equal to the payment OF interest, AZ
ak per cent, on nearly 100000 600 Of
oar pu lie debt! S miIsr grants have
been made tor railways IN Missouri
Iowa, Minnesota, and other States.
OF the .snds granted to the Illinois
Central road, several hun !red thoasan.i
acres were class fed as refuse, and ha.
been offered, tor severa years, a. IL l-2
Gems ger acre. The comra.y has sold
these ",efu.e lands fJr SO, 81 aud So
per acre. Over fif,v Thousand acres
have been sold for sl2 per acre!
The value OF the public lands, | re.
pest. depends entirely upon their man.
agement. They can BIZ made valuable
CIR worthless, as the Government choose.
sEaads of the illinois Railroad Company
. 1f,hs lands that were drug 10 the
ma ket at twelve cents an acre, by a
ch .uge of policy sell Tor as many dollars
!. ne acre, can we doubt The intrinsic value
OF Q dumain which. early ia our history,
pad our national debt 1.-TWO milllons
and . half acres produced $4,000, 900.
- Whit, under proper mana cement, will
roUsE ES HUNDRED THOUSAND MILLIONS
"a OF acres b. wofth2
> Ills known snd admitted that when
theassbellso,s 10 ended, Europe wi! add
IN Il ocs - DOR pcpolstion. The chr
acter OF cuigrsn,s attracted BY The pub
l,c lands will be JesermiLed ~ the poll,
cy Of our Government. II The lands
are 10 be given away, the Old " Q, Ia
will ssa.l i,s refuse population TO US. -
But II the lAnds arc offered Tor sale. at
rras ,nsbie prices. tho@ who com. ~rl
kr,rg money y purchase and i.narosc
tl.om. We can draw from tho other
81 IL Of the AtlAotc, . III : the idle snd
- 60 lsom RoOr AU.ssss and pennies.
Ant v ". me shJdst. iop5 .and th:ity,
49, ~, and 'nseslsc esi~s. :
~ ~ v - ~ ~: q. Il z e.er.