Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-12-10

The following is synopsis Of The report
ii the Comm ssioner o! the General Land
Office, TO the Secretary ofthc Interior
The public lands, in 1883, amounted TO
about $4,000 square miles, 226,56o,uoo
acres The whole Of This area has been
con. plc,cly surveyed. and the Geld notes re
corded, all in accordance with the rcctansn--
lar system. Since that period the area 9
our domain has increased 10 ! ,sG5. 4OS 800
acres, with sea COAT on tho Atlantic, the
Gulf, Pacific and Puget Sound, equal TO D.
100 miles. The political subdivisions over
which surveys have already been con plete
" extended, Gre Ohio. Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan, Iowa, Misseu ri. Arkansas, Mis-
sissippi. Alabama, ard nearly 30 IN LOUIS
lana and florida, and those In which this
system has further to advance, are Minnie
sofia, Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska,
Colorado. New MEXICO, Arizona. Idaho.
Utah, and Washington Territory, Aid the
States Of Oregon, Nevada, and California
The aggregate area surveyed IN oil the
States and Territories. Y june 30sh. leye
is IA, iG0, 55l acres u6surveyed, 99i ,3us,-
20 acres. The aggregate in miles which
has been run and marked on the earths
~ face. in establishing these surveys. .
sss,420. For the past fiscal year the cash
sales, bound locations. quantity taken under
the homestead act, end tor swasnp IN plan,
for swamp indemnify. Tor railroad grants,
aud agricultural college scrip, are equal 10
4,629,3l2 acscs and the cssh rscripts for
the same period, 1894, C45.0s. The theory
81 couceding ior actual settlement N prefer
encc 70 cash sales, il exaninsd b Abe com.
~ PA
mentioned ~ho have favored the same. The
quantity or land surveyed on June 3Oth,
1856. including private claims. 10 equal to
s3l $50 farms oi l04 acres each, o. more
than /. 300, 900 Of ~ arse tracts. Besides
the municipal concessions for military SER
vice aud internal in,provementss there have
been granted for schools, seminaries Of
learning, universities, agricultural and me-
chsnical colleges. 2i.0lo.OOO acres, while
the Estimated area destined to pass for edu>
cational purposes In Territory west Of the
MiaSssssppi river il bG.Aeb. 900 acres. The
area already awarded for rail and wagon
roads, with that yet to be segregated. will
be equal to Isl, e35, 79i acres some Tor
the construction Of great highways o.
link together intermediate p0ints.-
The commissioner gives . sketch Of the pre-
cmption system from 1901 10 1871, and the
pre- ,cmption laws Of lS4l and 1S43.-
The spirit Of these enactmcnts first mani
tested in 1901. though checked three years
afterwards, was developed in sixteen differ
emit statutes during the intervening periods
Of forty years, and until ls4l, when the
prospective pre- cmption acts Of lS4l and
lsi3 were Incorporated into our legislation
q = permanent policy, those laws reaching
surveyed lands fcred and uno1.rcd; later
legislation extending the privilege to unsur-
yeycd lAnds, with exceptions, from the
Mississippi TO the Pacific. Pre- emptions.
under the act Of 1858, are allowed On evsnN
numbered sections along the line Of railroads
when settled upon and Improved prior 10 n
nal allotment Of granted sections, also I.
lands where covescd by French. Spanish. OF
other r. rants, declared invalid by the Su
p,cmc Court. Tho net Of eth of March,
1854. recognises the settlements made prit
10 the Withdrawal Of lands from market.
The municipal town site law Of 1874, and
the prescription ps DIVISION in the giadua>
ton act u 1854 have given way, the ono Ia
the town property and coal-lsnd laws oil
1864 ard 1865, the other to the HON, cod
laws Of 1862. 1864 and 1866. The commits
sioner discusses the provisions Of the home
stead law. TIE purpose Of this measure i.
10 hold out NEGATIVES for immigrants "a
identity themselves with the broad fields ui
the West, aud 10 secure their labor FIR such
IA period IN the strength oi manhood or ma.
turlty Vi life as will insure stability in set
Elements. development Of arabic resources
md steady increase of agricultural wealth
This great original measure should stan,
unimpaired IN IT'S full vigor, aud It's result,
viii continue to increase the producing pow
or Of the country. II has been sugg estcd
whether the privilege should not DO enlasg ed
by opening UP unsurvcysd lands to il oper,
alton. The question is discussed by III,
commissioner at length. Iron aud Goa
property ON public domain; the three broad
belts stretching across the country contain
ing the precious metals petroleum in Cali
forna, aud Legislation relating TO mineral.
are touched upon.
The lands offered At public sale in III,
last fiscal year amount to 6,i23,9Si acres
In addition u which other lands, hcret0for,
withdrawn from sale Or entry, have been re
stored 10 market,
All accounts Of receivers ofpuplc money
aud disbursirg agents have been adjusted /,
the close Of the fiscal year; all five pc,
cents due the land State have been aaius,e,
a. FAR As accrued. The =, s,cm vh;sS con
trols In adiastmcnts Of rcccivcrs and dir.
bursting agents accounts, and the relation
this c,sss Of officers hold in regard 20 IL,
acquisition Of title. by purchase. a, other
wise, OF public lands 10 disguised. and IN,
commissioner recommends thu, the interdic
in tins respect. that applies 20 general Ian,
Office employees shall &c made In genera
regard to ali EMPLOYEES in land edrir;.trs,
ton In the Dcs Moinss land srnnt. specia
certificates have been issued. fully SATISFY
ing the claims, which under the ac,s Of Sth
August. 1876. Joint resolutiee az ID March
1861. and act OF 10Th Juiv. 1869 amomrt !.
33.O79. 70 acrea The rurs Hc-.r,l r...r,.
is sul,-div;dcd into ala lots. Of vh;ch Dos
have BEEN AHA. he rssidus i. 70 +. a;s,,o..'
ri urrcr IN. .r.r;., -, nr ~. ,Scc
a .Ls.ch cfth. l.-;.s.s;.. .-,.,;.
a. s,ssa...S iss.s.. ~ -. 49,"
,hs s.r..si ss.S "@;.. ~ ..s ~. s ~ =.
A,,crr.w 0.rss.,ss "'.,n;.,. - ." ."
lsGG -. 80. A.s.s" 49,,
:. Inn. az ,sSs 81 ~ ~ or . ss'so. ~
..,;.I 49, a. o.. c-s -. oUv.y 80 sc'cs
the aggregate indemnity granted for land
Of this character 10 The Goth Of Joue. 1855
in. in caah AGO.. 2O1 ~. n oth.r l..d.
as Oae "a 49,. ~ 49, S..s.:-- 49,"
cc1..~.S 3.S:.S W. ~o''.. .:0 sss''ns
VI VekvW UUU W 08uuUXyUUa Gotv1uC1yoS up