Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-11-07

How they are DISPOSED of, and Wha
= 1FtiL.lsr'c Gets Them. M


How they are DISPOSED of, and Who
= = Gsll.or'c Gets Them. $50
s From letter in the Cincinnati CONNER
ciaI, we condense the following interesting facts
with reference to the public lands In the United
States, and their management by the govern
ment:
First, as to the amount of public land. Ex-
eludine Alaska, we own in public land nearly
hilton and half of acres. Including Alaska,
We own billion aud eight hundred millions.
Halt a million of acres of this has been survey
,s{ ed At the rate we sold and gave away land
II last year, two hundred years more will see the
i State like prohigate heir, run through Its
whole possessions 10 Florida We still possess
seventeen and a halt million acres, In Ohio,
only FIVE hundred acres unappropriated; In
Missouri nearly two million acres; In Alabama
seven million acres; the same amount IN LOUISE
ana iu California one hundred and SIX million
of acres so that that State really owns only
about one eighth of herself. More than halt
q Of Kansas belongs to the United States, and
Mississippi owes one-eighth Of her soil to the
The process Of survey and sale Is as follows:
III From some point of altitude IN each great
district of country base line is run east aud
4 west and a meridian north and south. Upon
these bases and meridians regular townships,
six miles square, are carefully laid off and ac-
curateiy numbered 10 order, as north or south,
and east or west of'the original initial point. =
These townships are again sUodlvIded into sec
1 tions Of a mile square, and subdivided even IN
to quarters of quarter sections, or forty acres,
which can be bought isoiatedly.
Those, therefore, who wish to buy public
/, lands must buy them with reference to some OF
one of these meridians, arbitrarily established
hy Government Land Office. 10 the Land
Commissioner of the United States is only
~ ponderable as coafederacy of twenty bases
and twenty. three nerldians.
,s- The first of the meridans ever established
divides Indiana and Ohio. They all have names
Systematically as our States. One of them, for
example, runs through Brigham Young
, Temple at Salt Lake, and monument marks
where the base-line intersects the meridian. =
Another one is In the San Bernardlua merl-
dian. which intersects on the top of peak in
b California. IL olo1lA CalH 81
To understand what is is doing all over the
unoccupied part of this country, imagine
series of surveys going on in twenty odd dis
tricts the crossing parallels and merldlans being
as fixed and positive as the chains OF noun
tains or the beds of streams. The land Offices
are frequent; the work goes on fast as popu-
lation pours 10; sometimes ahead OF 1t and
so the map of much of the United States
presents vast plain, open to wolves and ln-
dams, except where, here and there, the
squares of survey checker Its surface. Inc
~ whole energy of Government is turned toward
u the bene6cence of filing up these regions with
Sthe Industrious poor, who 1t Is hoped VIII
keep fee In the land and be contributors to the
wealth OF the Republic and founders
of happy families. The expenses Of
surveying the public lands are con-
siderably over S40O, 900 year. BY this we
see where so many OF the young men so, who
study surveying in the high schools and lyceums
of the country. There is in Washington city
y special manuiactory of theodolites and survey
ing apparatus Of various kinds. After State
1ais fully surveyed and the land sold, the archl-
yes OF the Land-O Office withinit are given over
to the State 1-A
1 There are also millions Of acres ofpublic land
given away by governmentior railway and other
pubic improvements
The United States have given away of swamp
lands, valuable when reclaimed, three times
Il the surface of Holland, Belgium, Limburg,
q Luxembourg, and the Roman marshes. The
value of this gift may be estimated by the fact
that $3.50, 100000 worth of lands IN the Texas
. bottom can be reclaimed at cost OF So 100000.
81 up to 1867 Congress had given to the Pacific
railroads l29, ,000, 900 of acres OF land With
what was also given to wagon roads, this
amount of land is FIVE millions acres more than
90 are included in New England, all the Middle
States, Virginia, Maryland and Ohio.
The government has bestowed large grants
oflands upon its soldiers and scholars, and has
also given fair proportion to be used In the
construction of common roads. Between no
and 1855, about niue hundred thousand choice
farms, Of eighty acres apiece, have been gwen
10 the soldiers of our various wars.
About two and half million acres OF the
public lands were set aside for colleges 10 the
various States east OF the public domain last
Year, or about one-third of the whole quantity
disposed Of The whole amount of land to be
s gwen TO educational causes, according to legis
laton now operating, will be ultimately about
Seventy-two millions of acres. In 1862 all the
States now existing were presented with some
% tnlrty thousand acres Of land Tor each Senator
AID representative they had in Congress, as
fund to establish colleges in agriculture, me-
ehanles and mines.
Nearly one-tOurtn OF all the public land dis
pc'ed OF in 1861 was taken for homesteads, or
about l,S00, 600 acres Since the Homestead
act was passed, 10000 farms, or more than
100000 acres of land, have been taken up
ana occupied under it, and 1t Is probable nearly
nalt a million people are now existing and
thriving on the public domain by reason OF this
,pGlanthropic legislation.
The American Homestead act has more pro-
prletors OF land than there are in all Great
6rtaiu. In America there are more than
100000 OF freeholders.
The vast machinery OF the Land Office is not,
Oi course, kept running without considerable
81, The salary of the Commissioner of PabliC
Lands is s., ,0O0 His chiet clerk and recorder
get each $4,000 Nine principal clerks receive
$780, There are about one hundred and
thirty clerks, with salaries from $500 to
81 200u apl ,manto e Vra~ lohoraro 60 of S-1C