, 1870-04-20

> I
tho curious calculation thst theee inmiSSr mt
hare in the Last scrcHty years brought upa1
their pdfron9 in specie about fo1r hu1dre
MILLIONS OF dollars In gold. Sixty thouszo.
Small farms haye bean atled to tho frccAo!d
| Of the United States during Tie last year, O
twicc tho total number OF The laud owners il
| England. This is something for a republican
\ to congratulate himself uroe for citize1
upon h9 own la11ti oaght to Re eqnal to
'housand .s a. subjects wish9ot homes. There sr.
satd to DO I've m hall Easliious Of laoi
cye1! eight Ct our rornlatio...
oRAvk rHIHtss FOE GAaaFRs.
Tia Whole expense Of tho laxs,i oflicz, snd uf
Ill the surveyors, in 1850, was abput nth
Of The sun receiyed from tho aale OF public
lands The Indians are owners Of th.ee
millions OF acres in the United States. II al
the close OF the revolution We l,ad aIopftsl q
selfish AAatic policy, and excluded imuis
cur population would now be twenty -tssr,
millions. or about the sane number tha. the
ceuEus might have shown in 1915. Since the
establishment Of our independence, ten ,nilliotg5
Of people have been Adled to Us, foreigners OF
tho children of Foreigners.
Tho public land and eflucation have been
allies Of each other since lies, whom tho Con-
Washington, passed noble act setting aailo
ous eection Of cseh township for the enluw-
ment Of public schools. Tins tho land has
mado tie man In 1862, VIC gave in addition
30, 600 acres to each constituency in tho Union
rfus CD, 900 acres to each State for tito endov-
cndowmsut, Illinois hiss realized a250, 900 in
money. New York gaze a1l the proceeds Of
her 600, 900 acres to the Cornell University,
1 and Mr. Cornell has added more than half !
million Of dollars to the same. A good tlea! OF
this educational land has been Bqua1ale1ed
by the States.
MORE MRAcLn.
Huge sices Of our NATIONAL domain have
tct1 given away for what are called Internal
improvements. 1hrs, to h1itd h.sbor aud
chip canal on kcHenaNpolnt. Lake Superior,
400 coo acres were voted. Wisconsin has re-
men.s. Altogether, VIC have given OF prom
ICED to wagon roads, railways, and canals.
about 190, ,000, coo Of acres, tigure which stag
gers belief It il 4 question whether much Of
tLia ituneuse amount Of land has been OF mora
benefit to Tho people than il government Rad
to the settler, instead Of permitting uiddle-
men and spcculators to seize it aud put it Ut
last to the same use.
Mr. Wilson makes the wise suggestion that
Onico be permitted to preenpt, purchase. or
Otherwise lay hold npon the public e4tste.
some Of the most valuable parts at tho Anneri-
can territory have been picked out OF the mar
ors We have sent 10 prepare forms and bound
aries for the future settler. This Is partic71-
1Af1y the case on the Pacific coast. Gove1n-
ment provides man with opportunity to
Postadon, aud salary, and sends him INTO nm
known regions, under the Buppositiou that he
ID attending to his work, when, in many cases,
be is merely the agent Of some Organization to
discover valuable sites, and l2y them away for
purposes OF ava1ice in tho future.
LAID 1RAns-
About sixty millions OF acres Of swamp aud
fns1t d. hnar
in which they were situated and while these
lands have been lost to the United States, thoy
have in general been of no benefit to the Statos
which received them. Mf. Wilson nays thst
they have passed too frequently into the
ownership Of private corporations and individ-
uals, who have held tho lantls thus acquired for
mare purposes of speculation 1nthar than an7
direct putpoee Of immediate reclamation"
fou often bear Of tho inmonse extent Of
lands clafmed under legitimate, doubtful. or
your Imagination has not probahly sen to the
height OF this statement hy the Commissioner:
The claims of this 6nd u Louisiana, Florida,
Missouri, Atkansaa, Alahama, and Mississippi,
bcred BY thousands, coTcrlag many millions OF
| acres; and in California alone, acquired bJ the
S1 IL :. e. H4ao y sad
areas Of tbs vains6e Agricultural lands IN tast
actel up1n ~ lie Board oi Gani W cammt.sioners MI s
have been reported to this once for patent, yst
nc patsnts alteaay issued cover an area Of neisy
| nye millions OF acres
! RAILWAY LANDS.
Mr.. Wilson'S chapter upon our railway sya-
TEN, az An outGrowth Of our public lands, is
perhaps his most Interesting topic.
He gives Thomas II. Benton the credit OF
proposing first TO endow the railways beyond
tie settled limits with lands. The uliuois
Central Road received the first grant ever
made for this purpose in 1850, namely,
two million six hundred Thousand ncros, euual
st the government price to three and one
quater millions OF dollars. About ten thou
sand miles Of railway existing IN the Western
land gtanta; and twonty-two millions of
aerea hare been actually certified and PATENT
ca. Tho total amount Of government byula
issued to railways Is si1ty-one millions !; G4e
Union and Central Pacific receiving five-si1tLs
Tho Kansas Pacific Road has been voted moro
than six and quarter millions, aud it il the
most impu1ent fraud that crcr caue ta Con-
Eress.
NJ. Wilson says that it will cost 9157 900 900
to build and equip the North Pacific Railroad,
which has already been voted Is, 600 acres Of
land per milo. The eastern end Of this rosd
has Seen anticipated by the St. Paul L Pacific
Railroad OF Ntnpeeota, which IL built with
Dutch capital, at ] cost Of $4,000 mile, and
is endowed with twelve sections Of State land
for each mile.
| We have given avay 10 railroads and wagon
roads more land than would make all Great
Britain added to MI France; and good deal
OF this land IL richer aud more valuAble than
the original land OF either country.
| Six railroads have received government
!oans Of credit, amounting, in all, to nearly
%, ,Wo, oo0. Mr. Wilson, therefore, in the
strongest nallnez, tiiseouragra any moro lau1
grants or CREDITS lie says:
NInr sl1sc lor sucn extraordinary suhrcn:ions
has passed. The pressure Of public necess1ty Ia