The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-03-24
WHOLE NO. 8S4

head OF afamiy I'd, to widow Sd, to sim
gle man over the age Of twenty-one. Does the
''man" OF the thlrd class embrace a woman
suehis the edelicate question. Evidently man"
does not embrace all women for widows are
expressly mentioned in the second provision.
Ii can not refer TO wives, for they are embraced
by "the head of family, mentioned in the
first section. 1t must therefore apply, If to the
female sex at all, only to unmarried women
and the Land-office has decided that a ''man"
does embrace spinster /; that the ''man" here
spoken Of is the generic title, and applies to
both sexes. Spinsters can therefore pre- empt
lands under the act OF 1841, provided they will
build house on their presumption, and there
reside. Poor lonely things we fear there are
not many that accept the offer. But there is
no disputing the title OF the United States
when once obtained. Ali complaints of the
weakness OF title deeds, that inheritance OF
! past centuries to other lands, are unknown
here there Is a certainty of ownership. Re-
ferring to the causes OF weakness of the Ro-
man state, the imperial author Of the ''Life Of
Cesar" speaks of the. .agTarian interest as an in
eessant source Of irritation so that that sense
OF proprietorship which Is to-day the corner
stone of the stability Of every modern state
was then the chief source OF its weakness.-
The limits or the dger pu6licus had never
been we'll defined" ''Few title-deeds existed
and those which could be produced were often
uninteliigible.' Occupancy OF territory was
then the chief imminent of title to-day the
records OF the nation furnish the grounds of
possession.
immigration, and the rapid growth Of popu-
lation in families where each child is an add-
ton to Its producing power. has rapidly con-
verted our Western prairies into civilized COM
munities. Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana,
and Missouri have changed their treeless wastes
only known to the Indian and the buffalo. into
happy Christian homes, where reinem ent and
education universally prevail and yet the most
eastern and the most thickly populated Of them
all-old enough to have over four thousand
miles Of railroads within its borders-Ohio, has
only fourteen million acres Of It's lands I'M
proved over eleven millions ere yet in the
condition OF swamp, Forest or commons In
1877 government sold to one company from
Massachusetts tract Of land in Ohio not far
from one million Of acres-the largest real es-
tate trade ever made in the nited States
The next year Mr.. j. c. Symmes contracted
with the Board of the Treasury for the pur-
chase OF another million, including the land
where Cincinnati now stands but he was IN
able to consummate his enormous agreement,
and only succeeded in obtaining the trlflIng
amount Of three hundred and eleven thousand
acres. But Ohio, as the Oldest Of Our Western
States. tells the pleasing story that timber can
be had even in the most unarable part of the
country. Scientific men tell US that the deserts
of Arabia and Africa may be clothed with mighy
forests by observing certain conditions and
Ohio confirms the theory that science origi-
mates. When that State began to be settled,
three-quarters of century ago. most Of its
territory outside the fat valleys OF the two Nj
amis, the Scioto. and the Maumee were ''bar-
rens." No foliage could be discovered for hun
dreds Of miles, save on the banks of few
streams Fires would consume the young trees
that nature treed to lift into the air. To-day
land i'll that State has advanced one hundred
fold in value, and yet one of the most profit
able uses to which 1t can be put is the growth
Of timber. And Ohio, with a population OF
over two and half millions OF souls has more
timber on it to-day than it had eighty one years
ago, when Fort Washington was erected on
the site now occupied by Cincinnati. Trees vii
aye grow while we are sleeping, Scott tells Us !;
and the barren steppes Of Nebraska Kansas,
and tab are yet 10 bloom and blossom like
the rose in the garden OF their settlers, and to
have their forests flourish like the cedars OF
Lebanon. Wood grows on our Western prai-
, ries in advance Of the demand for it.
For the eighty years of our national existence
we have offered citizenship to all who cama
among Us to dwell. For the past eight years
} We have added to the citizenship homestead
of one hundred and sixty acres. rhe conse
quence OF this legal generosity has been the
addition since 1890 of ten millions to our pop
ulation and that these ten millions have con-
tributed to our national wealth at least four
} hundred millions OF dollars. As nati on we
r are now worth twenty-five or thirty billions OF
dollars, and rapidly growing in material pros
: perlty. Our annual earnings are not far from
] ten billions. OF which nne-tenths may be used
t for our annual consumption the other tenth,
: embodied in dwellings, railroads, stocks. ETC.,
: becomes part OF our fixed property. The CEN
: sus of 1860 shows that we had 113, 006 schools,
y and 14S, 7i2 teachers the census Of 1870 will
r probably give us 125,0O0 schools, and nearly
l. ten millions of pupils such sthe consequence
= OF an early wise legislation that looked upon
a our public lands as q trust for the people, not
i for the favored few as a boon sent from our
o Heavenly Father, who would have us estimate
: education above wealth, and manhood as Of
Z more value than capital.