The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-08-25
Public Lands.

Martin Walker, member of Congress
from Ohio, in a late speech in the House
of Representatives, said,
ain the early part of the Republic,
our public lands were regarded as Il
source of revenue. It was expected
from their sale to pay Q large proportion
of the expenses of the Government; but
in latter days it was found that, with
the expense of survey and sale, these
expectations We're not realized, and 4
new policy was adopted, and large
quantities of the public domain have
been used in constructing rilroads, en-
dOwing colleges, rewarding military
services, and stimulating immigration
by giving homesteads to all persons who
will live on and improve them.
In this way this heritage of the people
has largely contributed to the material
deVelOpement of our cOutry. These
grants have not always been wisely
made, and in many respects have no
doubt been great outrages upon the
rights of the people. The future policy
of the Government should he to so pro-
vide by legislation that our public lands
should be preserved for actual settlers,
and thereby furnish free homes 10 the
/ landless. Concentration Of large guam
titles i'm the hands of mOnopOlists and
Spectators is the great curse OF most of
| the Western States, and has and does
I impede agricultural improvement and
| developement.
! OF our public lands, about seventy
eight million of acres have been granted
| for schools and colleges, over ten mil
lions of which have been given to agri-
cultural colleges. Two hundred mil
| lions of acres have been appropriated
and given to build railroads and other
| improvements. About seventy-three
millions of acres have been given to our
soldiers, their widows and children.
The Government still OWLS about one
billion acres. This vast domain, as fast
asst is surveyed, is open to settlement uu-
der our homestead laws, which give
every man or unmarried woman one
hundred and sixty acres for the cost of
survey and entry, upon living upon and
improving the same for the time linn
tied, which is five years, except sol
dier, who, under the bill passed hy the
House, is allowed to count three years
of his term of service in the Army, OI
whatever term under that period he has
served, as part of the five years resi-
dence.
I'm the year 1853, about two and a hal
mllllOu acres were gwen 10 nonleStes.N
and prcemption settlers. In the same
year about eight millions of acres werC
converted from wild lands into farms
making some sixty thousand farms.
: We now have over six million real e.
tate owners, being one in every six o
our population, and nearly One-half o
our whole population are engaged il
the pursuit of agriculture.
{ The whole landed property of England
2 is now owned by thirty thousand per
; sons, making one in every six hundred
/ and fifty of its population. One-half o
= its soil is now owned by about one hun
l dred and fifty persons. Nineteen and I
} half million acres in Scotland ar
t owned by twelve proprietors. In thi
e country this extensive ownership
= of the soil, the sense of pToprietOrshiI
l resulting therefrOm, encouraging indie
; pendence of action and thought, cOnsti
e Jute the cornerstone of our Republic
e The multiplication of these free home
r for the people, instilling into thei
minds the spirit of agriculture and me
e chanical progress, and education, an
a moral development, and improvement
D will secure freedom, equality, and Del
e petuity to our Government"