The weekly Arizona miner., 1872-03-23
The Public Lands.

The Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Hon. E. R. Cowan has recently published some information in regard to the public do- main of the United States, worthy the can did consideration of all classes. The process by which so large proportion of our valua- ble lands have gone to spectators Is clearly explained, but the remedy for the evil is not so apparent, It is to be remarked, however, that the evil is only partial. Spectators buy to sell again, and all their lands ultimately come into the hands of bona fde settlers only, perhaps at an unnecessary cost aud through the enrichment of class of men who do much to corrupt politics and little or nothing toward the development of the western conn try. Thus it happens that of the 5l2,450, S55 acres of arable and accessible land which the Government has already parted with, be- ing about one half of the whole in its posses sion, the spectators, it is estimated, have grasped 202, li5 900 acres, or about two fifths. To show the difficulty of baffling them 1t may be marked, that of the ninety-six millions of acres, which by official records have gone to actual settlers, the speculators have get hold of one-third, 32,000,000 acres. The worst of it is, most of this has been obtained through perjury. Thus a real settler finding himself unable to pay his purchase money, sells out half or some other poItion of his claim, in or der to raise the money, and then perjures him. self by denying under oath any and all such contract. So extensive have these transac- tions become that our western States have refused to break up titles founded on them, on the ground that too great a proportion ot the real property of the State would be dis turbed by such decision.
 Among the most valuable land grants, Mr. Cowan regards those made in aid of schools, amounting in the whole to 69,000,00 acres. Being widely distributed in small parcels, this land has generally escaped the land shark, and when it has been properly appre- ciated, has proved fund of great value to the schools Minnesota has derived school fund of S3,476, ,22s from this source. The lands also are generally taken by men who intend to improve them. Contrary to cur rent impression, NIT. Cowan thinks that the railroad grants have in general proved ex- tremely advantageous. The railroad compa- nies being desirous of building up good busi- ness communities along their routes, have fought shy of spectators, and have encour- aged settlement by disposing of small tracts on long and easy terms, and often granting liberal drawbacks for actual improvement
 Hence, it happens that more settling lands are taken from the railroads than directly from the Government, notwithstanding their prices ase higher. It is true this method en- riches capitalists, but the public gets the ben eft as we'll. It is process, however, that needs to be carefully guarded. The most vicious erants-and here again Mir. cowan runs counter to the general impression-are the scrip of bounty lands to soldiers, nearly the whole of which has been taken up by spectators; and the agricultural college scrip Ss,0Oo, 900, nearly all of which has been bought by one man in Ohio. That this scrip
 is extremely liahie to get into the hands oi
 few, is well illustrated by the history oi
 Colorado land speculators.- CaigtGia.