Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-12-11
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
Report Of the Commits sioner of the Gem
eral Land Office.

The report of the Commissioner Of the Gen
eral Land Office shows that the number of
acres of land surveyed during the year ending
June 80, 1873 was 80, 4S8, 1872. The amount of
public land disposed of during the same period
was 13G30 COG acres The number of Sur
veyors-General has been increased since 1868
from ten to seventeen the number of land
Offices from fifty-three to ninety, and the
amount of land annually disposed of from
5000, 600 to 100000 acres. In regard to the
operations of the Homestead law, the Com
missioner reports as follows:
The demand for lands by actual settlers
under the Homestead law continues very large.
During the fiscal year ending June 80, 1878,
81. 246 preliminary entries were made, covering
an area of 8, 1852, 1926 acres. The number of
final entries were 1884, being an increase in
final entries of Ais over the preceding
fiscal year. This law, with some slight
amendments, would meet all the require
ments and necessities of actual set
tiers, and l again respectfully renew my
recommendation for complete consolidation
of all statutes respecting settlement rights into
a general Homestead law. bill for that pur-
pose met with favorable action from both
houses of the last Congress, but owing to a
slight amendment as to the time when 1t
should take effect, by the Hcnse, on the last
day of the session, in which the Senate had
not time to concur, 1t failed to become law.
| The selections certified for common schools
amounted to 76,90917 acres. and for semi
nar;es. 800 acres. The selections certified for
| agricultural colleges amounted to 16, 976.21.
| Tho locations of agricultural college scrip by
assignees of the States to which the same was
issued reported during the year cover an area
of 653, 4i6.H. Since my last annual report,
agricultural college scrip representing 24O, 600
acres has been issued to the States of Ar
| kansas and Florida. TIL exhausts the
amount which Congress authorized.
The records of the Office show an aggregate
construction of 2,27S miles of road, distributed
as follows In Michigan, 1S6 miles; Wlscon-
sin, SO miles Iowa. so miles; Minnesota. 712
miles; Missouri, 81 miles Kansas, AGA miles |;
Arkansas, 240 miles; California, 40 miles ;
Colorado, 2i5 miles; Indian Territory, 155
miles. Total, as above, 2,278 miles. Portions
| of the roads included in the foregoing report
of construction were actually completed prior
| to the commencement of the last fiscal year.
| This report will be understood as referring
more particularly to the official record of con-
struction, and to the acceptance by the proper
| authorities the evidence of which has been
received at this Office since my last annual re-
port, and consequently was not included
| therein. During the previous year the reports
show constructed length of 1,743 miles of
road, difference in favor OF the latter year of
/ 535 miles. The policy of extending aid to
railroad enterprise by national legislation hav-
ing been restricted by the caution of Congress
| during the last lew years, the aggregate OF
definite location of new roads is not as great as
in former years. The reports show the definite
location Of 1923 miles during the fiscal year, Of
| which 200 miles are of the Northern Pacific
railroad, in the Territory of Dakota.
| The following act of Congress was approved
Feb. 10, 1873 az Stat, 1859:
An Act in relation to mineral lands.
BE IL enacted By the Senate and House Of Representa-
tires Of the United States Of America, an Congress
senabled That within the States hereinafter named
deposits or mines of iron coal be, and they are
hereby excluded from the operations of an act en-
titled "An act to promote the development of the
| mining resources of the United States" approved
May 10, 1872, and said act shall not apply to the
mineral lands situate and being within the States of
Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and that said
lands hereby declared free and open to explora
ton and purchase according to the legal subdivis-
ions thereof before the passage of said act and
that any bona fde entries of such lands within said
States, since the passage thereof may be patented
without reference to the provisions of said act.
Previous to the date of said Mining act OF
| 1872, lands containing deposits of iron ore
were disposed of for cash at private entry, the
same as agricultural lands. The language Of
| the Mining act, however, is so comprehensive
| as to justify the belief that it was the inten-
ton of Congress to include iron ore among
the mineral deposits to be disposed of under
| it's provisions. Congress, by subsequent legis-
lation, appears to have placed this construc-
| ton upon the act.