Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-07-24
s.Uncle Sam II Still Rich Eoeuxh to
Give Us All q Farm,


Give Us All . Farm"
Some calculator for the Usited States Econo-
mist, in a recent article preferred TO in The
STAR the other day., arrived at the start
ling coRclusion that, including sales already
male, reservations, grants by Congress, and
other dispositions of the public land, the gov
eminent had already parted with four millions
OF acres more than the whole area Of the arabic
lands in the United States, and that there were
no tillable lands left for settlers. Without, at
this time, referring to official data, it is only
Necessary to take the figures of this mathema-
fician to prove the incorrectness of his conclu-
sion. He starts out with the following statement
Square Aeres.
Total area of the United States 800, s5i 400
W alter surface. oO,OcOOOO
Incultivable, consisting
of mountains, rock and
Lava districts, salt
plains, deserts, Sc 49,, 900 900
Alp 900, 900
1.i9O, S6i, 400
SeaeOasts, deltss, and other unculti-
Yable area ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 80, 900 900
$40, S5i, 400
Estimated quantity to be reserved
under existing laws for states yet
to be erected. ..................... 1OO. O4O
1,24O, s5i, 400
there are No public lands......... 431 900, 900
DispOssble publie lsnds....... 500 So. IoO
The quantities given in this statement are in
the main, mere estimates. As about a billion
and a quarter Of acres of the public domain
much of which has not yet been explored-re-
main to be surveyed, there is no reliable data
by which the correctness incorrectness of
these estimates can be determined, but a novice
in land matters can see at glance, that it is
impossible to ascertain even approximately the
humber of acres covered by water, or included
in mountain ranges or deserts, prior to the
actual survey OF this immense area, and, there
fore, that no reliance can be placed in the
statement of this wonderful mathematician,
who coolly sits down in his Office and under
fakes the work Of segregating the water sur
face, mountain ranges, lava beds. salt plains,
sand and sage deserts, swamps, marshes, deltas
&c, from the arabic lands of the United States
Enumerating the lands disposed of, he in
Cludes g, ~, Il3 acres of swamp selections
The swamp grant being for lands that are not,
in their natural state, susceptible of cultiva-
IiOn includes what this writer terms ''uncultiv-
able" lands, and therefore they having already
been deducted from the area of tillable lands.
should not have been included in a statement
of arabic lands disposed of; but they are
thus included it follows that they are deducted
twice in the foregoing statement: list, by being
claSsed as arabic lands disposed of.
Here, then, at the outset, is an error cover
ing % ,i2s ,i13 acres.
Ina further statement of the lands disposed
OF he includes items making an aggregate of
;2l ,6Jl ,609 acres, as follows:
Concessions for canal purposes,
western states. .........-......... i,iO5 CSC
Ship eansl-Michigan and Wiseon-
Confirmed from old land claims
Old Spanish claims in California,
Reserved for beneft of Indians,
mainly Mississippi, Alabama,
Utah and Oregon. 1,2sO,.OO
Treaty reservations for Indians
lands secured to them in fee for
ever by various treaties, mainly
in Dakota, Montana, Indian and
Colorado territories. .............. 49, ,Si6,91I
Granted TO railroads, mainly the Pa
cine railroads. ........-............ 215,gl,O COS
The grants and concessions to corporations,
and the reservations for Indians, &C., being for
lands in place, Of course include the water sur
face, the mountain ranges, deserts, marshes,
and all kinds Of untillable LANDS, which. &C
cording to this calculators own estimate,
amount to more than one-f fourth of the whole.
But he omitted Inadvertently, no doubt) to
make any allowance for such lands In his refer
ence to these grants and reservations.
As in the case Of the swamp lands. the waste
lands included In these grants and reser vatiOns,
having already been deducted as "uncultiva-
making up the lands granted and reserved; or
n 20 counted, the proper allowance should have
been made.
Here, then, Is another error, covering over
o. 9l2 ,9o2 acres, which added to the swamp
lands make an aggregate of over 160,3i1 ,3I5
acres, which should have been classed as arabic
lands remaining undisposed Of and subject to
homestead settlement.
But this is not all. The grants to railroads
nj IL 70 h. ID
are through waste and mountainous districts,
where the percentage Of unproductive lands is
mich greater than in other portions of the
nited States. Therefore, a much larger de-
duction should be made for waste lands in con-
sideriBg the grant to these roads. Allowance
should also be made for Indian reservations
which will ultimately revert to the United
States, as well a. for cancelled h1mesteads and
other entries, and also for unproductive lands
included in tracts held by private parties in the
older states, and sales heretofore made by the
government in the states containing public
lands, and in grants Of the sixteenth and thirty
siAih sections FOR school purposes, &C., SC.
The sggre gate of these additional items will
probably amount 70 not less tn An two hundred
millions of acres; so that, instead of the United
States having disposed OF four millions of acres
OF arabic land more than it owns 1t probably
has left for disposal to settlers after making
all proper deductions. between three and four
luz dreC millions Of acres.
m
The course OF the American consul n Aspin-
vail in the case OF the steamer yirginius would
seem to be subject to Just criticism in view of
the fact which Was patent, even to the COM
mander of the Kansas, that the former steamer
vas hiibuster 1t looks as IL the consul
strained point TO shield the vmginius on ac-
count OF the sympathy which generally exists In
the United States IN behalf OF the Cuban pa