The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-12-09
Public Lands.

1nlS report is I0r tne year enQlng une
80, 1876. 1910, 271.29 acres have been
disposed of during the year by ordinary
cash sales, homestead entries, to rail-
road, and otherwise, against 9,530,S 72 SO
acres disposed of. during the previous
year, being a decrease of 2,460,601, ga
acres. The cash receipts were $1,784,-
001.27. The total area of the States and
Territories is 1,S34,724 $50 acres; total
surveyed to June 80, 1875, $50, 253, 094.21
acres; leaving yet to be surveyed, 1,154,-
ALL 70 acres. The falling of, as COM
pared with the disposals of the year i'm
mediately preceding in entries made for
actual settlement, as evidenced by ap-
preparations of the public lands under the
homestead and timber-culture laws, is
found to be 1900, 8S0.24 acres. This re-
suit may he attributed, in alarge degree,
to the devastation by g~rasshoppers, ac-
companied, in some places, by a season
of unusual drought in the localities most
inviting to homestead and timber-culture
settlement, to which is to be added the
falling off of emigration and the general
business depression which has reached the
agricultural as well as the other indus
trial classes of the country.
The Commissioner recommends that
unoccupied lands, unfit for agricultural
purposes and not mineral, be offered for
sale at one dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre-this recommendation has refer
ence to lands west of the one hundredth
meridian. Pine and other timber lands
should be, the Commissioner thinks, sur,
veyed Immediately that they may be sold
to actual purchasers to prevent, as far as
possible, the wasting of timber by reck-
less pre-emptors. A change in this man.
ner of making surveys is deemed advisa-
BILE; the chain and solar systems which
are in vogue are now regarded as among
the ruder appliances of engineering
science, and surveys made in this manner
are Of no lasting use. The Office, more
over, is. kept in Ignorance of the deposits
in the lands thus specifically surveyed,
and valuable mineral lands have been
disposed of at the price fixed for ordi.
nary tillable lands at a loss to the gov.
eminent. Legislation on this point
is requested, and power and money
to carry such legislation into effect asked
for.
The office has for several years past
urged upon Congress the propriety, as
well as the necessity, as a measure Of
sound public policy, of a repeal of the
pre-emption laws; not, however, con
templating an entire obliteration of all
the features of the presumption
system, but, rather, having in
view the %unification of the whole subject
of settlement rights by merging the valua
BILE features of the pre-emption with the
later homestead system.
After noting probable errors in the re
vised statutes referring to public lands
the Commissioner says that whenever
town is founded on the public lands the
business exigencies of its inhabitant'
prompt them to the exercise of the great
est diligence in obtaining title by paten.
for the quantity of land to which they
may be entitled by reason of the number
of inhabitants included in the munich
pality. 1t frequently results that blythe
growth of their numbers they would be
come, within a brief period (were it no
that they had exhausted their right o
entry, entitled to take the largest are'
named in the law. He is of the opinion
that municipalities should be allowed
additional entries to a certain maximum
as their population may entitle them
This view of the case receives indorse
ment of a decision of the Supreme Cour
in 1857.
Purchasers of government land seem t.
be ignorant of the fact that a govern
ment patent, signed, sealed, and deliv
cred, constitutes the only available posi-
tive evidence of the transfer of title iron
the United States to the individuals
When the Commissioner entered Office b
was confronted by the fact that there ar
remaining in the files of his and tn
various local offices between 1,000,0 coo o
1000, 900 of uncalled for patents, covering
probably, not less than 100000, 900 O
acres, no small proportion of which beinI
lands purchased of the government NOR
than half a century ago, and lynn
in the States of Ohio, Indiana an,
Illinois.
The report closes with a request 70
a stronger force, and more Office room
also a safe place for valuable records.