Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-07-31

D16Teu Tor tnr6o years.
This view is not inconsistent with tn {
object to be attained in making the
grant, That object was to aid a corpor
alton In the construction of a work O.
national importance, which contemplat
ed an expenditure Of money beyond the
resources of. private individuals, and
whether that aid should be given in
lands which might be sold by the com.
pany toreimburse it for the expenditure
made, or whether government
should sell the land at a stipu.
lated price,, and pay the proceeds
arising therefrom to said com
both by the government and the COM
pany that accepted the grant with the
condition. The fact that said company
so ~understood this grant is made evi-
dent by a circular issued by its land
commissioner, dated May IL, 1873, in
viting purchase of its lands. in which
he says, "The road was accepted by the
government as complete about SIX
months ago. fInlthree years from that
time the road lands will be subject, we
suppose, to)the pre7emption law. but we
lhope and expect to have all our lands
sold before that time arrives. All rail
road lands sold by this company are
Isold clear of taxes, with the assurance
of a perfect title when paid for. -
{ More than four years having elapsed
since the completion of said road and
its acceptance by the president at the
time Mr.. Dudymott filed his declara-
tory statement for the tracts IN question,
/ am Of the opinion that his application
should have been received by the local
officers, subject, however, to the con
dition that it. be made to appear, be-
fore a final certificate issue to him,
that at the time his declaratory state
ment was filed Tor said tract, said com
pany had not sold or disposed ofIthe
same.
If the views [ have expressed in re-
lation to the sale and disposal of said
lands are correct, and [ see no reason
to doubt their correctness. the sale and
disposal Of lands in the condition of
these applied for, if unsold at that
time by said company, is clearly within
the jurisdiction of the land Office, like
other lands. By the terms of the
grant by which said lands, or proceeds
which shall arise from the sale thereof,
Injured to said ompany, ii is provided
that the lands remaining unsold at the
expiration of three years from the
tine when the entire road
was completed, shall be subject to set
Element and presumption, like other
lands, at a price not exceeding 81 %
per acre In other words, that said
lands shall revert to the public domain
for sale and disposal for said company,
under the presumption laws of the
United States, and whether it be con-
sidered that said lands are public lands
in a general or special sense cannot, in
my opinion. affect, the jurisdiction Of
the land office in making sale and the
disposal of the same. III ltftI
The decision concludes with directions
to local officers for its enforcement, and
says: "In making returns Of moneys
arising from the sale of said lands,
local officers should be instructed to
keep a separate, account of lands sold
and moneys received therefor on &C
count Of said company, in order that
the same may be passed to its
credit. In this case, inasmuch as it
does not satisfactorily appear whether
the lands applied for had been sold by
the company at the time Mr.. Dudymott
filed his declaratory statement, the
Commissioner of the Land Office
will instruct local officers to call
upon said companys for a. statement
showing whether said lands had been
sold by it at that time, and, if it refuse or
neglect to furnish such statement with
i'll thirty days after the services of said
notice, that they order hearing to de-
terminer that fact. -n5..ur-E Hre#
-...:f GONE WEST. 81 alrfT
Washington advices of July 22nd
give some further information concern
ing the increase of sales of pu bic lands
in the west for the year, 1873. The
statement of Commissioner Williamson
was prepared from the records in his
Office, and is valuable at this time. In
nearly all the prominent eastern cities
societies of emigration have been en-
gagged in forming colonies from among
mechanics and unemployed laborers
with view Of settling them by COM
palies or colonies on the rich lands
of the west, and thus relieving the
cities of their superfuous and idle
population. As Commissioner Viii
hanson says, all this is certainly the
good that has come from the evil
of hard times The mechanics, instead
of sitting down to groan over the dull
ness of business prospects, have packed
up their families and gone where work
will bring an honest return. is9G9
Taking Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota,
and Nebraska, tbs comparative state
ment OF the disposal of lands during
the above period shows how vastly the
emigration has increased. Lands. are
disposed of by cash purchase, by
hom estead settlement, for timber cul-
ture, and by warrant and scrip location
-four different methods the
records of each are preserved. sep ar
ately in archives of the general land
office at Washington. For Dakota the
figures are. q
Cash. ......... -. 20, 1876 acres. "a, $40 acres.