Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-07-26
Washington.
GONE WEST.


Washington advices of July 22nd
give some further information concern
ING the increase Of sales Of public lands
in the west for the year ISIS. The
statement of Commissioner Williamson
was prepared from the records in his
office, and is valuable 1t this time. In
nearly all the prominent eastern cities
societies Of emigration have been en-
gagged III forming colonies from among
mechanics and unemployed laborers
with view Of settling them by com
panes or colonies Oh the rich lands
Of the west, and thus relieving the
cities of their supertluous 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.
Taking Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota,
and Nebraska, the comparative state
ment OF the disposal of lands during
the above period shows how vastly the
emigration has increased. Lands are
DISPOSED Of hy cash purchase, liz
homestead settlement, for timber cul-
ture, and 10y warrant and scrip location
-four different methods-and the
records Of each are preserved separ-
ately in archives Of the general land
office at Washington. For Dakota tie
figures are:
Cash............ 20, $50 acres. a, eio acres
Homestead ......1 ~, Soy acres. sl4 sgs acres
Timber culture ". bs lSo acres. l'o ~ acres
Warrant ami scrip
location. 5.9s3 acres, II, $40 acres,
The table shows an increase of l 243,-
1913 acres in one fiscal year. The same
figuring for Kansas shows IN increase
of ,356, HIS acres; for Minnesota, 16l,-
500 acres; and for Nebraska, 3d., 26S
acres; making Il grand total in these
four localities alone of 3,124, d.
acres. Reports show that this busl-
ness is going on, and that the Set
tiers are doing we'll. The colonies that
went to Kansas and Dakota from New
York. through the instrumentalitv of
John Kelly, about 1000 strong, and
those that went from Baltimore and
Philadelphia, indianapolis, and Boston,
are prospering beyond their eXpecta-
tions.
The above states have been selected
principally because the proportion Of
farm and timber land is much greater
than in other OF the western states.
Nebraska, having 100000 acres
can show only about 100000 acres
Of forest land. Places that We're re-
Gently covered with dense forests are
now almost naked, because of the
disastrous fires. This leaves the land
open to settlement. Missouri with %
100000 acres, has fully 100000 acres
of timber land. Not more than per
cent. of the area of Kansas is in forest
land. and this is mainly i'll the eastern
part of the state and along the banks Of
the rivers. Efforts are being made iii
Kansas and Nebraska 10 restore the
growth of trees, aud in some cases good
success has attended the movement.
Arkansas is highly gifted in the way Of
forests. She has 20,00O,O00 acres of
timber Of her 33 10000 acres, while
ONLY tenth of Colorado is forest land
WHISKY.
The commissioner of internal revenue
has received rom Coy. Wade llamp-
ton il petition drawn by Il prominent
member of the South Carolina legisla-
ture, signed by several members and II
large number of Judges and leading at
torneys Of the northwestern part Of the
state, asking for the pardon Of fifteen
illicit distllers who are under arrest in
that section. Such petitions are arriv-
ing nearly every day, and very gener-
al impression appears to prevail among
offenders against the revenue laws in
that state that the good offices Of
Gov Hampton will be excrted in
their behalf. If the department felt
confident that these offenders, when
pardoncd, would observe their promises
to conform to the law in the future,
there would be strong disposition to
grant the petitions. The fear, however,
is that such amnesty would be simply
regarded by the whole class to which
the law-breakers belong as an evidence
that the state courts and state authori-
ties had trampled over the government,
and that the final result would simply
be to make them more courageous and
daring in their resistance to the revenue
officers.
SILVER DOLLARS.
The treasury has received from the
national banks, since the notification Of
last Thursday that silver dollars, could
be obtained for greenbacks, free of trans
portation orders for $4,000 in silver
sILrER DOLLARS.
Telegraphic adviccS from Washington
nf fhn u \ inst snv fhn AInNinn1, .ilrnr