Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-28
OUR ACRES.
Romance of the Public Lands-In-
teresEEng Figures from the Inte-
rIOr DepArtment-What Our Do
main Cost.

Washington COR of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
In the future times the great public dos
main of the United States will be subject
of more wonder to our posterity and we who
gave 1t away or squandered It than the
seizure of England By William the Norman
and its sequestratiOn for the benefit of his
bandit followers. / bave been talking with
people around the Interior Department on
this subject, and present some interesting
totals
HOW MUCH THE GOVERNMENT HAS REALIZED.
The National Government has realized
from 'he sale of public lands. between May
20, 17S5. and June 80. 1880, the sum In
round numbers of 5000, 700 900.
In 1877 there were sold in New York, the
capital, about 70 COO acres for about $117,-
600 In 1895 there were sold in Plttsburg
43, 466 acres for about 100000. In 1872
there were sold in the State of Pennsylvania
over 202 900 acres for nearly S152 600. In
1872 there were sold to John Cleves Svmmes
272 $40 acres for about $3.50 600. The same
year the Ohio company bought in like man
ner with certificates and army land warrants
nearly 1893, 900 acres for about $643, 600
Regular sales of land have been recorded
for eighty four years, beginning with 1898,
when the sales we're about 81, 200 900 for
that fiscal year. The next wear they dropped
recorded. and In 1900 there were less than
$444. In 1901, under Mr.. Jefferson, they
run up to about $16s, 900, and reached the
highest figure under him in 1906 at
S765 000 In 1911 for the first time the
land receipts passed $1,000 600 year.
and they continued to be under 81, 600, 900 a
year till 1878 They reached the figure Of
nearly So SIS 600 in 1919. and then dropped
to much lower figure till 1881. when they
again rose to more than $3,000,000. 10
1888 "a they reached the total of nearly
81 000 900 and S. 900 600 resppctivelv In
1885 they slipped TO nearly SIS 600 900, and
in 1886 to nearly $25, 900 900. The year of
panic followed, and the land receipts dmin-
ished to about $6, $50, 600. and in 1888 they
were only about $3,725 900. There was a
spasmodic revival in 1889 to double this
amount, and then the land sales went UP
from $500, 900 TO 50 1000 900 per annum,
huctuating till 1854, when they reached
the amount of nearly So. 600 900. and In
1855 to nearly $11 500 900. In 1856 the re-
ceipts were about SO, 900, 600 Thew dropped
the next year to less than "a, 900 900, and
continued 10 run down from year to year
till in 1860, preceding the rebellion, they
were not 50 600 900 In 1861 they were
only about $3.50 900 a year. Ia the last years
of the war. lS54-5, they were from $500 600
to 81 O00, 600 per annum. In 1869 the high
est amount was realized since the Republt-
can party took power, OF $4, S20 600 1t
must be remembered that the policy of this
party was to give away the land to railroads,
towns, homestead settlers, etc. The receipts
for public lands per annum did not average
the cost of a single maximum day of war
fare during the height of the rebellion.
The government undervarious acts repaid
to the States out of the above total OF about
sos 100000. about 81, 100000, leaving the
net receipts of the government, in round
numbers, at 5000, zoe. coo.
OUR PUBLIC DOMAIN COST US
In cash, stock, or bonds above $SS OOO, 900,
the largest sum of $27, 100000 going for
Louisiana in 1903. The next amount was
paid TO Texas between 1850 and 1855. name
ly, $16 100000 The third amount of money
in importance we paid to Mexico in 194S,
$l5,00O,0O0 In 1868, under the Gadsden
treaty, we further paid to Mexico, $40 000,-
900. or S14 600, 600 more than Louisiana 1.-THE
Mississippi valley) We paid to Russia for
Alaska, in 1867, S7200,00 We paid
Georgia for land and land claims, at the
beginning Of the year 1902. $6,20O,0OO Con-
Sc sequently we have paid in money for our
lands over $SS 000. 900. or within $12, 2,00O,-
900 of what we have received for the whole |
of what has been sold.
We have besides paid for salaries, fees for
surveys, clerks, care, ETC., more than $46,-
SOC, 900.
Previous TO the creation of the general
land Office Gin 1879 the expenses of survey
Ors, Office hire, etc We're more than So, ,500,
900 The united salaries of the Surveyor
General and their clerks were 1881 900 up to
1912 The expenses of general and local
land offices from 1S43 to 1880 were at the |
lowest 10 the year first named-nsmely $780, |
600. In 1858 they were nearly 1892 900. aud |
for several years afterward approached |
5000, 600, till, during the years of the war,
they never reached in any one year $40O, 900. |
In 1872, the year before the memorable |
panic, they passed 5000 900, and have con-
tinued in that neighborhOod ever since,
reaching In 1880 more than $7S6 000
Add the total expenditures for survey and |
ispOsition-namelY, about $47 000, 900 to |
the cash cost of the land to the govern |
ment-and the latter has had a profit of |
only about $65, 100000.
LAND PAYING THE INDIANS.
We now have to add to the expenses of |
the Indian Department, incurred on account |
of land treaties, and the amount to the stu |
pendous sum of 1922 100000, strong re-
Election on the current idea that we have |
taken the Indian lands and given nothing to |
them.
We began to pay money to the Indians |
even while we were fighting the British Gov |
ernment IN 1776, and during that war paid |
abous $l25 900 to the Indians. Thereafter |
we never paid them as much as $1OOOOO in |
any year until 1896 In 1905 we paid them |
nearly 5000 900. In 1915 more than $780, |
000 In 1927 over $3.50 600 In 1881, $3.50, j. |
000 and more than $l,000,00 annually up |
to 1886, when we paid the Indians over |
S., 100000. We paid them in that neighbor-
hood for two years more, and then the |
amount began to decrease with a general |
average OF $4,000, 900 or more. ItamOunted |
TO $1,000, 600 in 1889; 10 nearly $4,000, 900 in |
1873; SS 374 900 in 1875, and nearly $6OOO,- |
600 in 1885,
Consequently the public domain had cost |
uR to the middle Of 1850 Sl22 ,000, 900 more |
than the government had realiged from 1t. !
The public domain, which thus cost us |
over $322, GOO 900, cost per acre about l7H |
cents. The government, having received |
been paid about 36 9 20 cents per acre.