The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-10-16
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
Sales and Other Disposals of Gov
eminent Lands During the
Year.
Dakota the Mecca of Homestead
ers and Settlers---RailrOad
Grabs.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4.-One hundred
and fifty thousand new and happy
homes is the record of the land Office
in the year just ended. Uncle Sam
seems to continue "rich enough to give
us all farm" in spite of the cry that
we have been hearing for years that
the public lands are nearly exhausted.
The lands disposed of in the years end
ed June 80, 1884, amounted to over
twenty-six million acres, or, allowing
a quarter of a section to each farm,
over 100000 farms. Nearly eight mil
lion acres of this was in homesteads. and,
as many of these Tin the sections where
there are railroad grants) are but
eighty acres, it is safe to say that 49,
600 of these have been given away to
those who now occupy them. Dakota
has been the great attraction to those
seeking new homes this year Over
eleven million acres have been dis
posed of in this way in that territory
alone in the past year, while in no other
state or territory does the amount
reach third of that total. The next
in amount of land disposed of is Ne
braska, where the total is three million
acres. OF the II 100000 acres dispos-
ed of ia Dakota 100000 We're in
homcsteads, 100000 more by cash
sales, nearly 100000 more by the
climber culture act,' and 100000 set
aside by selection of the railroad COM
panies. This does not, however. mean
that this quantity has been granted the
companies. On the contrary, they get
none of it until the question OF their
right to it has been settled by Congress
or the courts. The lands which they,
select are, however, set aside by the
land office, withdrawn from settlement
or the right of purchase or homestead
until this question is settled. If the de-
cisiOns are averse to the railroad COM
panies the lands will then be
THROWN OPEN TO SETTLEMENT
under the homestead and other laws.
The amount of land ''selectcd'' by the
railroad companies during the past
year, which they claim to be due them
under the acts granting them land to
aid in the construction of roads. is over
5000, 900 acres. OF this, lnwaver, only
647, 422 acres were patented. or ALSO
lutely granted to the railways claiming
it, and this amount was to roads where
there was no claim that they had failed
fully to comply with the requirements
of the original act, which granted them
the lands. The large proportion of the
lands t;us claimed in the past year BY
having been ''Sclccted'' by the repre-
sentatiycs OF the companies are in Da-
kota, where over 10000 acres were
so selected and are set aside to await
the action of Congress or the courts,
not single acre il the territory hay
ing been patented to the railroads l.,
the year just ended. In Minnesota tIie
cash sales amounted in the year t.
397,973 acres, the original ho1acStc;d>
to 444.358. the final homcStcads to 1903,
;39. the timber culture entries to 9j,-
1913, and miscellaneous which is
mostly made up Of the railroad Sclec-
tons, to 7OS,j92, making total
amount Of land withdrawn from til.
public do:1liin in the state during the
year. including the railroad claims.
1,G46, 46S acres
IN WISCONSIN
the total was 30G,9lO acres, $50, 900 be-
ing by purchase and 1873. Geo by home
stead entries, the ':iinal homcstcadS'
amounting to $4,000 acres. 1t is Il cur
ious fact that land was disposed Of in
no less than tWcntT-Scvcn of the foriv-
| rot o,,! y l..
past year. 1t will be Il surprise, doubt
less to many persons TO know that any
government lands still remain subject
to purchase Or homestead in such cd
states as Indiana, Illinois. Iowa. Mis-
souri,. Arkansas. Louisiana. Alabama
and Florida, yet it is Il fact that lands
were homcsteaIcd in every one Of these
, states during the past year, and that
there was one sale of government lan.!
/ in Ohio during the year. There was
an original homestead entry OF 20
acres in Indiana; one of 1871 acres in
Illinois, while in Iowa there was nTcl
SIX thousand acres of government lard
disposed of during the year. and III the
states bordering OH the Gulf Of Mexico
over three million acres. incluii,!c some
pretty large claims by railroads in
Louisiana not yet recognized. 1t is q
fact, probably not generally recognized
that there are sevcra! million acres OF
land
IN THE SOUTHERN STATES
yet belonging to the government, but
the quantity in some of them ha, been
materially reduced by the claims of
certain railroads. There has been q
! general rush for lands in Louisiana bv
railways that claim to have rights to
certain grants made Years ago and the
terms recently complied with. Nhcth-
err their claims will be recognized is ;1n-
certain. They have, however, made a
tremendous grab, fling on every avail
able acre of land IN the state, so that in
stead of there being nearly two million
acres of land iii Louisiana subject to
prc-emption or demonstrating there is
now none, the claims upon the land bv
the railway companies requiring their
withdrawal from the market until tie
validity of the demand is decided
upon.
| COST MORE THAN IT COMES TO.
There arc some facts about the pub
lie domain not generally understood,
but very interesting. 1t is not generally
understood, for instance, that it has
cost more than has been realized for It.
1ct such is the fact. The public do
main contains, in round numbers.
1000, 100000 acres. has cost $50, GOO,-
600, or about 10 cents per acre. There
has been disposed of in various ways
GAS, Oa0, 900 acres, for Il total Of S:3!37.
100000. SO that the cost has been over
one hundred millions of dollars more
than the receipts for land sold thus far.
1t is also = common assertion that the
bulk OF the public lands have been dis
posed of. The fact is that but G45. OOo,-
600 acres out of 100000, 600 acres
have been disposed of, though in this
operation the best lands have been Sc
lcctcd, but little purely agricultural
lands remaining in the hands of the
government. Over four hundred mil
lion acres of that remaining is counted
''descrt lands though it is probable
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