Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-09-08
GRIAT LAND STEALS
Sew The psbtis Domain ss' sesa
pfs.AeveA ~ Raissssa fsrpsss~
tsess. Beef savsas. and
0a6<r..

0thsrs.
ICorrespoudsnes y. Y. Word
wasHU0Tos. Jaly 81.
Oos sf the most important snblscts
Cooor.ss has ever bad before IL for csn
alteration ~ the pt0pef disPssstson OF
car uai,lia lands Ihs oonadersti0n of
the sabject has ocsap4ed = mach larger
ufoportssn u TIE tine Of Congress tfsn
snv ore yoaid bs4isve wbo nsd D1s
u,,sd> an aessAl stody Of tbs sobysct
In IXss gSen &. CsibO7n said that oIs-
third of the time Of Congress csrinG nis
srn~nsno@ kad b@eu ocsopSsd sTeis-
siyrly xith this bisct. Ia ls54 Speaker
Eoyd sa,d that be served for siItsse
years in Congress. and foily one third o.
hat tiuss bad been devoted 70 the p0oiie
iands Col. Forney. Who sas Clerk o.
the Hosss andsr Boyd. note- tbat IN TIE
Thirty ssoosd Congress aftsen hundred
oolamns Of the Gi0Ss ssfe occupied uifh
debates upon the pabiie lands, Al cost
Ia that Congress alone Of tl+s,SD. Ine
oelebfatesi debate between Daniel Wed
sfer and Hayps, In ioSs, oocurrsd npon
a proposition 10 snspsnd the public sur
vsys apon INDICATED public lands Mr.
Hsyns in ths course Of thai dsoats SAID;
More than one. half Of oar time has
bssn taken Up with the discussions OF
prooosislons oon nss.sd sitt pablie lands
and more thaa ous-hsif Of ear sots EN-
brass provisions essvfnx oct OF this
fruitfui scarce
Oar public land system dates back 10
f607, vhsn il sbisf bsfsau occupied q
anaie room IN ths Tressary. Toe ex-
psnsss Of ths burssu duriDg the hrss
ysar we're Si754. To-day the Land Otass
4 oos Of the NEST isapoFts nj bureaus 10
ths Interior Department. The total
smouut for the salaries and commissloHs
Of registers in the various Land os1oes
of the country alone smsnnted during
the year 1884 70 over half million dol
lars. The Land Once has bad ~ iss
dispossi since It's creation m 1877 an en-
ormous domain. The footinss vary 10
different reports la g work By j. b.
Havss, Who Gas former Clerk Of tbs
Burysys In tbs General Land Offos. the
area Of the public lands originally the
property Of the Government IL placed
At 1 ~, Tig or acres. OF this amount
4s5,3Ii.77s acres had been surveyed by
the Government prior to the Let OF Juiy'
1867.
The public domain consists Of csssions
made BY ths thirteen original States and
purchases from foreign pJwers- The
sum tstai Of ID cossions and pagchssrs
make in an aggregate, according TO the
report of Thomas Donaidson 10 bis work
on the public domain, .s4y, 072 .ao7 acres.
Dsduotine from this the state OF fes-
nssses. there is left SIS. t62. 5Z3 acreage
Of sbat can prspsriy be called the public
domain. OF this the Alaska purchase
represents 800 .5Zg 600 acres. fhs system
II public surveys mss NOS been extended
70 Alaska ~ yet. The largest foreign
purchase was that OF Louisiana. from
France. This represents 756. Si 80
acres. In order to get an idea Of tbs
size Of this parehase 10 10 necessary TO
compare 10 With other countries. IL IL
about Ave times the ATS Of France and
little over -four times the SIS of the
great German Empire. Napoleon the
First sold 10 Thomas Jefferson for tfi
fling amount i've times the area Of
country over which he ruled. The next
largest seqni.ition was through the
treaty Of Gaadsiupe HidsiRo, In 1888.
We acquired then a,4. 40. 30 acres
In ali. we have acquires By foreign
purchase ,ls9 so. SO acres. The total
cost Of these purchases IL tss. LII $50 81.
or . fraction over seven cents an acre.
There 10 q large portion Of this public
domain which Is still ansurveyed. The
surveyed aud unsold lands up 10 the Both
Of Jane, 1883, aggregated 10 round nam
beFs 100, 000, $50 acres.
Mr.. Donaldson, in bis careful history
Of tbe public domain. estimates the
amount given In the way Of grants 10
the pnbiio railroads since the frs, grant
Of 1850 10 the Illinois Central Railroad
at l55,bo4, yss.b9 acres. The grand total
patented up 10 the close Of ths fiscal
year 1858 10 given ~ 1894, 347 ~ acres.
or . territory larger than the Empire
State of New York. which contains 81
+6s, 800 acres. II 10 probable thu, the
grants 10 railroads vii reach up to
00,0o0.Uo sores, and that 100 Coz, 600
will be patented In satisfaction of all
oiasms. The amoant 0rssted to rail
roads which have forfeited these grants
10 estimated 20 be IN the neiphborbood
Of leo, $4,000 acres, ever three times the
sin Of the State Of New York. Con-
ersssipnsi action IL necessary 10 restore
these forfeited grants 10 the public do
main. Notwithstanding the clear and
express failure upon the part OF the
grantees 20 comply with the provisions
VI tno kfont&s NbuAfues u8s husys Uctn
reiuctast 10 restore these forfeited
grants, even where the companies to
which the original grants we're made
have paased out Of existence. This Ia
owtua 10 the fact that the rnilroad infiu-
sncs In Congress has been AZ strong AZ IL
has bean In she directions Of AFFAIRS in
the Interior Department. The House
last winter tried TO restore some of the
most notosisus Of the expired grants 90
tbs public domain. But the railroad
influence In the Senate was too strong.
10 was only In responss 10 the most Wig
eroua public opinion that the Senate
cousented 20 the setting aside of the
claim Of the Seuthern Pacific 10 the dead
liant Of the Texas Pacific, amounting
In ell 10 ia.0oo, 900 acres.
CHAPTER ii.