Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-12-05

dation in law or equity, dnvolving millions
of acres of public laRd. have been snnu-
ally passed to patent upen the single prop
osition that nobody but the Government
had any adverse interest
The vast machinery Of the land depart
ment appears to have been devoted to the
chief result of conveying the title Of the
United States to public lands upon fraudu.
lent entries under strained constructions
of imperfect public land laws and upon il
legal claims under public and private
grants. Ishall endeavor in this report to
point out some Of the evidences which il
lustrate the truth of these general state
ments.
From the reports of the subordinate di.
visions of this Office it appears that during
the fiscal year the sales, entries and selec-
tions of public land under various acts of
Congress relating thereto embrace 2Oll3.-
6S3.S7 acres, audlof Indian lands $751;
85O.2l acre5, making total of 20,995,-
5l3.58 acres, being decrease, as COM
pared with the year 1884. of 6 6.535, ,656.4l
acres, and an increase over the year 1883
of l,565, ,480.79 acres.
The receipts from the disposals of public
lands are $685. ia s0;t from sales ot
Indian lands, SS33, 1882; total OF
50 6lS, ,598 33, being decrease, as com.
pared with the year 1884. Of 81, l59, ,5320l,
and with 1883 of s3,O86, 1913, to which
is added $8,S2l.86 for certified copies of
records furnished by the General Land
Office, making the total receipts for the
year from all sources $8.62s, ,420.l6.
DETAIL,
The number of patents issued on various
classes OF entries and locations under the
general land laws during the year was
1912, an increase Of q ,835 over the year
1884.
The total number of entries and filings
made during the year is 24l ,524, aggrega-
ting 33,436,920 acres, O decrease of A.,
288 entries and filings as compared with
the year 1884, and an increase Of IL, 1876
over the year 1888.
The total cash sales, including land sold
at public and private sale, pre-emption
commuted homestead, mineral lands, tim
Der aud stone lands, etc., amount to $780,
1854 acres. The amount Of receipts
from cash sales is $6,223,926.74, an aver
age Of fraction less than Sl.l9 per acre.
Two hundred and forty-three tracts Of
land, embracing 3,O9S,7G acres, were sold
at public sale in the various land districts
at an average price of 81 4l3 per acre.
Fifteen thousand eighteen hundred pre-
emption entries were made during the
year, embracing an area Of 2,3ll ,296.7l
acreas, decrease Of 5,4S6 entries and
s93,799 Is acres.
The number of original homestead en-.
tries made during the year is 5O,877, EN-.
bracing su area Of 74l5,SS5.53 acres,
decrease of 4,l68 entries and 4l5, ,624 80
as compared with the year 1884.
One thousand FIVE hundred and eighty.
eight mineral entries of the public lands
aud sixty-eight mineral entries Of Ute Ia.
dian lands were made, embracing 35, 2l5.O2
acres and 1886 T8 acres, respectively;
total Of ], ,656 entries and 6,50l.80 acres.
Eight town sites, embracing 6,034 acres,
were entered during the year, and there
were SO sales of town lots Twelve town
sites and ten town lots were approved for
patent.
Eighteen railroad patents and one wagon
road patent were issued during the last
fiscal year, embracing l,l54,499.42 acres.
Lists of selections are on file amount
ing to l4,27305TSl acres, out Of which
1851, 7,339.47 acres are suspended on &C.
codntofths failure -ofvsthe companies TO
complete their roads within the time re-
uuired by the granting acts.