Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-01
MILLIONS OF ACRES GONE
An Area Greater than Germany Taken
from the Public Domain in Ten
Years.
Gifts and Sales Amounting to One
Hundred and Forty Millions of
Acres.

dispatch from Washington says: The
four states of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and
Missouri form a considerable portion of
the area of the United States. They
/ contain population of S,S49. .164 accord
ing TO census now six years old. The
area of 21S,440 square miles exceeds by
/ 10000 that of the German empire. which
has 45,000,000 inhabitants. and by 1900
that of France, which contain $1,000, 900
/ inhabitants. And yet the aggregate area
/ of these four states is not quite equal TO
the portion of tie public domain which
the United States has given away or sold
/ at scarcely more than nominal prices in
/ the past ten years. The four states named
| contain 139, ,60O,60S acres. In the ten
| years, 1S77-'S6, the public lands deposit
! ed of amount to 139, 1872, 126 acres. 1t i.
only by comparing this enormous area
| with groups of our states or with foreign
! empires that any idea of it can be form
ed. \ territory five hundred miles square
would not be very much larger than a
decades diSpoSals of the public domain.
OF the total above given the government
| sold p, S42, LOG acres for cash. This class
includes presumption and desert-laud
entries, as well as other disposals but
mainly of pre-em ptions. Under the tim
Der culture law %, 021.O56 acres have been
taken. Under the homestead law 6I ,S43.-
31l were taken in the decade The home
stead takings for ten years exceed by more
than 100000 acres the area of Illinois
and Indiana. In these ten wears the
homestead entries numbered 1903.
Since the law went into operation in 1863
the whole number of entries to June 30.
| 1856, was 1852.
The taking of public lands increased
rapidly in Montana till 1885, but shows
some falling off in 1856. In Wyoming
the increase was rapid till 1884, but each
of the last two years shows a decrease
In Nebraska there has been an enormous
gain since 1888, but the figures for 1886
are little below those of 1885. Nevada
shows rapid increase since 1884. Dako-
ia ran up from less than 2,5OO.0O acres in
1880 to more than II 100000 in 1884, but
has since fallen to a little moro than
100000 acres. Kansas has leaped from
less than 100000 acres in 1882 to more
than $500 900 acres in 1886. Public land
! business rose rapidly in Wisconsin till
1883, but has been comparatively small
since.
The multitude statistics and financial
statements of the general land office go
through the division of accounts which
has had two chiefs since the new admins
tratiOn came in. Mr. Hunter found the
work too cOnfining for him. and resigned
to take special agency, as it would give
him outdoor employment. He has been
very recently succeeded by Col. Fletcher
johnson, of Kentucky, a newspaper man
of ability, who has made an extremely
good impression in the office, and promis-
es to master the work of the Office quick
ly. The assistant chief, Mr.. T. NJ. Bald
win, has been in the office some years, un-
detstands the work thoroughly, and has
no trouble in running the division when
ever it happens to be without chief.
AN IMPORTANT CASE
affecting the Pueblo lands of the city of
Monterey, in California, which has been
pending in the general land office for sew
eral years, has been decided by Commits
slOner Sparks in favor of the city. Com
missioner Sparks has also instructed the
local land Offices in New Mexico in the
case of certain Navajo Indians who have
long occupied canyon in that territory
that the lands embraced within the area
of Indian settlement were expected from
the grant to the Atlantic and Pacific com
pany, and has directed that the applica-
tiOn of the Indians to make homestead
entries in such lands be allowed