Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1890-05-15
TIE PUBLIC DOMAIN.



Il has often hsen predicted that. By
the Pr->sat year, nearly al ths public
laads whis-h BE- j. p-aesicahis for lnsiivid-
aais 81 '-io-ate- AMI inprov~ unsier iha
land lass woaIi have h..u a--,-, pied ansi
that the number q entries - Govern
meat Lands mould have begun to de-
cline
Eat tbere j. a. yet No sign that any
such high-Sater marx % settlement has
been reached Indeed the report Of the
United States Land olfice for issa shoxs
that the last aseal year vas marked By
the largest number - patents % land fos
agricultural purposes ever made.
During thr~e years Is>ss. l>ss and isss.
the patents issued fpr agricultural lands
hal averaged about thirty thousand
year. But for the fscal year ending
with June. Iss9. morp than seventh
thousand patents were issued.
Thosgh many of these patents. which
are practically the Government-s deed %
the Land 10 the settler. were upon en-
tries OF settlements made a few vears
before. the Rew entries have ahoat kept
pace with the patents
Sill Uncle sans farm d. not ex-
hausted- u "a last June. only about
one-half % the area of the two Dakotas
haa h-ea entered for land claims. Tn
doubte,iIy IL - the better bali which has
been taken but that which remains in
clajes much excellent land.
In several Of the Western States AMI
Territories there arr hundreds Of settlers
who zrys unable 20 obtain the patents
4. O. -.
~ '-sgsatters, or legally unauthorized
occupants: bat the Government toler-
ates them. and thsir occupancy. IL it IL
persisted in. Nill in nearly all cases be
equivalent to 4 title
In Idaho. som Ia BE- State. only
little more than oue-ssventh of the area
Of the Territory has been surveyed The
settler who locates upon unSurveyed
lands Is, Of course. only a squatter. no
matter how valuable his improvements
may be. since the government can not
Give him patent To his land.
Within few years. many millions %
acres of good land are likely To
be made available for settlement th rough
the purchase By the government Of vast
tracts not needed By the Indian tribes.
AMI through the forfeiture of land
grants b. railroads which have not ooul-
piled with the conditions under which
their lands we're given
The nature of the claim % certain
tribes % Indians % vast tracts af lard
on the plains and prairies Is profoundly
affected By the disappesrance q game
from these regions When the Indian
tribes lived by the chase. they required
vast tracts 10 range over in pursuit Of
their game. Now. throughout r1ost of
the Western country. the game has IN
great part disappeared The buffalo.
which vas the plains Indians ehiet
source % subsistence. IS now complete
Is gone. and al the fur-bearing animals
are practically exteFminatet-
The Indians therefore. must either B.,
supported By the Government, or must
maintain themselves By farming or graz
ing
In either case they have no further
use for the great tracts which we're for
msrly their hunting grounds. and in the
nature Of things. this Land mus. come
into the hands OF those whO will make
use OF IL
In the meantime. land grants 70 rail-
roads. amounting TO more than twenty
one million acres. have been suspended.
and are awaiting the legislation by
Congress which is necessary for their
forfeiture, OF cancellation This land
IS nearly all good and its area is about
equal 70 that of the State OF Maine.
Even though the land which IS now
available for settlement in honesteads
or farms. and which does not appear to
be in immediate danger Of giving ous
must some time De exhausted. there
will still remain 4 vast AREA. which. By
= general system OF irrigation. can De
made 10 support larger Popuation than
the United States as yet eontAins--
| Youths Compani0n-