The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-20
Mr.. Wilson. of ohio-May I ask the
gentleman a question?
Mr. Rawlins-Yes sir

Mr.. Wilson. of ohio-May I ask the
gentleman a question?
Mr.. Rawlins-Yes, sir.
Public Land Grants.
Mr.. Wilson, of ohio-I have canvass
ed this bill, and I see in it large appro-
priations of land amounting TO some
thing like 400 900 acres. l desire TO
ask whether Congress has heretofore,
when new state has been admitted,
granted any such donation of land as
4 that disclosed in this bill?
Mr. Rawlins-I am glad the gentle
man has asked that question, because
it enables me TO state some facts upon
{ that subject that will be of use to this
House in voting upon this matter.
There are as stated by the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Kilgore) in the open
ing argument upon this question, b.
100000 acres Of land in the territory of
! Utah The land Office in that territory
was established in 1861. From 1867
down to the present time there has
been disposed of 5000 900 acres Of land.
The total area of the territory which
has been surveyed is about 100000
acres. The total, covered by grants
for railroads and other purposes, of the
surveyed and unsurveyed lands which
have been appropriated amount to less
than $4,000, 900 acres of land, leaving
81, 100000 acres of land wholly unappro-
priated and undisposed Of.
These lands have during the past
thirty or forty years been offered by
the government Of the United States
to anybody who was willing to go upon
them and appropriate them and pay
for them at the rate of S1.25 per acre.
The people of this country have been
clamoring for lands. but the fact is that
these lands are mountain or desert
81 al Ia
might be useful if they could be irri-
gated; but there is no water supply.
In the territory of Utah lands are Who'll
ly useless without water. These unap-
prOpriated lands would not today sell
for 10 cents an acre. The 6.000,O00 acres
of land which have been entered under
the land laws were settled upon prior
to the extension of the public surveys
over those lands. Under the law where
the settlement is made prior to the
extension of survey and the settlement
happens to be made upon a school sub
division. when it comes to the selection
of the school lands, which only takes
place upon the admission Of the terri
tory into the Union, other lands must
be selected.
If we take the 100000 acres, very
little of these lands is available for
school purposes. If we take the 10000
900 acres the same is also true. My
states that there is granted one-ninth
of the 100000 acres. which is about
100000 acres, for school purposes I'M
der the provisions of this act. Now,
that is not true. The grant for school
purposes only takes effect as to the
surveyed land or as the lands are sur
veyed. One-ninth Of 100000 would
be 100000 acres of the surveyed lands.
That is al that could be available at
present, and much of these lands is
excluded because settled before the sur
vey.
Mr.. Livingston-Do 1 understand you
to say that if you take the relative
values OF the land proposed to be
granted there to the lands granted to
the other states. there is not much
difference?
MIR. Rawlins-Tt will give to Utah
less in value than has been given 10
any state admitted into the Union of
states. Objection has been made also
that there is in this enabling act a
grant of 10 per cent of the proceeds
of the sales of lands through the land
Offices for school purposes of the terri
tory. There have been 100000 acres,
or about Sl.400, 600, derived for all the
land disposed of during all of the past
history OF the territory. If we get 10
per cent Of all disposed of. that would
only give s140 900. Under this act we
get only 10 per cent of the lands that
viii be hereafter disposed of through
the land Offices; that is a, mere baga-
telle and can be stricken out of the
bill with little or no detriment to Utah.
Mr.. Wilson of Ohio-I see from the
bill that sections No 2, 16, %, and sc
in each township are to DE appro-
priated to the state; how many town.
ships are there in Utah containing pub
acres viii the state get under the pro-
vision?
Mr.. Rawlins-The gentleman can
figure that out. 7 dislike to detain the
committee any longer upon this ques-
ton.
Mr.. Wilson of ohio-I simply desired
to get at that as q business proposi-
ton
Mr.. Rawlins-Wel, there are 81 00O-
goo acres Of land undisposed of, which
have been offered by the government
Of the United States for thirty years
past at SIPS an acre, but nobody would
take them. They are not worth 10
cents an acre. and if the school lands
are to be selected out of those, the
total grant made to the territory by
this act viii amount to very little.
Mr. Wilson of Ohio-I would like to
know the amount
Mr. RaWlins-Well. one-ninth of
$4,000. 900 is somewhat less than 5000 900
acres.
Mr.. Pickler-You are to have four
sections out Of Every township. The
new states recently admitted got the
and the thirty-siXth sections,
two sections out of thirty-six, but you
are to get four sections out of thirty
six?
Mr.. Rawlins-That is it. But if you
look at he substance of the thing
Mr.. PiekHsr-Oh. ] think you ought |
to have it. That land is not worth |
anything TO anybody else.
Mr.. Van Yoorhis of New York-Can |
the gentleman tell us how many in |
cities there are in Utah?
Mr.. Rawlins-I am glad the gentle +!
man has asked the question. Formerly !
under the general presumption law Of |
the United States, lands within the cor
porate limits of a city we're not sub |
iect to private ntry The cities in
Utah covered large areas of land under |
the original acts of Incorporation.
Mr.. Van Yoohis of New York: How
many of them are there?
Mr.. Rawlins: I can not tell you; but |
hat provision of the statute has been |
and by an act Of Congress |
passed in 1877, only 50 much land is |
now excluded from entry in any city
as is actually settled upon and used |
Tor town purposes.
All the other lands within the old |
original corporate limits have been en- |
-ered and the titles have passed to indf- |
viduals. There is no monopoly of land |
IN Utah. The average size of farms /
there is q acres. according to the |
census returns. There are perhaps
more people owning their own homes in |
Utah than in any other state or ter |
ritory in the United States in proper
ion 20 poDulatiou You can NOT find a /
single individual there, as in California /
nls.c.. !.