The times., 1898-10-26

Wvou,5rr .............. 80 3ll. .5S3
Idaho .-.''-''''''- sa'o,5
California SSH
Colorado iujSl'-H
Oregon S5>92,Sls
In other words. the area of the vacant
public lands in each and every one of
the above ten States is greater than the
total area of England. In Montana alone
it is more than double the area of Eng
land.
Their Areas.
The areas of the respective classes of
public lands are at the present time dS9S)
as follows:
Vacant public lands .--.....-.. SO '35S 2!
Forest reservations .--.----------.--.- iO,1l9+'i
Military resCryatiOnns lin public land
St2tes) fe''ol'
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. e2O.s75sO5
This is g7O.ll7 square miles. or b per
cent of the total area of the United
States. exclusive of Alaska. Hawaii and
Porto Rico. 1t is an area greater than
the combined areas Of England, Scotland,
Ireland. Wales, France, Germany, Spain
and Italy Or. to state the case more
conciseiy, I, is ll6 times the area of the
State of Massachusetts.
If now. We add the public lands of
Alaska which are estimated at 369. so Geo
acres, the grand total of country prop
erty owned by Uncle Sam is $50, 4O4 9O5
acres. or L5i7.5o7 square miles.
This is 43 per cent of the total area of
the United States. including Alaska.
Their Nature.
The country property under considera-
tion includes farm and forest lands gold.
silver and coal mines, grazing lands. etc.
etc.
an ,,,a ;l,.a- ,,,5 o,-a,- GO ~ ,,,,,- ,e
the gold which has been produced in
the United States during the present CEN
tury We're from mines on lands that were
originally owned by Uncle Sam. 1t is
safe to assert that, on the lands which
he still owns there are enough undiscov-
cred and undeveloped mines to yield. in
the future, over billion dollars in pre-
cious metals.
That this is not an overestimate. one
will readily admit when he reflects that
the past products of the mineral lands.
already sold were over three and half
billion dollars in value.
In brief. Uncle Sam has enough gold
and silver stored away in his own mines
to more than pay the national debt
His agricultural and forest lands. of
the Transmississippii States, will be
equally productive of wealth when ad-
equateIy developed. Part of this prop
erty consists Of arid lands. but with irri-
cation they will become very valuable.
Their Disposition.
Originally the public lands or property
of the United States exclusive of Alaska.
was 1,i79 9S acres, or II per cent Of
the total area.
Up to 1896 more than half of these
lands had been disposed Of The princi-
pal items of the disposition were as fol-
lows:
Acres
cash sales and script locatiOns........ e8s2ss $50
Raiir ad grants l52, 729. T5l
Under homestead act ................. I02 902 400
AS will be observed. the railroad land
grants alone were 152. 729, 75l acres. or 1885,
62i square miles. This is an area more
than forty-seven times that of the State
of Connecticut.
Their Value.
1t is difficult to estimate the actual value
of these country lands for they vary in
quality. The mines. of course are very
valuable, and so are much of the timber
lands. The arid lands will when irrigat-
ed. become very fertile and productive and
double treble in value. 1t may, there
fore, be a reasonable estimate to say that
the average value of all is a dollar and
a quarter per acre. This makes a total
valuation of nearly billion and a quarter
dollars. or $1.23S, COS 1S1.
Their Future.
The final disposition of the public lands
Is a question about which there is a wide
difference of opinion. Many favor their
cession to the States as the best way to Sc
cure their irrigation and development
Others favor their retention and improve
ment by the General Government Still
others favor the extension of the general
homestead policy.
AS this article is one of facts. not theo-
ries. we will not attempt to discuss this
feature Suffice it to say that no matter
who may finally own these lands they
will, by reason of the rapid development
of the Transmississippi States in raj J.
way construction. agriculture. mining
forestry. and other industries, soon more
than double in value.
1t is for the Government to decide
whether it will or will not get the bene