The age-herald., 1899-07-22
EFFORT TO SELL
 ALABAMA LANDS Herman Makes Recommendation
 That They be Sold. IT HAS LONG BEEN OPPOSED By the Entire Alabama Delegation Last Move Caused By Develop
 ments in the Sale of the
 School Lands.
IT HAS LONG BEEN OPPOSED

0 sale of all the public lands in the state of 1 Alabama at public auction. The u.o2eupied
 and unreserved land in the state amounts l to 522,373 acres, which are surveyed and | have been ready for occupation since 1889, l but which have never been sold on l count of the persistent and consistent op- | position of the entire Alabama delegation 1 in congress.
 The action of Commissioner Herman Is l based upon the recent sensational devel- | opments brought to light in connection | with the donation of 50,000 acres of public l lands in the state to the Industrial School | for Girls of Alabama located at Monte- l vallo, and the Tuskegee Normal Industrial l Institute.
 Last winter the Alabama delegation l cured the passage through congress of 1 bill authorizing the donation of 25000 acres | of the public domain to each of the above 1 named educational institutions. The law l was worded that the heads of the two | institutions could select the land as they l saw fit, taking it in ten-acre patches, If | they so desired, and upon the governors l certificate of the same to the secretary of | the interior he is compelled to forthwith, l upon the receipt of the certificate, issue to l the state of Alabama patents for the lands | therein contained Shortly after the law became operative rumors reached the in- 1 terior department that the heads of the l two institutions in question had entered 1 into contracts with corporations, who were l to acquire titles to the lands in question | for a nominal consideration. In accordance l with the contracts the lands selected were 1 to be those containing large mineral de- 1 posits, upon which the corporations ex- l pected to commence work immediately. An l investigation of the matter has confirmed l the reports, and as a result Commissioner l Herman has forwarded the recommenda- ton above referred to, recommending the 1 immediate sale of all the public lands in l the state.
 Under the general law of 1889 the secre- l tary of the interior, with the approval of the president, has authority at any time to | sell all the public lands in the state On | several occasions secretaries of the interior 1 have recommended to the president the sale | of these lands, but the Alabama delega- | tion have in each case been able to prevent l the approval Of the recommendation of tG interior department, claiming that certain parties in Alabama and adjoining states
 
 question and were thoroughly familiar with | those containing valuable mineral deposits 1 and those which were worthless. The dele l gation insisted that these parties, by req | son of their information, were in a position l to purchase at a nominal figure lands con- | taining valuable mineral deposits far below | their actual value, and far below what l other parties possessed of the same infor- mo cfa ,ts, | President Cleveland, during his two ad- l ministrations, and President Harrison, re- 1 fused to order the lands in question sold, | A year ago Commissioner Herman, after
 carefully considering the question, prac- 1 tcally decided to again recommend the sale of the lands to Secretary Bliss and | President Mckinley. As soon as this be- came known the congressional delegation from the state immediately protested in strong terms; their letters being on file now in the interior department. It is confidently believed that the action
 which has just been taken by the commits
 soner of the general land office will be ap- proved by Secretary Hitchcock, and also approved by the president, particularly
 since the recent developments relating to the donation of lands to educational insti- tutions in the state. The unoccupied and unreserved lands which 1t is proposed to sell at public auc- | ton are located as follows in the state: Blount county, 2,45S acres, mountainous. Calhoun county, 240 acres, hilly; diversity of soil.
 Cherokee county. 2709 acres, mountainous. Colbert county, 3,S64 acres, mountainous. Cullman county, GAP acres, mountainous. DeKalb county, POTS acres, mountainous. Etowah county, 200 acres, mountainous. l Fayette county, 1,125 acres mountainous. | Franklin county, 16,390 acres, mountain- | ous
 Jackson county, 24,3SS acres, mountainous. Jefferson county, 402 acres, moutainous. Lamar county, 2,S1 acres, mountainous. Lauderdale. county, 1S31S acres, barren. Lawrence county, 31, ,1SO acres, mountain | ous
 Limestone county, 1,723 acres, barren. Madison county, 1S,S09 acres, barren. Marion county. S8,S47 acres mountainous. l Marshall county, 6,S24 acres, mountainous. Morgan county, 9,146 acres mountainous. St. Clair county, 561 acres, mountainous. Walker county, 10,140 acres, mountainous. Winston county, 6S, ,43S acres, mountainous. Total, 260, 79S acres. Autauga county, 200 acres, pine lands, | hilly.
 Baldwin county, 56.040 acres, marshy pine | lands.
 Barbour county. 32O acres, agricultural | lands, hilly.
 1 Bibb county. 1900 acres, mountainous Bullock county, 12O acres, pine lands, | sandy soil.
 Butler county, 6SO acres, pine lands, hilly, sandy.
 Calhoun county. 1.SOO acres, hilly, diversi- 1 ty of soil.
 Chiffon county, S24O acres. pine lands, | sandy.
 | Choctaw county, 29.04O acres, timbered, l sandy soil.
 Clarke county, 7,440 acres, pine and agri-