The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1901-08-24
THE GOVERNOR REPLIES
AMOUNT OF LAND SELECTIONS
Four Ilundred aad Fiftesn Tiousand
Acres Yet 70 be Taken, Including
some Two Hundred and seventy
Thonaana Acres afHIiI Lands.

4
On July 10 Binger Hermann, commits
siOner Of the general land Office, wrote
a letter to Surveyor General PerrauIt,
as has heretofore been stated IN these
columns requesting bin to secure from
the governor a statement Of land seIec-
tions made by the state with some other
information bearing upon the subject
The surveyor general transmitted a
copy Of the letter TO Governor Hnnt.
The latter has sent to the surveyor
general for transmission to Commits
sioner Hermann the following reply:
| Boise, Ida, Aug. 10, 1901. 10 the
Honorable Commissioner, General Land
Office, Washington. ID. c,-Sir: am IN
receipt, through the United States sur
yeyor general OF Idaho. OF copy OF
yonr letter Of July 10Th, 1901. relative
70 my application Of July 5,h. 1901, fos
the survey OF II full townships and
one fractional township, In which you
ask for certain Information In regard Ia
the total area Of land selected by tlie
state. and the approximate area of all
the townships heretofore applied for By
the governor Of Idaho; also as 70
whether or not the total area OF which
the state is entitled under the eenablimg
act" has not. or may not be selected
from the lands embraced in the town
ships heretofore applied for, stating as
well that pending the receipt OF this 10.
formation no action will be taken in the
matter Of Withdrawing from farther
disposal the lands ia the II townships
designated in my application of July
9th, 1901; stating also that in the opin-
Ion Of your Office the applications here
tofore made by the governor of Idaho,
are deemed sufficient 10 enable the
state 10 make requisite selections in full.
aud that the public interests viii not
be subseryed by further withdrawal of
lands from settlement pending the ad.
jnsIinent OF the states rights under the
act Of congress, approved July 3. 1880
admitting Idaho into the Union. aud
subsequent acts.
The state has lost through contests
about G500 acres. which added to the
above would make a total yet to be set.
tied OF 1900 acres, 10 order TO dll
these special grants.
On account Of the Bitter Root forest
reserve the state OF Idaho is entitled 10
about iSs,390 acres Of lieu lands in place
Of our regular sixteens and thirty skies
included in said reserve. For Tie same
reason NC aTc sutiasd TO ~ Sssj acres
IA lieu OF lands Included in the Priest
river reserve.
In lieu Of school lands lost 10 the state
10y alioiments In the Nee Peqce Indian
reservation. Lands included the Ceur
d'Alene and Fort Hall Indian reserra-
ilons aud lands lost Tor other causes.
such as homes,eaders. who settled on
sixteen and thiIty-sixes prior to sur
Sey, mining claims. etc, would add ap
proSim aiely C0Ioo0 acres 10 The above
lists.
Thus you viii see that in order 10
complete cur special grants and 10 get
the lieu lands 10 which we are entitled
the state has yet 10 select. in round mum.
eerS, n50O0 acres. Since March 10Th.
1922, the state has made application for
the survey Of los townships. OF this
amount more than 80 townships were
applied for. not with the intention Of
the state selecting any land. but for the
segregation OF desert lands under the
"Cary Act, upon which canals are now
Ia actual construction and viii result
In the reclamation Of about half mil.
lion acres Of land: and also for tie
benefit OF settlers, who petitioned the
goNoner to apply for the same. A
number Of the above townships applied
for are in What is known as the Seven
Devils mining district, and the survey of
the same was asked for so that the min.
ing interests of the state might be ad.
vanced. Between IS and 90 townships
have been surveyed siuee the applica-
ton of March l6th. 1899, in which the
state has made no selections whatever.
Al lands OF amy value have been select.
ed ia other townships surveyed TO date.
in which the state had any prior rights
You viii understand from your init.
mate knowledge OF this state that the
conditions Of our lands are such that in
many instances only small portion OF
township has any value for any pur.
pose aud in making these selections the
state cannot afford TO select townships
as whole for il il did so, large portions
of its lands would be absolutely worth
less. We have a constitutional provls
ion in this state reQuhing that all our
land shall be sold for minimum price
of $40 per acre. This provision alone
requires that our selections shall he
made with great care, with a view that
their ultimate value shall come within
this limitation, so that should the state
FOR any reason select lands that can
never be sold for $40 per acre, it would
simply mean that they would be for
ever barred from further occupation or
settlement.
For these reasons the state is unable
to complete its selections Of land from
the townships herlofor applied for, In
many cases, owing TO the natural 10.
biography of this state, there are not
more than 1000 OF 1000 acres Of good
land in a township.