The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-23
LAND SOLD AND GIVEN AWAY.
Policy of the Government n TO Res
crVationS May He Changed

The policy OF she Government OF IN"
United States as 10 the disposition Of pub
| lie lands may soon Dee changed % Is oN-
prcted that during the next session Of
| Congress "a bin viii Dee introduced connn-
| ing the land laws to what Us known IS
/ the Gvs-year residence provision.
Beginning with the saacogst OF undo
fined limit the United States has appro-
uri1ted. bought. ard won 10y treaty on the
main land about 1900 uuH.Uop acres OF land.
The nineteen older States and Texas were
allowed 20 keep the 5ufu1g.oJp acres within
! their boundaries. N5.oe1.uU3 acres are 30 IN
/ dian reservation ard 2U.Ou0Uo acres IN the
forest reserve About Nln.UpoUO acres have
been sold and given away.
With all this great business the Govern
mont still has about 4.5.upo.uUp acres of
/ land, open to sale or settlement but the
people are ClamOrIng for homes and the
easy Hhcraiity OF the years gone by IS
shortly 20 Doe checked. The point has now
| been reached when stock is to DE taken,
/ bad laws repealed. and new methods ap-
| piled, If Congress agrees with the men
who have been studying the question from
{ a djsiuterestcd point OF view.
The United States acquired the public
( lands by occupation. cessi1u and pUr-
/ chase. About Z.p.uoU00o acres were aC-
/ quirCd 10y Cession and about .G)o 0Jn.t0D by
/ purchase. The l.g1G"00.0oo acres which
! have been az the disposal Of the Govern
/ ment have cost directly ia actual cash
I about S150.0o0u1r in round numbers
| the Government has received about $3.50.
! ec3.nN in cash for the land sold The
present vacant public lands, amounting TO
about f5.D".rp acres. represent a net
actual cost of only about S5oeap.u1e
The Government has paid about 20 cents
I per acre for all the land it owns. The
average price received for land sold has
/ been about 80 cents per acre, or double
| what was paid for it.
over luo.o9)UnI acres Of land have been
given away in form Of bounties and for
military service. over ln-gU.o1D acres have
/ been donated 10 the states Nearly 3d.
oao.oJ0 acres have passed 20 individuals un-
der the notorious swamp law over l0J.-
uu.o1u have been given away for ,duca-
tioual purposes
To the railroads of the country Con
gross has donated during the past fifty
years over l"'.t"uj acres of land. nearly
all of which is of the choicest character.
With all this Iberality. however Con-
I greSs is Eivou credit for having refused
( 10 consider thousands of wildcat schemes
3 whereby millions Of acres of the public
/ land were 10 Dee diverted To individual
Z ownership.
/ OF the vast amount Of rnoD.,- Maid r,-
tl,. s,,,---,,rr,..-,- r- s-- 1900. ....f.r. -
/ - ~ i"'''' ~
'1l'' N'dItS NAN. or apHui $-.3-'''-'I'. mas
been paid To the Indians FOR uuit-CIairu
3 deeds 10 tertiary .1r9ar their Control A.,
! .tb,r >fo.ta,n,, 5,,.. 49,, - =. So
JIM Si'''''''' mas btth pdIl 10 states
and foreign countries for land. To survey
I this land and pay the expenses Of the
Land GF7ca from, tt.. f,-,--g-,5.,, , .4.
/ r,---
''-i'''' go ''' present Jay nus cost
nearly S-'H"",""
In 1874 the So-caUCd urc-emutign law
WIS nasal ,r,.,c.-i,i.-. Ia, ...- 80 -,
- ts.,l.- 80 '--'-1
~ -i ''-' --' O. an III "' H'il4'-
sleau- IL was NOT possible, however, to
secure enough land under this law TO car
" out the uurp0ses Of those d.sirira, n
. create large holdings. So in IScZ Congress
. passed The Homestead law sin la--fur-
. the Presumption law in fleet however
This law required "A five years residence
. and evidence Of good Intention I'm fb.. MAI
. ter Of cultivation before the tIrIa r,ass.,f
from the Government 10 tho settler The
. land schcmers. however. soon became dis
. amended. So that after six months resi-
. dcrce tho settler could obtain t.tIe b,- ray--
Ing SIS per acre for the land instead Of
. getting iI free II he lived on II for five
years. In 1872 the timber culture law
. was passed. which gave the settler the
opportunity OF acquiring another IEI acres
/ by pdTtIuE certain number Of trees
In $50 the demand for a desert law he
( came general and Congress passed what
. Is known as the Desert Land law rms
4 Law g-lu staLNls. and provides that any
4 man can take I'D go acres OF land and So
/ water supply sufficient for irrigation with