Bisbee daily review., 1909-01-05
lands of the country.

ProDa0iy the idea that unused lands generally are yalue,ess has had much to do with the general ignorance and indifference on the subject. But the opening to settlement of various tracts of Indian lands during the past three or four years and the fact that the applicants have far outnumbered the homestead allo@ments has brought to attention the fact that there is a demand for tillable land greatly in excess of the supply. This naturally brings one to the question of who owns the immense extent Of unused land in the United States.
 Getting into the gubject reveals the fact that, prodigal es we have been in the waste of all our natural wealth, in nothing have we eQualled the blind policy which has directed the disposi- tion of the land of the government, which is truly the greatest of all our sources of wealth and permanent prosperity. From the old idea that Uncle Sam is ricn enough to give us all farm we have awakened to the fact that Unelv Sam, instead of keeping his land Uo "givo cs all a farm" has been disposing of ll at such a rate that there now remains practically no more desirable land for settlement. Had these lands gone in. to the hands of citizens of the coun- try, had they been spportioned out in small tracts to homemakers, then we would have had occasion for gratifica- tion, but the startling fact is revealed that the once princcly domain of the United States has gone into the hands of a few large corporations. many of them nonresident.
 The building of the Union Pacific railroad was undoubtedly wonder ful factor in the development of not only the country 1t touches but of the entire United States, but when it is considered that in return therefor the United States gave away 44,OO0,- 900 acres of land, ar area equal to the entire states of New York, Mass achusetts, New Jersey, Connectict, Rhode Island and Delaware, one real izes what terrible price-what an almost criminally high price-was paid for what we nave received in re- turn. Another princely domain which is owned. not by a corporation but by an individual and which was se- cured by irregular manipulation, is the estate of Henry Miller, which az gregates 22,5OO square miles of as fer tile land as there is in the United States.
 By fair means and otherwise the possession of lands in great tracts has been acquired by corporations and individuals until a resume in the matter is startling. In the Sacramen- to valley 100 men own 100000 acres of the finest lands in the state In Texas we had al one time a tract of 100000 acres iu one ranch in the Panhandle, which, fortunately, has since been offered for sale at such figures that much Of 1t has been con- verted into small holdings. The Wey- erhouser Lumber company controls 3O,O0O,O0O acres of timber lands, the United States Steel company owns lands valued at s6O,OOO. .OoO. There are fifty-six foreign lard owners who con- trol a larger area of American land than is contained in the state of h. diana.
 Figures and comparisons might be continued indefinitely, but it is sum cient to say that out of public do- main which aggregated 1,SOO,9OO. 900 there remains now but 755,OOO.OOo, of which 37O,0OO, yOO acres are in Alas ka and will never be adaptable Go agriculture. Millions Of acres are tied up in national parks and government forestry Reservations. and billions of acres are such that no system of dry farming or irrigation could possibly make them productive.
 This brings the realization that in the matter of lands we are practically a bankrupt natioa