Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-03-16
The PUBLIC Lands and PUBLIC
3" EDUCATION.

In order to realize the relation OF
the public lands OF the United States
TO public education, 1t may be well
to review briefly some of the legis-
lation and history of our country.
When, in the year 1871, the Con-
tinental Congress had framed the
Articles Of Confederation" and
submitted them to the several States
for ratification, six OF the thirteen
States claimed the ownership Of the
immense tracts of unsettled coun-
try extending from the Alleghanies
to the Mississippi. Massachusetts
claimed a strip of land equal in
width to the width north and
9Th, of the State, based upon the
charter of the colony. granted by
William and Mary in 1891. which
described the lands granted there
by as extending from the Atlantic
or Western Sea and Ocean on tho
East. to the South Sea on The West
parte."
1+in this condition of affairs the
State qf7Mary1and. ably represented
in the Continental Congress, and
with a State Legislature composed
of able and cultivated citizens, came
TO the front, and took high and
strong grounds against the claims
of all and each of the States that
asserted titles to the lands between
the Alleghanies and the Mississippi.
The first move that was ever
made in Congress toward the as
sertion of national sovereignty over
this western country was made by
Maryland that the United States in
Congress assembled shall have the
sole and exclusive right and power
to ascertain ard fix the western
boundary of such States as lay
claim TO the Mississippi or South
Sea as a western boundary, and (to)
lay out the land beyond the bound
airy so ascertained into separate and
Independent States, from time to
time, as the numbers and circum-
stances Of the people may require.
The credit Of suggesting and sue
celsfully urging in Congress that
policy which has made this country
a great national commonwealth,
composed of free. convenient and
independent governments" bound
together by ties of permanent ter
ritorial interest--the credit of orig
mating this policy belongs to Mary.
land, and to her alone.
Following this, grants of public
lands were made by the Congress OF
the United States, for public educa-
ton, to the trans-Alleghany States
An ordinance adopted by Con-
gress May 20, 1885, provides fol
the division Of the public lands into
townships Of six sections, each con-
tanning one square mile, and num-
bered from to SO; and then pro-
vides that there shall be reserved
the Lot No. 16 of every TOWNSHIP
for maintenance of public schools
within said township" This left
open the question whether the pub.
lie schools that the United States
had endowed should be under ma,
tional or State control. BY an acI
approved March 8, 1903. Congress
disposed Of this open question BY
vesting in the Legislature all lands
granted to Ohio for the use Of
schools Sin trust for the use afore
said, and for no other use, intent
or purpose whatever"
In the enabling acts passed by
Congress, as each State west Of tho
Alleghanies was admitted into thu
Union, substantially the same pro
vision was engrafted, until the State
Of California was admitted. Con
gross donated for the maintenance
Of public schools to California, AM
to each State admitted subsequently
up to the present time, two sections
No. 16 and No. 80, In each town
ship. The public lands so granted
By the United States for publ,