Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-03-16
The PUBLIC Lands and PUBLIC
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
:, .sh, 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 ''r,,,.s .e.r.. ...a.4 -f
In this condition OF affairs the
State of Maryland. ably represented
In ,he 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
Tim Allnnha no nd al
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 tho
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.
' \ nc Nltdlt VI oubbCotlhk anu ouC-
I! ,ce<sfully urging in Congress that
policy which has made this country
La great national commonwealth
J 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. " 80
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, 1855. provides fol-
the division of the public lands int
townships of six sections, each con
tanning one square mile. and mum
bered from l to So; and then pro
Iyides that there shall be reserved
the Lot No. 16 of every township
for maintenance Of public school
within said township" This lef
open the question whether the pub
lie schools that the United State
had endowed should be under ma
tional or State control. BY an &c
approved March 3, 1903, Congress
disposed of this open question b.
vesting in the Legislature all land
granted to Ohio for the use o
schools "in trust for the use afore
said, and for no other use, intent
or purpose whatever
In the enabling acts passed b,
Congress, as each State west Of tn
Alleghanies. was admitted into tn
Union, substantially the same pro
vision was engrafted, until the Stat
of California was admitted. Con
/ lgress donated for the maintenance
of public schools to California. an
to each State admitted subsequently
up to the present time, two sections
No, 1G and No. SO, in each town
ship, The public lands so granite
by the United States for publ