Year: 1860

"The effect of the extension of the pre-emPtioh laws over the territory in the last mentloheu (ls54,) is shown by decrease ln the hun'oef oi donation claims' :,

 They do not even stand in conflict with the pre-emption law, for they get a creail by the -emption law which, Tn some cases, amounts to two years, anu Dy 'ha' time they are ready to pay for their iano, and they do not wait to get the beneht oi the donation act; and this is the case now, notwithstanding the advantage lnfavor O, donations, married settler being entitled to locate three hundred and twenty acres' while. under the pre-emption laws, one hundred and sixty acres only can be acqnlr- eli" Thus it is palpable that in Oregon where this matter has been tested, the do- nation law was abandoned as practical thing amongst the people, and the pre- emption law substituted, though the one was gratuity, while the other demanded the full price of the lands, and only allow ed the settler to take half the quantity that the other gave These facts are presented from official sources, they cannot be denl- ed; and if we legislate wisely and consls- tentv, we are compelled to take the truth and the record as 1t stands.

 Sir, cannot but think that the House bill was not fully comprehended Dy us friends. Ifthere were those who had studl- ed it maturely, they certainly must nave seen that the bill itselfwas deception ana was capable of being used as deception; by which numbers would De induced to pull up stakes wherever they were. with their families, and trundle themselves oil to new country, where they were to have the promise of something that they would never get; and being wholly inexperienced in the manner of getting along, and how to provide for themselves in country such as they were going to, being ignorant ot everything that they would be subjected to- being unaware of the amount of suffering which they would have to endure, the result would be that they would turn with curses upon the authority that had so in yited them. and had not had the intelligence to see that 1t was an invitation to sickness, suffering and death.

 shall not go into the circumstances relative to the case of the donation act in Florida; but that is eXemplifcatory of the same state of facts as the Orgon case. I will merely make a general statement as to it. By the armed occupa- ton act of August f, l842, a grant of two hundred thousand acres was made as do- nation on condition of settlement and cultivation and continued residence thereon for the space of four years. There were selected under the act, by permits, two hundred and eleven thousand, three hun dred and sixty acres, being an excess Of eleven thousand. three hundred and sixty over the amount allowed by law, This shows with what avidity persons came forward to seize the lands they were to get for nothing; and the result shows what delusion the whole thing turned out to be. The people rushed forward and seized upon two hundred and eleven thousand, three hundred and sixty acres. Ot those there were absolutely forfeited to the gov ernment and abandoned by the people one hundred and thirty-eight thousand, four hundred acres, leaving still to be delt with in the Land Office seventy-two thousand, nine hundred and sixty acres. Of these there are now suspended, and will proba- bly, be cancelled. says the Commissioner, entries to the amount of nine thousand, one hundred and twenty acres. That leaves sixty three thousand, eight hundred and forty acres still to be dealt with. Then, under the amendatory act of lS44, there were patented eighteen thousand, five hundred and sixty acres; and under the relief act of 1S48, dispensing with almost every condition, there were patented forty five thousand, two hundred and eighty acres. Here we see what a small propor- ton got patents for nothing.

 So much for the practical workings of such a system. Then come provisions that are to be found in this bill, of which there is nothing absolutely ly nothing whatever- to be found in the House bill. The House bill was but an effort at relief in particular case. The bill now reported by the Senate committee is bill which designs to go to the whole system, to make 1t all consistent and all sympathetic. The Senate bill, in order to avail itself of that feature which developed itself in the Oregon and Florida cases, offers to the settlers the right to pay the full price of the land and to perfect their title at any time during the five years. That is a provision by which any one who begins to settle under this bill may, if he is not willing to wait the whole five years, pay his money, and have his title at once, or at any intermediate period. By sec ton seven of the Senate bill, the pre- emptors upon surveyed lands are to pay the full price. To that of course, there can be no obiection; but it also provides that they shall have credit of two years from the date of settlement, and upon unsurveyed lands they shall have two years to pay from the filing of the plnts in the district office. That section is one that was urged upon us by the government at the beginning of this Congress, and was urged upon us, ii I recolect aright, at the beginning ofthe last session of Congress. It is demanded by the treasury and the public interests. The re- port of the Secretary of the Interior, which 1 have before me, is so clear and so satisfactory that any one who will read it can have no question that this provision ought to be made, and that its effect will be to enable the people to get possession of the lands, ditu tO dtioW llic luiI l'AiNS VI 'hShi p an acre-to go into the treasury of the United States, which it does not now 70.

 Section eight requires the President to order at once into market all the pubic lands that have been surveyed within two years from the passage of the act, and all those which are hereafter surveyed within two years from the date of the survey. That is a provision which the secretary of the interior and the commissioner ot the general land office seem to have very greatly desired in thefr annual reports, and really their views are so conclusive that If it were not for fear of boring those who are now listening tome and who feel some inter- est in this subject, I should desire to read them. They present most extraordinary case. There are sixty millions of acres of land now surveyed, and not brought into market at all. They are not brought into market, not from any impression of the Executive that they will do better hereafter, or sell for better price; but, in point of fact, they are not brought into market. although the Executive knows that each year and each day must lessen the number of acres that can be subjected to public sale at the highest remunerative price. Thav orc Eent ont of market for the simnle