Year: 1872




The following bill was introduced in the
u. S. Senate, January 11th, 1872, by Mr..
Cole, read twice, referred to the Committee
on Public Lands, and ordered printed:
A BILL to provide for the segregation of the


public lands Of the United States.
BE IL enacted By the Senate and House of


Representatives Of the United ,States Of


America IN Congress assembled:


That the Governor and Surveyor General
of each State in which public lands of the
United States are situated, and the United
States Surveyor General for such State, shall
constitute, and they hereby are jointly con-
sttuted, commission, with authority to APP
point three disinterested persons in each
county in which there are public lands, other
than agricultural lands, who shall be known
as Boprd of Segregation, whose duty it
shall be to classify the public lands in such
county when surveyed by the United States,
and designate them upon maps to be furn-
ished by the said commission, as follows
The public agricultural lands of the United
States shall be marked, upon each section,
or smaller subdivision thereof, as surveyed
by ne United States, with the letter A; the
swamp and overfowed lands in each county
shall he marked with the letter S; the min
eral lands shall be marked with the letter NJ
coal lands shall be marked with the letter G.;
and all lands of dry and arid nature, which
are useless for pasture or cultivation in their
natural state, and without irrigation, shall
be marked with the letter ID.


Sec. 2. That the Board of Segregation
shall each be sworn to faithfully and impair
tally discharge the duties devolving upon
them under this law, or any amendment or
addition thereto. They shall determine the
character of the public lands in each county,
as far as practicable, by actual inspection
and by the testimony of impartial Witnesses
in cases of doubt, and shall, from time to
time, and as often as each quarter-ycar, re-
port their proceedings to the commission
aforesaid, in triplicate, one copy of which
shall be forwarded to the General Land Of
flee at Washington, one copy be retained
in the Office of the Surveyor General of the
State, and one copy in the Office of the Sur
veyor General of the United States, each
member of said Board of Segregation retain
ing copy of said map.





the same be of county or of any suhdivi-
sion of a county not less than township of
thirty-six square miles, when prepared and
duly certified by majority of the Board of
Segregation, and when approved by the said
commission, shall be certified to by them;
and when the copy forwarded to the Com
missioner of the General Land Office shall
be approved and indorsed by that officer, it
shall be conclusive as to the character of the
lands designated on said maps, and the land
officers of the district in which the same may
be located shall be notified of the same with
out delay.


Sec. 4. That it shall be the duty of the
Commissioner of the General Land Office to-
certify over to the several States in which
the same may be located, all swamp or over
flowed lands so segregated as fast as the
character Of the same may be determined
under this Act, and as fast as other lands
shall be ascertained to be subject to pre-
emption or homestead claims, or to sale un-
der any law of the United States. Such
lands, as soon as practicable, shall be offered
for disposal at the proper land Office.


Sec. 5. That this Act shall not apply to,
or in any manner affect, reservations made
for military, Indian, Or other Government
purposes.


Sec. 6. That the compensation of the
members of said Boards of Segregation shall
not exceed five dollars for each day actually
engaged in the duties of said Board, and
not exceeding four hundred and fifty dollars
for each member for any one year.