| Show J I 1 RISTO H R Y LANDS HerbertH Smyth I r At ono or another every old country has hns had hd land sand troubles more moro or orIes floss Ies severe sovere In tact facts most countries havo had land troubles at different l t pelages of ot tho national existence and aid tho trouble differed according to tho of ot tho the at tt that particular time In old oll feudal England tho the tenants passed passed- along with tho of or th thi i land d. d Prior to that time tho Saxon lords had their estates and belonging to such estates were wore attached tho servants servants servants ser ser- of ot various degrees down to tho Berts After Atter the tho Normans come over ln inA A D. D r 1068 1066 and proved their ownership o of ot the therland rland ef England by taking pos possession AaSon by force of or arms tho estates were be bestowed be- be towed stowed b by William tho Conqueror on onI I hl hla lih favored knights sometimes b by b I simply placing piecing Sir Knight In po possession i of lot tho estate hold b by tho Saxon lord and I h. h 01 h t. t h. h hn T ivi u n. n n n r of ot an nn orphaned word Ward of ot the kingon king On tm pome bold soldier of fortunes who Lad bad t d at tho battlo battle of ot Hastings assisted In nuking making tho the fair damsel an nn orphan At tho the meadows of ot the treacherous ICing John was forced by II kio iho tho nobles of ot tho kingdom to sign the charta which tho the barons be- be deprived the thc king kirn of or some of ot his j absolute po powers er over VOl th tho barons' barons property prop- prop erty Rn and anI es lix-es and whilo It did aId not riot for tor tho peasant so fa for far as aa Im Im- Im provement of or his status with relation tto to tho the lands wag concerned yet ot and ultimately tho effect was to loosen tho Iron link bInding the peasant to tho the baron Just as much o oho as tho ho surrender of or regal rogal prerogatives J Jover over the tho great barons resulted In e estates es- es tates In lands s becoming In n course of or Imo tImo inheritable and Instead M If Ot passing on the death of ot th the baron bawn baronE for in E holder of ot tho to an any knight at atthe the th e pleasure of ot the tho tho th lord the 4 All AU tho lands In the kingdom be j be-j Banged to the sovereign and were sub sub- to his bis disposition was as ca asten ifton ten determined b by whim or spleen as y merited r reward ro Eventually rea real property rop-erty rop estates ates of Ith usually tho law of primogeniture Sin n effect t Wo We need t religious d n 1 internecine strife attending the from tho the O. O old lId English theory of ot the he rights In things s to the present doo- doo trine Irino for tor tho the end end Is not yet Practically Practical ly 11 all nfl tho the lands from rom the crown rown If It It St not for tho the fact t that England has her hands lunda full fell on foreign lust no now W we wo would be witnessIng witness witness- Ing there today struggle a. by Influence gong propaganda and suffrage over owr thee the tho thornal e question of at land Jan its ownership p tenure taxation uti utilization division dl unearned Increment and a n. of Othor othor phases What has occurred In England has and Is occurring among amone- other sold jold ld peoples and Tacos races the tho earth carth i. i Unlike them some flomo of ot the nations of ot I Iho ho western hemisphere have th the tHle to vast areas resting In tho the sovereign Wd instead of ot that title title- beinG vested In tn Inthe Inthe the he royal prerogative of or ono one titled in- in it Is held in trust by tho the nation naI na na- I Ion tion as sovereign awaiting claimants Under gander specified general conditions Tho The complaint in England Ireland Germany German Italy and elsewhere la Is not that a n. certain class owns land but that a small proportion of 01 tho the people pac i own wn all the land and do riot not make miko uso use rot of cf It and do not pay revenue to the government In proportion to 10 their real value as aa comp compared with other sources of revenue Tho The theory of ot tho the United States scorns to havo have been from the tho time of oC the ar ar- tIel os of or conc confederation that tho land yield b by the tho nation should be hold held In trust only long enough to transfer title In small tracts to the citizens of r tho the states state In which the tho public lands lantIs were situated or of or the tho territory to bo be erected into future states In fact tact this principle Is expressly stated in tho the deeds from Virginia and ethers others of ot tho the original states to tho the United States of oC the tho lands lying lyluS' west cat of ot the Alleghenies and In Jn tho thA acts of the tho legislature which authorized such deeds leedS of ot conveyance to I tho the United State To lo that policy there thero wore temporary exceptions SUCh such us as on l known deposit of or salt lead and othor other minerals minerals but but s-but but reservation was found to retard growth and antI the the-so exceptions were gradually ended when Con Congress gross had determined an a appropriate method of oC dealing with particular deposits which should uld apply to private parties seeking ownership Tho The policy which to ultimate private ownership through acquisition In tn entries of ot small area perhaps caused or at ot least was simultaneous with a most marvelous period of ot development lasting for tor more than a n century I j SETTLEMENT OF F LANDS I In the early carly days of oC the republic all the salt lands wore we-re reserved from dIsposition disposition dis dIs- disposition dis- dis position and nd the tho surveyors wore were required re ro by th the tho- statute fib of oC 1796 1716 to noto the tho location of all salt springs and licks lIcka likewise th M. M deposits were withheld from sale sale- and were only onh leased asIt was teas supposed necessary ary to 1 that havo O lend lead available n. so BO Americans could mould bullets to meet meat their foes whether red mon of ot th the tho forest forest for for- est or white m mon men m from across tho the seas sens The of ot the tho lead mines was finally abandoned as unsatisfactory from th too the standpoint t of ot revenue the tho quality of ot lead 1 produced d. d It IS 13 of ot curious interest to people acquainted with tho the numbering numberIng- of ot the United States government surveys s to know mow that the tho original surveys in the Ohio region then so recently won or by a a. handful of ot American Americano under tinder Gen George no Rogers ers Clark k and a afew afo fo few pioneer families numbered In the opposite manner monner to our pr present day numbering of ot sections The Tho United States has set Bet the pattern In m many l things and one ono of or th most seaside I things done b by tho the then Infant r republic re republic re- re public which hid Just t emerged from the hardships of ot war ar of ot Independence I and the confusion attending attending- tho the in inauguration In- In of oC peace was tho the a adoption of or a. a J. J r rectangular s system of land surveys sur eur- eur curs veys to be bo applied on all tho the new now territory ter ter- tor- tor which had become th the tho common property of tl tb-a tb nation upon the cession and arid surrender of tho the claims of or the various states to bo be wilderness between the Alleghenies and ana the Ute Mississippi and beyond the Ohio river rl It was provided pro that a 11 township should consist of or an area of oC land six mil mIlan 03 square laid out according to cardinal directions north south east st and west and that tho the ownership should be divided Into thirty-six thirty sac seo each one mile mUo square which is 40 acres in a B. section and sections sec eec were numbered 1 to 36 36 beginning with tho the southeast corner and ending in the northeast corner of ot tho the township township town town- ship This of ot tho the system numbering numbering- sections sections sec see tiona was soon Boon changed to the present system of ot beginning In the tho northeast cornor corner with section 1 thence west to tos s section 6 G 6 thence back east on tho the next I tier so that section 12 is south of or section sec eec tion 1 1 and BO so on till tm you end with section Lion 30 O In tho the southeast corner of or ortho tho township During the settlement of or the land and now embraced In Ohio Indiana and Illinois lilt Illi nois there thero was no homestead or pre lire emption laws aws tho the ordinary method of f acquiring tho the government land was b by purchase for tor cash or military warrants or scrip at I for a quarter Ee section Later about 18 10 the tho pre pre-emption law was enacted under tho terms of ot which which- a settler settlor on 1 0 acres paid to the tho government Ao Practically all the oil and coal lands In the Ohio region relon wore alienated from the government to private vate ownership under purchase military mili tar tary warrants or pro emption at nt government goy gov price As tho the pioneer pressed westward 1 and after the tho gold rush to the Pacific coast const there thero was an art enormous stretch of ot mountain ln and plain between n tho the Mis Mis- Missouri valley valloy and tho the settlements settlements settle settle- ments on tho the coast uninhabited save S1 b by scattered bands of ot roaming Indians horde herds of ot buffalo and a n. few tew settlements of 01 pioneers who had dared to or had been under necessity of or braving tho the undesirable lands of oC this arid region and nd risking a life among savages Sl I A I THE HOMESTEAD x f During tho the civil war Congress Cons passed the homestead act under tho the provisions of ot which as modified tho the United d States I donates acres to a n. hoad head o oa oa a family who Is not possessed of ot more mora than 16 acres In an any state or territory I and ona who ha has not since a lI given date dato ob obtained ob- ob i tamed more malO than acres of ot government govern o moat ment land under the public land Innel laws provided that tho the Improve and make a n. homo home on the th land Following Following- tho the policy that tho the to tho the vast domain o of ot public lands londs Is only hold held In trust by tho the nation with tho the ultimate object of ot vesting said lands in private oWn ownership Congress CObs pat passed sed other laws to effectuate that VU purpose Among Amons such acts or of Congress are ure the timber and stone act of ot 1878 1818 by which a n. citizen might purchase HO acres of or land chiefly valuable for tho the timber and stone stono thereon Desert land act 1878 by which a a. citizen at ono one time could take toko nC ncr ncr-es B Bot of ot desert lands provided pro ho lie procure procuro water to reclaim the Irrigable v part The Tho present law bw permits an entry of or I acres I I Tho The coal land law March 8 1873 allowed a n citizen acres of ot coal land landat fl at fixed prices s based on the distance from a n railroad and varying to 20 O Oper per acre Tho The present price Is on ftP ftP- and no limit Then there were sales of ot abandoned military reservation lands and sales and md entries o of Indian lands from rom which certain proceeds enriched the tribal funds held hold in trust b by tho the government for tor Its Us Indian v-ar v wards s. s Fort Forty and fifty years ago ngo thero there were man many grants to states for tor railroads and wagon roads The Tho purpose Intended In such euch cases was to grant rant to a n state a n quantity of or lands along a a. certain where tho the projected railroad or orn n military wagon road rond was WOoS situate and permit tho the state to sell the tho lands to create a 1 fund for building Or a a. fund for tor a 0 bonus to induce some concern to build Many of or tho the states elates simply granted grant grant- ed tho the lands over to some corporations which undertook tb the tho development de and the corporations corporations' were given ghen the power to dispose o of the lands some sometimes with certain conditions conditions' imposed by tho the state and often otten with practically no Another class of ot grants Tants to the varIous various vari varI- ous states was the swamp lands lantIs grant B By Dy tho the terms of oC that act the United States granted to the tho states all nil the overflowed and swamp lands within their respective he borders with tho object object ob ob- ob of or allowing them to topas into u L' L U L Vas pass aio u V D uy tuu LU I state and cause causa them to be bo and drained and brought into agricultural use lInt But in some of oC tho the middle west states thero were ere no swamp lands ands as compared com corn pared lIared with the vast acreage granted to some somo of ot tho the river and gulf gult states and lna so Congress granted to each of ot certain states an internal Improvement grant of ot acres from tho the funds o of which road building and other othOl internal Improvements were to bo stimulated Tho The desires of or Congress to develop the middle west and west caused the government to adopt another mc method hod I b by special acts giving to certain corporations corporations cor cor- I who would build railroads 9 through gh tho the ex extensive t ens ye u uninhabited n I n h ab It ad colossal gifts of ot lands which would be bo Identified in place according to a fixed plan upon the tho definite loca loca- o h II J I Th The Tho grants ll wore were no not all nU the tho same sarno In extent or terms Somo Soma of ot those co corporations corporations cor cor- were granted tho the lands on condition that the they sell on certain terms to settlers but to some soma of ot tho grants thero there were no auch restrictive condi condi- The Tho grant usually consisted of or all the odd numbered sections of or land on both sides of ot the railroad and within twenty twentymile miles mile of the tho railroad Tho gift gIrt mado made In I such uch a case would be he equivalent to toa toa a n. strip of land twenty miles wide for forthe forthe forthe the entire length of or the railroad The mag magnitude of ot such a a. gift Is hardly hard hard- ly Il appreciated until one figures how much land was received b by the compan company com corn pan pany which constructed tho railroad from Omaha to west of or Ogden and that another company compan had built the tho connecting connecting connect connect- ing road from California eastward into Utah Of Ot course cours part of or that land was sas wasand wasand and is worthless but on the other hand part of or I it t is good Somo Some of or tho the roads receiving receiving- grants obtained only onh tho the odd sections with ten miles of or the road Thousands or af ar arc s nf ne th th- th PItI 1 n n lands have been sold to settlers at fair pricey prices and the thc grants no doubt accomplished pUshed in part Jart at least tho object of ot the tho grants but after atter all aU tho the objects of or orthe the nation In giving such princely donations do donations do- do nations W was waa 3 to cause causo tho the immediate construction of ot means of ot rapid transportation transportation trans trans- and In order to accelerate tho the building up and settlement of or the countr country coun coun- tr try By Dy way o figures which aro are usually dr dry and uninteresting characters we wo might state that since 1862 more than thana a a. million homesteaders have ha received their titles to acres of ot land since 1878 1818 timber and stone Htone have received title to acres acre i and paid to the government government gov gov- the sum of oC since 1871 more than desert obtained title to acres and tle filed on entries bringing Into Uncle Sams Sam's pocket 14 since 1873 1000 coal entries were patented on acres and was paid to the government It is o oft interest to note that luring during the last seventeen or el eighteen years ears the homestead entries about equal the number made during the prior thirty |
