Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 August 1883 — THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. [ARTICLE]

THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Facts Showing How Rapidly the Newer States and Territories Are Being Populated. Dakota Takes the Bead in the Amount of Land Taken by Actual Settlers. A Good Showing Also Made by the Southern States, So Long Neglected. (Washington Telegram to the Chicago InterOcean.] Am official statement, furnished by the Commissioner of the General Land Office, shows something of the marvelous rapidity with which the newer States and Territories are becoming populated, and the enormous* drafts which axe being made upon the public domain in order to satisfy the requirements of actual settlers. It also indicates that the public lands remaining in the Southern States, which had been so long neglected, are rapidjy coming ugder settlement. The statement includes! the more important transfers *bf public lands in tne so lowipg States and Territories: Dakota, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. As compared with the y ear ended, June 30, 1882, the shows an increase of 35.217 in the number of entries (cash sales, original homestead entries and timber-culture entries) and 3,50 *,843 in the number of acres entered. The amount received from cash sales increased from $3.313,834 in 1882 to $7,564,449 in 1883, prjnore than 128 per cent In 1882 the number of pre-emption and other filings and of applications to purchase mineral, timber and stone lands in the same States and Territories was 2$),080, and the amount of fees received, $64,568; in 1883 the number and amount were respectively 43,591 and $91,843. The amount of feesand commissions paid on account of original homestead entries in 1882 was $456,661; in 1883 it was $572,630. Dakota, of course, takes the lead, both in the amount of land taken by actual settlers and in the amount sold for cash. In.that Territory the number of homestead entries increased from 14,156, covering 2,2t8,2C8 acres, to 22,491, covering 3,267. acres. The number of timber-culture entries ran up from 2,368, covering 1,4< 6,532 acres, to 11,566, cover ng 1,765,259 acres, and the cash ■ales increased from 673,388 acres at $977,242 to 1,518,091 acres at $3,109,387. Probably the history of no State or Territory can furnish a parallel to these figures. In Florida the cash sales increased from 128,872 acres, at $158)037, to 221.853 acres, at $341,554, and the number of original homestead entries from 191,033 acres to 212,895 acres. The public lands of Kansas have been pretty closely culled, and, although the cash sales increased from 90,962 acres at sllß,583 to 159.144 acres at $189,329, the homestead entries fell off from 537,349 acres to 508,181 acres, and the timber-culture entries decreased from 273,053 acres to 237,860 acres. In Lousiana the cash sales decreased from 367,465 acres at $462,000 to 355,230 acres at $448,316, but the homestead entries ran up from 872, covering 117,703 acres, to 935, covering 124,650 acres, and the timber-culture entries increased from 1,004 acres to 7,754 acres. In Minnesota there was a decided increase in cash sales from 318,465 acres at $482,369 to 739,345 acres at $1,324,976, but there was a falling off in original homestead entries from 588,343 acres to 431,872 acres, and in timber - culture entries from 176,741 acres to 122,750 acres. The homestead settlers of this State are rapidly acquiring patents for their farms after five years of settlement, as also is the case in Kansas In Minnesota they received patents to 288,238 acres this year against 245,086 last year. In Kansas the amount in 1883 was 106,081 acres, against 499,300 in 18821 There were no entries in Mississippi under tire Umber-Culture act, but the cash sales increased from 219,455 acres at $274,820 to 349,562 acres at $440,102, and the original homestead entries from 138,488 acres to 167,079 acres. Nebraska still has a large area of fertile public lands which are open to settlement In that State the number of original homestead entries in 1882 was 3,223, covering 471,939 acres; in 1883 there were 4,728 entries, covering 716,508 acres. The cash sales increased from 112.575 acres at $143,753 to 190,628 acres at $511,677, and the number of timber-culture entries ran up from 2,086, covering 298,520 acres, to 3,216, covering 478,204 acres. In Oregon the cash sales increased from 52,319 ’acres at $85,560, to 59,666 acres at $123,503; but the homestead entries fell off from 153,532 acres to 111,476 acres, and the timber-culture entries from 88,038 acres to 35.463 acres. Jn Washington Territory, however, there was a remarkable increase, not only in cash sales, but in homesteed and timber culture entries. The cash sales increased from 71,244 acres at $102,345, to 251,086 acres at $571,446; the original homestead entries from 231.132 acres to 886,778 acres, and the timber-culture entries from 87 524 acres ts 143,412 acres. In Wisconsin, while the cash sales fell off from 348,526 acres, at $506,538, to 342,574 acres at $504,165, the originaihomestead entries increased from 879, covering 98,478 acres, to 962, covering 111,707 acres. While the foregoing figures do not cover all the States and Territories in which unoccupied lands are still open to settlement, they are believed to show fairly the enormous growth in population of the new States and Territories generally, for they include the Territories in which about threefourths of the public land sales and entries were made last year. In the South the entries in Alabama and Arkansas will probably show as great an increase relatively as in those Southern States for which the official figures are given It is known, too, that during the past year there has been a large increase of immigration to New Mexico, Utah, Montana and other Territories, and consequently a very large increase in the amount of public land which has come into the possession of actual settlers.