Land office

“ The character of the lands in the public domain is decided by the surveyors who execute contracts from the General Land Office for subdividing or staking the country off into townships and sections, according to our American system. ”

“ After the survey, and on the 30th of May, 1886, the state authorities again, and in part satisfaction of the grant by congress of the school sections, selected and relocated the same 106.84 acres of land with the other lands adjoining, and on the same day notified, in writing, the register of the United States land-office for the district of such selection and relocation. ”

“ Hearne, 19 How. 252,262. Under the authority of specific appropriations by congress for that purpose, the resurveys of public lands have become an extensive branch of the business of the general land-office. ”

“ This method will be found exceedingly expensive and result in no good. Experience has shown that the machinery of the land offices is wholly inadequate to prevent depredations.
The “Rules and Regulations” issued in pursuance of the first section of this act are to be found in the report of the Commissioner of the General Land Office, herewith presented. ”

“ And be it further enacted, That whenever the quantity of public land remaining unsold in any land district shall be reduced to a number of acres less than one hundred thousand, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to discontinue the land office of such district ”

“ It is well known that the General Land Office has encountered great difficulties in making correct selections of the lands which the bounty of Congress has bestowed on the States to aid in works of internal improvement. ”

“ That spring the newspaper office became a clearing house for homestead lands. People wanting either to buy [206] or sell relinquishments came there for information. All kinds of notices to be filed with the Department of the Interior were made out by the office, which began to keep legal forms in stock. Gradually I found myself becoming an interpreter of the Federal Land Laws and settlers came many miles for advice and information. ”

“ They have passed an ordinance establishing a land-office, considerably improved, I think, on the plan, of which I had the honor of giving you a copy. The lands are to be offered for sale to the highest bidder. For this purpose, portions of them are to be proposed in each State, that each may have the means of purchase carried equally to their doors, and that the purchasers may be a proper mixture of the citizens from all the different States. But such lots as cannot be sold for a dollar an acre, are not to be parted with. They will receive as money the certificates of public debt. ”

“ Every person being the head of a family . . . who has made or hereafter makes a settlement in person on the public lands subject to pre-emption, and who inhabits and improves the same, and who has erected or shall erect a dwelling thereon, is authorized to enter with the register of the land office . . . any number of acres not exceeding 160 . . . upon paying to the United States the minimum price of such land. ”

“ And with a view to the simplification of the of the land-system, and the protection of the people and the government from litigation and fraud, a general land-office shall be established, where all the land-titles of the republic shall be registered, and the whole territory of the republic shall be sectionized, in a manner hereafter to be prescribed by law, which shall enable the officers of government, or any citizen, to ascertain with certainty the lands that are vacant, and those lands which may be covered with valid titles. ”

“ The first of those acts established a General Land Office, while the last one reorganized that office. Each of those acts made provision for the appointment of certain officers, and each limited the prohibition against the purchasing or becoming interested in the purchasing of public lands to the officers or employees named in them, respectively. ”

“ The early disposal of the public lauds and their settlement will materially advance our substantial prosperity. Great anxiety prevails among the settlers to secure titles to their lands The facilities for this purpose, by but one land-office in the territory, are inadequate to the public wants, and I have consequently recommended the establishment of two or more additional land-offices in such positions as will best accommodate the people. ”

“ It is true that at times, by an administration of the Land Office unfriendly toward the settlers, unnecessary delays involving much hardship have intervened in the issuing of patents, but such is not the case now. The work of the Land Office within the last three years has been so efficient and so friendly to the bona fide settler that the large accumulation of cases there has been swept away, and the office, as I am informed by the Secretary of the Interior, is now engaged upon current business. ”

“ The blank contains questions in regard to the location of the farm, its size, distance from communication lines, and inhabited places of various sizes and market facilities, its soil, its fences, buildings, water supply, ownership, price, and other points intended to show the condition and value of the farm for sale. The office distributes these blanks among the county agents, from whom the farm sellers secure the blanks. The county agents forward the completed forms to the main state office, which periodically publishes the collected information for farm buyers. ”

“ Resolved, That one or more land offices shall be opened in the North-western Territory, and that every person be permitted to locate and purchase, at the rate of two dollars per acre, one or more of the half sections that shall not have been sold at public sale. ”

“ The system of land surveys; the reservations for schools, internal improvements, military sites, and public buildings; the preemption claims of settlers; the establishment of land offices, and boards of inquiry, to determine the validity of land titles; the modes of entry, and sale, and of conferring titles; the protection of the lands from trespass and waste ”

“ I never for one moment dreamed that your Board would be forced by the Local Government Board to keep 150 men on one hundred acres of land, it being obvious to me then, as now, that neither men nor staff could have a chance in such conditions. ”

“ Now, with the change in management, it's time to take inventory. The Federal Government owns some 730 million acres-about one-third of the total land area of the United States. The Department of Interior has jurisdiction over most of that, including our national parks, wildlife refuges, wilderness lands, wetlands, and coastal barriers. Not included in those 730 million acres are our offshore coastal waters, the Outer Continental Shelf, which is also Interior's responsibility. ”

“ The people of Texas have always been interested in better educational systems. Early Texas newspapers reflect this fact. Consequently, land was set aside by the Republic or State at one time or other for the benefit of The University of Texas, county schools, eleemosynary institutions, and public schools. In many cases, this land has been sold, and the systems have benefited from the fund thereby created. ”

“ An Act of March 13, 1875, increased each county’s grant to four leagues. All but 18 of the state’s present 254 counties received this land, and most of them sold it, receiving small sums. Some counties retained their land, and many have had oil discovered on their property. Each county set up its own permanent school fund into which goes money from sale of county lands or money from mineral leases. Most counties that did not sell their land today have permanent funds of several hundred thousand dollars. ”

“ But when the Bill came before the Committee of the Commons, one great landowner along the line of route, by his agents opposed the Bill, and claimed the insertion of a clause for his special protection, which provided that the Board of Works should not take one inch more of his land than was necessary for the formation of the street, and that he should have the frontage along the whole line of his property. ”

“ Let our government instead take over all private, state, or federal unproductive lands, whether it is fertile, arid or marsh. Statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture Bureau of Agriculture Economics on federal rural lands, on page 7, shows that the federal lands, swamps and marshes are 3,000,000 acres, barren and brush land 40,000,000 acres, non-forested range land 234,000,000 acres, crop land 4,000,000 acres ”

“ The Rural District Councils are given power to acquire, compulsorily or by agreement, the necessary lands from the owner either by purchase of the fee simple or on a lease for a term not exceeding ninety-nine years. If the lands are acquired compulsorily in fee, the amounts to be paid to the owners and occupiers are fixed by an arbitrator appointed by the Local Government Board; if the lands are acquired compulsorily for a term of years, the rents to be paid are fixed by the Land Commission. ”

“ The story of Texas oil development is also pertinent to the history of Texas land.
Through the whole account shines the far-sightedness, honesty, and devotion of early Texas leaders. By their efforts we enjoy much that would not otherwise be ours, not the least of which are our two great educational funds, the Permanent School Fund and the Permanent University Fund.
Does it not seem proper that we treat the educational future of our young people with at least as much respect as our ancestors? ”

“ The 1866 and 1870 laws were made a part of the Constitution of 1876, and settlers continued to claim land under pre-emption laws until 1898, when litigation in the courts brought this class of claims to an end.
The main reason for the end of pre-emptions was that homesteaders ran out of public domain on which to settle. However, 4,847,136 acres were granted under Homestead or Pre-emption laws. ”

“ And if the settler has kinsmen and friends willing to join with him, he can claim for himself and each of them 100 acres of land, and pay for it by the work of road-making in the new country, so that in four years, if the work set by the Commissioners be executed, each man who has been one year resident and has brought ten acres into cultivation, becomes, ipso facto, owner of the whole lot of 100 acres. ”

“ Why the Town Planning Act may prove to be the handsomest gift this country has made to its land-owners for a very long time! I do not suppose, however, that the economic effect of limiting the number of houses to the acre will be to benefit the owners of land to this extent. ”

“ Fields, however, are allotted to each householder by the chief, to be tilled, and the tenant, protected by public opinion, retains them so long as he tills them. He cannot sell them, but they will pass to his children. Ordinary administration, which consists mainly in the allotment and management of land, is left to the chief ”

“ The scheme, when approved by the committee, comes before the House for confirmation. It may prove unfortunate that agents originally selected to administer an Act having for its main object inclosure—i.e. the dividing of the land among separate owners—should have been chosen to carry out one specially intended, as Mr. Cross explained, to facilitate regulation—i.e. the preserving of the land open for the use of all. ”

“ Those acts also provide that when, in the opinion of the president, 'a departure from the ordinary method of surveying land on any river, lake, bayou or watercourse, would promote the public interest,' the land may be surveyed, and sold in tracts of 2 acres in width, fronting on any such water, and running back the depth of 40 acres. ”

“ No automobile or motor vehicle shall be driven or operated upon any public road, street or driveway at a greater rate of speed than eighteen miles an hour, or upon any public road, street or driveway within the built up portions of any city, town or village, the limits of which shall be fixed by the municipal officers thereof, at a greater rate of speed than eight miles an hour, except where such city or town may by an ordinance or by-law allow a greater rate of speed, provided the speed limit shall not apply to race courses or speedways. ”

“ It was an easy matter for us to transfer the title at some later date to whomsoever we chose, who in turn could surrender the documents to the Clerk of the Land Board, and by paying up the balance due the State on the land, would receive a deed in his own name as if he were the original purchaser. It will thus be seen that one person could secure deeds to thousands of acres, or such quantities of land as he had assignments for. ”