hand, the National government has pursued a most liberal policy in making grants of land, in large tracts, to the States for various purposes. This is the way in which the school lands of the States were acquired (see pages 94-96). Swamp and saline lands, besides other tracts, have been freely given to States to aid in the construction of roads, canals, and other public improvements. But the largest part of the Nation's domain has been retained and sold or given away by the government to land companies, railroad companies, and settlers. At present, land may be obtained through the General Land Office (Department of the Interior) either by direct purchase or under the homestead laws. Before 1820, the minimum price of land was $2.00 per acre; the price was then reduced to $1.25. Some lands may still be purchased at that rate, while others are held at $2.50 per acre. The public domain of the United States open to settlement comprises (1900) 533,490,440 acres. This does not include lands located in Alaska, and in our new insular possessions. The greatest part of these lands are situated in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast States and Territories; a large share are arid and can never be brought under cultivation. Under the homestead law, "any citizen of the United States, or any person who has declared his intention of becoming such, who is the head of a family, or has attained his majority, or has served in the army or navy in time of war, and is not already the proprietor of more than 160 acres of land in any State or Territory, is entitled to enter a quarter section (160 acres), or any less amount of unappropriated public land, and may acquire title thereto by establishing and maintaining residence thereon, and improving and cultivating the land for a period of five years." For the year 1900 the homestead entries amounted to 6,478,409 acres. The sales of public lands amounted to $4,379,858 received for 13,453,887 acres. Many of the western railroads (notably the Northern Pacific, Union and Central Pacific, Atlantic and Pacific, and Southern Pacific) have been given immense tracts of land, amounting in the total to more than 150,000,000 acres, Somewhat more than one The sale of public lands. The homestead law. Railroad land grants. Arid lands. Various reservations. half of these lands have been patented, i.e., final conveyance of title has been made to the railroad companies or to others who have purchased the land from them. These grants consist of alternate sections lying within wide strips that cross the western part of the country, along the lines of the several railroads. A large part (332,000,000 acres in 1900) of the public domain is arid. How much of this may be reclaimed by irrigation is uncertain. Several policies have been proposed for dealing with the lands that can be irrigated. They might be given to the States in which they are situated; the States would then either establish their own irrigation systems, or delegate this work to corporations. To some, a National irrigation system seems the most desirable solution of the problem. Many large tracts of land have been retained by the general government as reservations; these are not open to settlement. The forest reserves are intended as a protection for the sources of great rivers. Several National parks (including the Yellowstone and the Yosemite) preserve, for the common good of all, regions of great scenic beauty and scientific interest. Reservoir sites have been reserved in several localities, with a view to the establishment of future irrigation systems. Great tracts of land, located in many States, are preserved as Indian reservations. * Military reservations comprise the tracts lying adjacent to western military posts. SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS AND REFERENCES. Hart, Formation of the Period, 187–199; Hins 1. What were the circumstances under which the northwestern States ceded their lands? Union, 107-109; Fiske, Critical dale, Old Northwest, chapters 11-14. See references below to McMaster, Schouler, etc., in topic 12. 2. What were the admirable features of the Ordinance of 1787? Walker, 39-40; Fiske, Critical Period, 203-207; Hinsdale, Old Northwest, chapters 15-16. The Ordinance itself is found in Old South Leaflets, No. 13. 3. What reasons seemed to make necessary the removal of the Indians beyond the Mississippi River? Schouler, III, 371-378, 477-480; IV, 233-235, 319-320; Wilson, 35–38; McMaster, IV, 175-183, 537-540. *See Commissioner of Indian Affairs, pages 295-296. 4. What is your opinion of our government's policy toward the Indians? 5. What is the character of the slavery that exists in the Sulu Islands? Outlook, 66: 578-587. 6. What part of the total area of the United States is now open to settlement? 7. What should be the policy of the government toward public lands? The Remnant of Our National Estate, Forum, 27: 347-354. 8. By which method is the land of your State surveyed? Obtain the surveyor's description of a piece of land in your locality. What States do not have the United States survey? Why not? Are there reservations in your State? The map published by the General Land Office shows in detail, Principal Meridians, Base Lines, land offices and reservations. 9. The government of Territories and possessions. Cooley, Principles of Constitutional Law, 35-36, 50-51, 170-174; Bryce, I, chapter 47; Atlantic Mo., 82: 735-742; Arena, 21: 84-90; Forum, 29: 257-262; Judson, Rev. of R's, 19 67-75; 21: 451-456; McMaster, Annexation and Universal Suffrage, Forum, 26: 393–402; N. Am. Rev., 168112-120; Outlook, 63: 907-909; 966-968; 64: 244-245; Hart, Brother Jonathan's Colonies, Harper's Mag., 98: 319-328; Harrison, Status of Annexed Territory and its Inhabitants, N. Am. Rev., 172:1-22; The Government of Porto Rico, Forum, 28: 257-267; 403-411; 30: 717-721; The Supreme Court decision, Outlook, 68: 337-339. 10. Our Indian problem, Forum, 18: 622-629; 28: 737740; N. Am. Rev., 159: 434-447; 160: 195-202; 167: 719728; Outlook, 59: 695-696; Grinnell, The Indians of Today; (Contains detailed account of Indians on Reservations.) Reports of Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Department of Interior); Abridgment of Messages and Documents; The Indian Territory-its Status, Development and Future, Rev. of R's, 23: 451-458. 11. The Admission of States. Cooley, Principles of Constitutional Law, 175-183; Bryce, I, 555-556 (582-583). 12. Land Policy of the United States, McMaster, History of the United States, II, 476-478; III, 89-121; Schouler, History of the United States, I, 97–101, 198–199; II, 74-75; III, 191-192; IV, 66–68, 152-156; Hart, Practical Essays on American Government, chapter 10; Donaldson, Public Domain. (A government publication containing the documentary history of our public lands, House Miscellaneous Documents, 1882-83, vol. 19.) West, The Public Domain of the United States. (Reprint from Yearbook of Department of Agriculture for 1898.) Reports of Commissioner of General Land Office (Department of Interior); Abridgment of Messages and Documents. 13. Upon the irrigation of arid lands, consult Rev. of R's, 8 394-406; 10: 396-400; 17: 612-613; Arena, 17: 389-398; Pop. Sci. Mo., 50: 424; Outlook, 66: 337-344; Century Mag., 50: 85-99; 51: 742-758. CHAPTER XXIX AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION As already noted, it was practically impossible to amend the Articles of Confederation. The conviction was general, therefore, in the Constitutional Convention that some plan should be adopted by which the Constitution might be made to conform to the requirements of future conditions, as well as guard against changes too easily secured. Article V provides for amendments as follows: The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall Article V. deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of twothirds of the several States, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. Amendments to the Constitution may thus be proposed in two ways: by a vote of two-thirds of both houses or by a National convention called by Congress for that purpose on the application of two-thirds of the Methods of proposing amend ments. |