THE UriLIZATlON OF THE VACANT PVBLIC LANDS 57 



moil fund for the use and benefit of all the states and should be 

 disposed of for that purpose and for no other purpose whatever- 

 During the existence of the Confederation and in the earlier dec- 

 ades of the Republic, it was clearly contemplated that the lands 

 so acquired, as well as those acquired by purchase and treaties, 

 could only be disposed of for the purpose of revenue for the re- 

 demption of the public debt, and that any other disposition of 

 them would be a violation of the trust. 



But the policy has gradually changed from a system of sales 

 for revenue only to that of free homes for the people. For the 

 past twenty years the tendency of legislation has l)een to repeal 

 all laws authorizing the purchase of the public lands by cash 

 entry and to subject theni to liomestead entry only.' In 1889 a 

 law was passed withdrawing from private cash entr}' all the 

 public lands, except in the state of Missouri, which was followed 

 b}' the act of March 3, 1891, repealing the preemption law and 

 declaring that no public lands of the United States, except aban- 

 doned military or other reservations or isolated and disconnected 

 tracts and mineral and other lands of a special nature having 

 local application, shall be sold at ])ublic sale. Since the passage 

 of this law isolated tracts are not subject to public sale until they 

 have been subject to homestead entry for three years after the 

 surrounding land has been disposed of and abandoned. Mili- 

 tary reservations containing more than 5,000 acres are now sub- 

 ject to homestead entry only. The public lands are therefore ho 

 longer to be disposed of with a view to the revenue to be derived 

 therefrom. 



Besides, less than thirt_y years ago a great part of tlie vast ter- 

 ritory west of the Mississippi river was Indian country, to which 

 the Indian title had not been extinguished, and was practically 

 unorganized territory. Since then all of what was commonly 

 known as the Indian country has l)een ceded to the United States 

 and become a part of the public domain. Tiie Indian title has 

 been extinguished as to all the territory formerly occupied as 

 hunting grounds, in consideration of which diminished reserva- 

 tions of a permanent character have been established. From 

 time to time states have been admitted into the Union, until the 

 entire country is now divided into separate sovereignties, with 

 all the rights, powers, duties, and privileges of the original states, 

 excej^t the organized territories of Arizona and New Mexico, 

 which are. knocking at the door for admission to the sisterhood. 



