THE DISTRIBUTION BILL.
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This bill which meets with such denuncia
zion at the hands Of the locofocos, contain:
some highly necessary. and useful provis
ions. which are extremely popular with the
people. 1t is the only existing law upon
the subject of pre-emptions by which the
poor man secures his home 1t also donates
10 the State of Mississippi, FIVE hundred
thousand acres Of public land waieh the
Legislature has accepted. IF distribution
of the proceeds of the public lands. is so hei-
nous an offence in the eyes ofthe democra-
cy, how is-it that the giving away ofthe
lands themselves, is so entirely proper
They refuse to receive the money raised by
the land sales. but scruple not to take the
lands themselves. This. however, is a
fair sample of locofoco consistency.


The late Democratic address TO the peo-
pie of the State, among other mistakes.
makes the following remarks upon the sub
ject:


he Janus CeQGu I'D lHC rSHClGl SoNttA-
ment bv the several States. and devoted by
them to the purpose OF defrayIng the com
mon charge against all the States, haze been
nearly all sold


Here we are informed that nearly all the
public lands ceded have been sold. From
the report of the Secretary of the Treasury
to Congress, we gather the following facts,
showing that the ceded lands have been but
little over halt sold


"Of the pubic lands, Virginia, New
York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut ce-
ded, IN acres 1895 SIG


Georgia ceded SIS, ,s9S, ,522


Total ceded by States -254 ,940,34l


Ofthe public lands, .hege have been sod
down to September. 1912 -107,796, $50


Granted the States, Indian


reservations &c. -3S, 7S6. $50


Total disposed Of l46,55S,Il5


Supposing lOo,OOO,OOO acres Of this was
of the ceded lands, and it would fGve I54,
s4O.37l. acres ceded lands yet unsold.


BY the same report we are told that the
I07,796.556. already sold, brought So2,
4493iI.l6, after deducting all expenses
Al The same rate. the ceded lands yet und;s-
posed of. would sell for Sl33.0OO. 900 nett; |
more thac we have ever derived from that |
source. This is confined alone to the ceded /
lands, but If we take into the caiculatio !
the whole of the public lands belonging to
the United States, it appears that the enOr-
nous quantity Of |. 976.5Ss.2 ais. or nearly
two billions Of acres remain ulsoid, incIu- I
ding the whole lands embraced within the I
limits of the y. S. government This land
ut a., . per acre, i worth s2,344672, ,7o7,