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Show THE WESTERN WEB 39 swiftly growing up, and that growth was creating eco- nomic, social and political problems that brought it within the scope of national issues which demanded and deserved the attention of the Federal Government. The government, however, had not been totally remiss in considering the reclamation development from the national viewpoint before the turn of the century. Quite a bit had been done by various federal agencies and by the Congress. Up until 1841, anyone with some cash could buy public land from the government. That was a "rich-get richer" policy. In that year the Preemption Act was passed. It limited settlers to the purchase of 160 acres of land, but it did not necessarily spur development. An owner was not required to meet terms of improve- ment. The Homestead Act of 1862 was a basic formula upon which many laws of the West were built. When a man filed for a 160-acre homestead he paid a small fee, and he agreed to settle on the land and to improve it. If he met these requirements, he was awarded title to the land. The homestead plan was especially successful in areas where the rainfall was adequate for the growing of crops, such as in the Middle West. But out beyond the ninety-seventh meridian it was difficult if not impossible for a farmer to make a living on 160 acres. There was not enough rain. To meet this situation, the homestead entries were enlarged to 320 acres.* Meanwhile, various studies looking toward the estab- lishment of a national development policy were being * A number of years later, after all good agricultural lands had been homesteaded, the limit was raised to 640 acres in the hope of giving a settler a home ranch large enough to serve as a nucleus for a stock-raising enterprise. |