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Show 148 HISTORY OF PUBLIC LAND LAW DEVELOPMENT lenders or 'pelt gatherers' " chose to risk the sale, hoping that nobody would bid on their claims. Their confidence, it appeared, was misplaced; not only did many settlers lose their land but speculators grabbed up much of the undeveloped land after the sale, and thereby kept immigrants who came to Illinois from obtaining it. Farther west in the Burlington, Iowa district the local editor urged postponement of a sale proclaimed for 1839, citing the unhappy experience of the northern Illinois district where the amount of speculator-owned land was retarding development. He declared that in Iowa the time was not ripe for a land sale and that many of the 61 townships announced for this sale had little or no population. If the sale were held the land would fall mainly to speculators, thereby forcing immigrants to go farther west, and blighting "the growth and prosperity of those sections of country." In this instance the postponement was granted and the people were so delighted that they held a public meeting to express their appreciation to Martin Van Buren who "has shown a just regard for the interests and wishes of the settlers on the public lands." Over the course of many years, however, government officials became inured to these petitions which always arrived soon after the announcement of the sales had been posted.7 It was doubtless clear to the Washington authorities that many people making farms on public land prior to purchasing it were indeed compelled by circumstances to use what money they could raise for other purposes-such as buying a little hardware or glass for their homes, buying some livestock, essential farm tools and implements, lumber for fencing or construction, if on a prairie, and maintenance until crops came in. It was 7 Iowa Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser, Aug. 24, 31, Oct. 26, and Nov. 2, 1839. Actually the first big sale had already been held at Burlington in November 1838, and 9 percent of the land had been acquired by loan sharks for settlers, as is shown elsewhere. also clear that in good or bad times alike the scarcity of money would be offered as an excuse for postponing sales. But that settlers' pleas were disregarded is not correct. Six of the 36 public sales announced in Indiana were postponed.8 Interest in Early Sales Postponement of public sales might be urged by others than actual settlers. A letter from the register and receiver at the Laporte, Indiana land office, dated February 11, 1839, described a "secret combination on foot to procure the postponement of a sale already announced." The leaders had made heavy investments in northern Indiana land in 1835 which they had not been able to resell at a profit and they feared they would not be able to carry their investment after 1841 when their land became subject to taxation. They were therefore anxious to sell and did not want competition from additional public lands. Consequently they were getting up a petition calling for postponement of the sales. The letter of the register and receiver, which showed that the petitioners were not poor settlers deserving of sympathy, sounds quite plausible and may present a fair picture of events; but it must be remembered that these local officers depended for their income upon the amount of business transacted and fees paid at the land offices and naturally they were not favorable to postponements.9 Other groups, in addition to the land officers, stood to benefit from early sales and were interested in hastening the offering of public lands. Among them were local bankers, moneylenders, the numerous land agents who represented them, absentee speculators, and indeed, some settlers who were anxious to get title to their land so they could borrow on 8 Information provided by Stephen Strausberg from his examination of the proclamations and postponements of sales. 9 Letter of Ed. A. Hannegan, Register, and Jesse Jackson, Receiver, Feb. 11, 1839, in N. Series, General Land Office Files, National Archives. |