(519)


§    68  LAND   TITLES   IN   THE   UNITED  STATES.  [Ch.  6

the  president  would  fix  a  day  for  a  public  sale,  at  which  it  was  dis-
posed of  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  whatever  remained  unsold  might
be  bought  by  any  one,  in  any  multiple  of  the  quarter  quarter  sec-
tion (together  with  fractions),  at  the  minimum  price  of  |1.25  per
acre.  The  great  drawback  to  this  exceedingly  simple  arrangement
was  the  wide  opportunity  it  gave  for  "jumping*'  actual  settlers;
that  is,  it  enabled  greedy  men  with  some  ready  cash  to  buy  land  on
which  others  had  settled  and  on  which  they  had  made  lasting  and
valuable  improvements,  without  paying  anything  for  these  improve-
ments. The  settler,  having  invested  all  his  means  in  these  improve-
ments, had  none  to  pay  for  the  land,  and  lost  the  fruits  of  years  of
toil,  or  at  least  was  compelled  to  bid  against  a  stranger  who  had
invested  nothing,  and  thus  had  to  pay  twice  for  his  improvements.
