[Ben Ficklin]

Technically speaking, the Louisiana Purchase was unconstitutional. As was the Gadsden Purchase and Alaska. I don't know who Mexico would have ceded the land to if not the federal govt.

Back east the feds made money selling these federal lands to settlers, because that was the wet zone and farming could be profitable on small acres. Even in the west where the feds built dams and irrigation systems people snapped up those small acre lands because they could grow a good crop with the irrigation water.

But out in the western deserts nobody wanted that land. Nevada has the most federal land because it has more desert than any other state.

If its free I'll take it, but only if you give me low cost grazing on this other 15,000 acres.

[Jim Robinson]

But when such territories (however acquired) enter into the union and become sovereign states, the land within the new state boundaries should no longer be owned or controlled by the federal government. Constitutionally, the federal government should divest itself at the earliest opportunity of all such lands, except those necessary for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings.