Bounties have been granted freely by the States, not only of lands and money to canals and railroads, but also of large sums for irri gation purposes, roads and various other public works. In order to induce industrial and man ufacturing firms to locate in sonic city or State, taxes for a period of years have sometimes been remitted. Many States give bounties for the extermination of destructive and dangerous animals, nearly all the Western States offering liberal sums for dead coyotes, wolves and mountain lions. Many cities too have granted bounties, such as franchises to street railway companies and to water, lighting and other pub lic service corporations.
Army and Navy Even in colonial times money was paid to encourage men to join the army or to extend their serv ice. In general the bounty has been given to volunteers, the amount varying with the need and difficulty of procuring recruits. The New England militia which joined the British army to invade Canada received a money bounty as did those who wintered at Louisburg in 1760. The Continental army received small grants of money and land from Congress, but as the enemy was paying i10 apiece for recruits Washington feared the loss of his, army unless Congress was more liberal. The States gave bounties of varying values, Virginia and New York offering land; but in 1780 conditions came to such a pass that Washington had to offer $200 each to retain his veterans, and finally, in order to disband the army in 1783, induced Congress to grant the officers five years' full pay.
During succeeding wars the soldiers were subsidized by land grants as will be shown later, but in the Civil War, after 1861, all vol unteers received bounties, the towns and States competing with each other and with the Fed eral government, while many individuals hired substitutes to take their places at the front. To prevent desertion the bounty was paid by in stalments, $400 being given to veterans who re-enlisted. By 1865, owing to the magnitude of the war and the difficulty of securing re cruits, as much as $1,500 was offered, and these high prices resulted in much of the so-called bounty-jumping. (See BOUNTY-JUMPER). Dur ing the war the States paid nearly $300,000,000 in bounties. Congress has not approved bills
for the (equalization of by subsequent Federal payments.
The United States laws formerly author ized various forms of prize money, including a bounty fpr the sinking pr destruction of an Under the provisions of the Homestead Act land was given not only to civilians but also to sol diers, the latter being given the more advantage ous terms, while it is possible even now for a soldier's widow to secure homestead land on a shorter residence than other people. Much of the early bounty land was located by scrip which was transferable, thus making it a more attractive investment for land buyers and spec ulators, because they could seek out the more valuable tracts. Revolutionary soldiers formed the Ohio Company of 1788, but they purchased their lands outright with evidences of public debt. The Federal government has steadily pursued a policy of divesting itself of the pub lic land, but there are many forest reserves and national parks that will be permanent. See PUBLIC DOMAIN; LANDS, PUBLIC: HOMESTEAD AND LAND LAWS, etc.
Bibliography.— Ballagh, J. C., (Introduc tion to Southern Economic History: The Land System,' in the (Annual Report' of the Amer ican Historical Association for 1897 (1898) ; Cherington, P. T., (State Bounties and the Beet t/ Sugar Industry> (in Quarterly Journal of Eco nomics, Vol. XXVI, pp. 381-86, 1912) ; Don aldson, Thomas, The Public Domain' (1884) ; Eggleston, Melville, The Land System of the New England Colonies> (in (Johns Hopkins Studies,' Series IV, Nos. XI-XII, 1886) ; Hart, A. B., (Practical Essays on American Govern ment' (1893) ; Hatch, L. C., (Administration of the American Revolutionary Army' (1904) ; Marshall, Alfred, of Economics' (6th ed., 1910) ; Sato, S., (History of the Land Question in the United States' (in (Johns Hop kins University Studies in Historical and Polit ical Science,' Series IV Nos. VII-IX, 1886) ; Treat, P. J., Land System' (1910) ; Upton, E., (Military Policy of the United States' (1907) ; Navy Department, (Laws Re lating to the Navy' (1898) and (Navy Regula tions' (1909); War Department, Laws' (1908).