Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-02-03
The II. Dodge Land Office.

moval of the Land Ofllce from FIT.
Dodge, to the State Capital. The
STATE Register gives further rarticu-
lars. and with true magnanimity,
shows up the gross injustice of the
order:
Col. Godfrey Receiver Of Land or
fee in this city, returned from Fort
Dodge yesterday. whittier he had
been to serve notice of the discOn~
FINANCE Of the Land Office in that
city, and 10 prepare for the removal
Of the records to this city. The mat
ter has caused intense excitement
among the many settlers upon home
steads, who, in the event of the re.
tnoval, will be put to an extra eX-
pense in coming to Das Moines to
prove the validity of their claims
TO use rs mild a term fitting to this
movement, it is an out rage, and will
bring mole distress upon the hardy
Sons Of toll who have made for them~
selves homes in that District, than
anything else that could occur
From the entire North west has
flashed bitter remonstrancc against
this unjust and uhcalled for proceed.
ure, and if the representatives of
Iowa now at the National Capitol
would save from utter ruin Il
large body of hard working men,
who have come to- Iowa with the
will and Drawn to make homes Oh
the unsettled, uncultivated prairies
of the Northwest, they will see that
this obnoxious, not TO say foolish,
order is Immediately rescindrd. 1t
is a matter of life and death to those
men, and unless rescinded will ruin
over two thousand families. The
homcsteaders are entitled to the pro-
lection of the Government, and
should receive it until they can hett-
er defend themselves against the land
swindlers Astounding IN Northwest
eru Iowa. RESPONSIVENESS are in cir
culatiOn all over the land district,
and up to last evening, over ten
thousand names had been procured
The document represents that there
are between 100, 900 and 10000 acres
of land in the district, which have
been entered as HON csteads, but
have not been proved up, leaving the
title standing in the government to-
day. that there are over 5o.OOD acres
Of swamp Land in the District, the
title to which is in the Government,
that there are lands that have been
entered for presumption, and not
proved up, and also, that there Is
a considerable amount OF land yet
subject to entry. The petitioners
feel assured that the order would not
have been issued had the Depart
ment been fully advised as TO the
true condition Of affairs in the Dis
triCt. More than 1000 hOmesteadRr3
would be compelled TO go to Des
MOines TO prove their claims, at an
additional eXrense OF S5n to 800 each
and it cannot be necessary TO state
that the great majority OF these PEG.
pie cannot, without great hardship,
go to the additional expense. And
further state that it is almost daily
occurrence to have hOmesteads con-
tested-the party contrasting charging
that the homestead had been ahan.
dUned. The expense attending "A
contest when the defendant would lie
compelled to take his witnesses to
Des MOineS, q distance of from 80 to
10 10 miles, would be so great that
the poor hOmestea.ler, in many in
stances, would lose his home simply
because he is without means to de-
fend himself.
The NOrM West states that the fol
lowing dispatch from high authority
was received from Washington:
"The Department on the recon-
mendation of your immediate Rep
rcsentative in Congress, has directed
the FIT. Dodge Land Office to be
closed.
"Thcy had the right to do so'under
existing law, the quantity % pubic
lands In shat District having, as was
said, been reduced I've 100, 900 acres.
The books and papers Will he
transferred to The officer at Des
Moline 81
And add: off this arbitrary and
oppressive order for closing our Land
ONCE is carried into effect, hundreds
OF settlers will lose their homes, from
absolute inability TO raise the money
necessary TO defend and secure them,
the benevolent Intention of the
authors Of the homestead law Is de-
feuted, and the hOmcsicads of this
District Will become game for the
professional hyenas who are Prov
ing about harasslng the settlers and
rObbimg them of their homes TO sell
their i'll gotten claims for a bonus To
other victims. When the COnse-
quences of this order for removal e
shown to the Department, and the
further facts that there are more than
2GU, eco acres of public land in t"iS
district not yet patented, we believe
the order will he promptly revoked.
1t is not likely the Government Will
peTpetrate such wrong upon It's
citizens, simply TO secure from eX~
pOSurc certain officials who dare not
let the record OF their dark tIansac
tons pass into the keeping of honest
men who are posted in theirpecutiar
style of doing business"
Cot. Godfrey reports that the affairs
OF the office are in n muddlcd COndl-
ton, the books being more than il
month behind, and that Aaron NJ.
Duwley, the Register, is in Washing.
ton. There are many rumOrs nIioat
the transactions OF the
office, and there should be thorough
investigation of all matters pertains
ing thereto. to prove or disprOve the
charges we have heard, aud in the
end their must Oe no screening from
Just punishment if any he merlted.
----s-s~a---ss.------z.
4 4 tt. h.