Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-10-23

Inc Following letter was sent to tn
Pioneer Press by an Indignant Iowa gran
ger who says he don't propose to hav
government officials to make fun OF hin
with impunity. The name of the write
Is suppressed for the sake OF his Elmii,
and bondsmen: 49,.
UNITED STATES LAND OFFICE,
-, Dakota Sept. 10, 1879.
John Smith, -, loua.
DEAR SIR: Your favor OF the 10Th inst. :,
inq,,iring whether it Is necessary for you
10 come to Dakota to make final proof on
your claim is at hand.
We infer that you once made flying
visit to our Territory from your home in
Iowa, and while here filled" on quarter
section OF government land, and now wish
to know whether the unfeeling minions of
the law are going to require you to come
all the way up here again before they will
give you the final certificate Of entry.
In reply would say that this depends al
most entirely upon your capacity for
swearing. If you rate 4 l, in that line,
and never stop at trifles, You can do it
with perfect looseness. Facts are Of no
consequence in such case as yours. All
you want is nerve. Call to mind the bright
example Of late Presidential candidate in |
swearing away his income tax and brace
up!
The law requires you to have certain
improvements on your claim, and it is a
good thing to have plenty of them-par-
ticularly on paper.
b Put the improvements at good figure.
Don't disgust everybody in the office with
12xlG slanty and ten acres of breaking.
such as the mudsills from Scandinavia and
the big-trotters from ireland tumble to.
Show them what a Western man can do in
that line when he really sets about it.
What do you say TO 15o acres Of break
ing. House built of brick. say 4OxGO,
three stories high. with verandas on three T.,
sides; cost. say $1,000. Barn S0x20O.
stone basement. cost $1,000. Total cost ,
OF improvement, $4,000. This is merely
a hint. Of course you will improve upon
It, Now something Of this kind, duly !
verified by your own affidavit and that of !
two good Iowa witnesses o. equal veraci,y
with yourself would make those sleepy
Jerks in the government land Office at
Washington open their eyes and your case I
you'd go through like Yazoo jury trial -
verdict in thirty minutes.
These afiidavits have to be taken before
: clerk OF some court in this Territory. 4
That is, theoretically they do. Practically d
there is no trouble on that score. There d
are several OF them who have been in the d
habit Of taking the affidavits of non-pres- il
INT parties in distant States for stree =
claims" so long that they would be EN-
barrassed to swear a man actually before
hem in the flesh. Send your papers to !.
'ne OF these fellows with $40 and you will n
'e all right on that point.
Inasmuch as the government gets the
iill price of the land and was never known n,
9 prosecute pre-emptor for any "irreg- c.
'larities" of this kind (perury is an obso- q
etc word), you would probably have no sc
rouble from ''Uncle Samuel"
As for any qualms of conscience which L
oine timid people might have under SINH vi
ar circumstances, presume you would 4,
augh at the idea, but II some of the old
uperstitions should still hang around you
nd you were .inclined to be little
queamish, You have only to reflect that
'eeeher has abolished hell and that there wi
nothing whatever to prevent your fol-
owing the natural bent OF your own in nj,
ate cussedness. 5 EEE
Sympathizingly yours, re.
REGISTER. tn