Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-05-06

4
satisfied with small quantity, they should
be allowed to purchase all they are able tc
pay for-that is, according to the bill-there
be no limit to the amount any one man, OF
company of men, can buy. And, ss it is go.
ing to cost considerable for this new class o1
pioneer settlers (the capitalists) to reclaim
the land, (there seems to be no time set fol
its being done), the price to be paid for il
should not exceed 25 cents per acre, one-ffth
to be paid down, and the balance in three
years. The bill, stipulates, however, that no
patent shall issue until it shall be shown tina,
the purchaser has expended $500 per acre
on its reclamation. AS the bill stands, one
class of spectators could buy up the land
and another could lay claim to the water and
build irrigating canals. Between two such
| fires, what inducement would there be for the
pioneer to settle here; and if the Territory is
ever to become settled and populous the small
farmer, or pioneer class, must do it. Or the
other hand, if the amendments proposed by
minority of the Commission should be
adopted, then the water goes with the land,
and the purchaser becomes absolute owner
of both, on the condition, however, that he
must use the water continuously. Heretofore
Territorial statutes have regulated and con-
trolled water-rights. If the amendments
prevail, her rights in this particular will be
greatly abridged.
Let US suppose case and see what is pos
sible under the system of sale proposed by
this bill. There was recently organized in
your city company with capital of $780,
900, for the purpose of purchasing stock
cattle and carrying on the business of stock
raising within the Territory of Montana.
Ninety thousand dollars will purchase very
large band of cattle, and it would be quite
natural for the company to secure land of
their own upon which to feed their stock
rather than trust to the precarious tenure OF
the public domain, where they are liable to
be interfered with by the pioneer in search of
homes Now, suppose they take $4,000 of
this capital and invest it in hrigable lands
which amount, at one-fifth down, would pur-
chase so, 1000 acres. or about 78a square miles
of land within any of the unappropriated
valleys of the Territory. Upon making this
first payment they can at once enter upon and
take possession of the land, and outsiders are
warned to keep off-even the prospector in
search Of the precious metals is forbidden to
enter the sacred precinct 7e53 square miles
for although the tract might contain untold
millions hidden in auriferous soil and rock it
all goes with the land. On the expiration Of
three years the other and final payment of
$4,000 is to be made, and, if we are cor
rectly informed, one years profit would more
than suffice to pay for the land. Before they
can get patent to the , nd, however, they
must have expended in its reclamation SO per
acre, and right here comes in the biggest
feature of the steal. There being no fixed
time within which this money shall be ex-
pended, the company can proceed at their
leisure to do the work and charge fictitious
value upon such improvements as it would be
to their interest to make in the prosecution of
their business. They would be in no hurry
to ask for patent, even though in the course
of many years the amount required should be
expended in its reclamation. We doubt if
tax could be levied upon it until the patent is
received. The lands, in a measure, would be
in similar condition to thousands of acres
of placer mining ground within the Terri
tory, patents to which have not been and are
not likely to be asked for some time to come,
the ground in the meantime remaining ur-
unworked, and untaxed.
Thus it is shown how great corporation,
for the paltry sum of $4,000 cash down, can
get possession of 7S88 square miles of the best
valley lands of the Territory and what it
can do other companies and individuals can
do according to their means. How long,
then, would it be before all the irrigable lands
of the Territory would be absorbed by the |
cattle interests, and whole townships, valleys, |
and large districts of country consigned for
all time to few cowboys? The railroad
grant would for time interfere with this
Wholesale absorption within the lines of the
survey, because so large tracts as would be
desirable could not be secured in one body. |
Therefore we say that what we all along
thought to be great curse to the Territory,
the railroad grant, win. in the event of the
passage of this tentative land bill, really prove
10 be o blessing for the railroad company in
nearly all cases must sell it's lands to the
small farmer.
PAeTCRAGE LANDS
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