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

There certainly never has been in the par
| ty, and there probably will not be very soon
in the future, question of such vast impor-
tance to the people of this Territory as the
bill now pending before Congress proposing
to change the land system of the General
Government. 1t is pretty generally known
by your readers that Land Commission, au-
thorized by act of Congress, went junketing
over the country last Summer examining into
the character of our public lands, and inter-
viewing our land officers, ranchmen, herders,
and others in reference to the same. This
Commission has submitted majority and mi
nority reports, together with bill-the ma
jority recommending its passage-the minor
ity recommending its passage also-with GER
tain amendments. You have already briefly
summarized the majority report in your pa
per, but inasmuch as the charges preferred
are so sweeping in their character, and of
such vital Importance to the people of the
Territory, and as we wish to make occasional
reference in the course of this article to some
of the most important changes proposed,
we will re-state them here:
The Commission recommend division of
the Public Lands into five general classes,
viz: Arabic, Irrigable, Pasturage, Timber
and Mineral.
ARABLE LANDS
are defined t. be such lands upon which crops
of any kind, suitable to the climate. can be
raised, without resorting to artificial irriga-
tion; or, lands suitable for the plow in their
natural condition. Title to these lands can
only be acquired under homestead laws, and
are therefore reserved for actual settlers,
limited to tracts of 100 acres. A repeal of
the pre-emption laws, 80 far as these lands
are concerned lis recommended. The rec
concentrations made for this class of lands
are all very proper, and if adopted will effec-
tually put stop to spectators gobbling them
up but, as there are only limited amount of
such lands in Montana, we do not feel that
interest in this class that we do in the others.
lRRIGABLE LANDS,
as their name would indicate, are defined to
be lands 80 situated in relation to rivers and
other streams of water as to be capable of
irrigation. The Commission claim that it |
has been found in practice that the amount of
capital required to irrigate land successfully |
is so large that individual settlers cannot un-
dertake the enterprise. They therefore rec
ommond that no limit be placed on the |
amount of irrigable land which any one per-
son may buy, and that the price be fixed at
25 cents per acre, one-fifth to be paid in cash |
and the balance at the end of three years;
but no patent to be issued for the land until |
it is shown to the satisfaction of the Depart
ment that So 90 per acre has been expended |
upon its reclamation.
A minority of the Committee, led by Major
Powell, dissent from that part of the bill re-
ating to the disposal of irrigable lands, 10
which they submit several amendments. The
report says: ''These amendments are de-
signed to prevent the severance of water
property from land property, and to provide
that the right to use the water for irrigation
purposes shall inhere in the land and pass
with the title to the land on condition of con-
tinuous use, and to prevent state of affairs
under which all the agriculture of the vast
area where irrigation is necessary would be
subject and tributary to few stock comps-
MES owning the water"
From the definition here given of Irrigable
Lands it can readily be inferred that al the
valley lands in Montana, as high up on the
benches or mountain slopes as the water of
he stream flowing through can well be con-
lucted, can safely be classed as Irrigable
Lands. 1t has been proved, say the Com
mission, to their entire satisfaction, that the
amount of capital required to irrigate this
and successfully is too great for the individ-
lal settler to undertake (hat is to say by the
class of people who usually take mp and
,uild homes on the public domain-the
hardy pioneer, who in every instance in the
settlement of this country builds up the CON-
nunities, from which the Territorial or State
Government is organized-the class that
ackled and wrestled with the great forest
ands of Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and other
Western States-a class of lands has at length
been found, according to this Commission.