Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-11-17
o,.XuP,>. WASHINGTON TER.
OLYMPIA. FRIDAY Evening. Nv. II. 1882,


The law of June 3, 1878, under
which so many entries have been
mide the past year for the purchase
OF timber land, applies only to sur
veved lands in California, Oregon,
Nevada and Washington, not YET
offered at public sale, valuable
chiefly for timber and stone. and an
fit Tor cultivation. Ii contains Il
very stringent provision against max
ing such purchases for speculation,
and the applicant, WHO must OF
course be an American citizen and
this privilege regarded as birth
right, is required to make oath that
he " has not, directly or indirectly,
made any agreement or contract, III
any way or manner, with any person
or persons whomsoever, by which
the title may inure in whole or In
part to the benefit of any other per-
sou." If any person taking this
oath swears falsely, he is subject to
all the pains and penalties OF per-
jury, as are the witnesses, who must
testify that after personal inspec-
ton of the lard that it is unoccupied,
is unfit for cultivation and valuable
chiefly for timber or stone. They
must likewise swear that the appli-
can't IL making the purchase for his
own use and that the title will vest
wholly in himself for his own benz fit
It appears that these precautions
should guard against an abuse OF
this privilege accorded to each Amer
lean citizen, but it is a notorious
fact that many entries have been
made solely in the interest OF cor
porations and of character OF land
which has required an india-rubber
conscience to classify itas "unit for
cultivation"
The law provides that, upon filing
the application and oath, the Regis
ter of the Land Office must post o
notice describing the tract by legal
subdivisions, in his Office, for Pc
Rod of sixty days, and furnish the
applicant a copy of the same for
publication, at the expense OF the
applicant in some newspaper selected
by himself, nearest the location OF
the land, for like period OF time.
Satisfactory evidence must be fur
nished the Register Of the publica-
ton of this notice, whereupon, if no
adverse claim has been filed, and the
testimony of witnesses shows that
the tract is non-minerali in character,
unoccupied and unimproved, and
that the purchase is made in good
faith and not for speculative pur-
poses, he shall issue his receipt for
the purchase money in due form
The Register and Receiver are each
allowed q fee of five dollars for an
entry under this act and 22a cents
per folio jointly for testimony re-
duced by them to writing for claim
ants.
Hitherto the Register of this dis
trict has claimed the privilege Of
designating the newspapers in which
timber-land notices should appear
notwithstanding the cost came ou'
of the pocket of the applicant, and
the journals selected having monop.
opoly of the business, were enabled
to charge three times their rate TO,
ordinary advertisements. The price
demanded, $40, is the same that i,
charged in cash for lega! summonses,
three times the length, and which
appear but one week less time thar
the timber land notice. A pro rata
charge for the land advertisement
would be about 81, and this would
be the charge for announcements Of
similar length inserted for mercan'
tile houses. A rap over the knuckles
from the Land Bureau at Washing
ton has caused the Register to recede
from his custom ofrequiring all such
notices to be published in the Ring
organs, ,chen the applicant kno.rs ana
insists upon his rights, but in al
other cases they are directed to the
machine newspaper and he is com
PEELED to pay two or three times al
much as other people for his adver
tisement. That this has been pro
Life source of revenue for the pap-fed
organs at the high rate, is demon
strated by glance at their columns
which sometimes contain land notice!
paying from 5000 to 500, which i
open to competition at fair rate'
would aggregate less than one-hal
that amount. The STANDARD has al
ways been the advocate of fair living
prices and opposed to monopol.
rates, no matter who is benefited
thereby; and when it comes to al
unjust discrimination against itself
proper regard for its own Interest,"
requires that some measure be takel
for self-preservatlon.
1. appears to US that prudence
would have dictated a differen
course from that which has beer
oI t. hoI opouph RI uulotl,