New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-23
WESTERN LAND-GRABBING.
HOW THE PUBLIC DOMAIN Is DEsPonED.

WILLIAMS, LAND OFFICE REGISTER AT WArEf,-
| TOWN, DAKOTA.
fFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRBuNh''
WATERFOWL, Dak Dec. 15.-An interview
with Special Agent Bedford of the Bismarck Lana Dl
trict recently published in THE TRIBUNE mas attrho
considerable attention In this locality IN two pirucu
First as indicating the extent OF the frauds comteu VI
connection with the appropriation of lands, and secohu'
as evidence Of purpose the part Of the
meet and overcome the evils. The publc lahus Oh ''o
Northwest, at the present rate OF progress WI" SUN
exhausted and how many thousands or acres nave oco
stolen will probably be known business Seu
90 have been conducted in the past with view 10 gets
rid OF the land upon the slightest pretext OF
claim Great Injustice has consequently pecu
wrought 70 bona fde settlers while inc
| grabbers have everywhere prohted Inc WI
thy man. with his little family and limited means
settles upon his quarter section on the prairie. o "
dures the hardships Of pioneer life and suffers gra
prvations In order 10 comply consccnously WIN Tue
law respecting" continuous residence" Some mornns
he beholds an eight by shanty looming up on inc
quarter section adjoining and he IL battered WIN "o
thought OF having ueighbor In n twinkhng HI sS"'
| Of life disappear The shanty alone remains sOme
time perhaps during the succeeding six months ne se
man walking about with his hands in his pockets ana
esples Of smoke issuing from the sovcppe na'
projects from the shanty. Soon he learns tha' ni'
"neighbor" has "proved mp" Impelled by curiosity
he makes inquiry, and finds that the man Is saloon
|
minister in distant The next thing he hears'
te quarter section has changed in consideration
of few hundred dollars. II he were to examine inc
proofs he would that at perjury was the original
| price of the land.
| The action of the Government in appointing special
AGENTS Is having the effect OF terrifying the graobers Inc
district land officers Themselves almost poWeres''
Err pare aHdayits in proof are submitted and In the
nature OF things accepted tits here that the work OF the
special agent begins. In any doubtful or suspicious case
his services arc required for Investigation and Irregular
~ works forfeiture and perjury entails prosecution when
| the law Is effectively Administered
| LITERAL COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW
Upon this whole subject the views OF the Hon C. q.
Williams late Representative In Congress from Wisconsin,
and now Register Of United States Land Office at THIS
place NAV be interesting. Being asked whether he be-
eved that large amount Of fraud had been pcpetrated
upon the Government in the entry OF lands in his district
| he replied:
"yes and no In the sense of literal compliance with
law n large number Of entries would not stand the test
Take for instance the question Of continual residence on
homestead and presumption claims. II the claimant Is
required live continuously for six months on his cam
and not leave II than the established farmer would
leave his homestead, a very small proportion OF claim
ants even Of those who make oath 10 continuous resi-
dence comply with the law Many unquestionibiy do.
Bnt the question ~ we'll the situation - mixed one,
depending largely good faith md the reasonable en-
| dcayOr Of the settler.
II is easy 10 say that shan live on claim six
months or five years. "A the be- hut the literal
funment Of the requirement IA quite another matter
Many honest settlers poor large proportion OF
them are yon, men from twenty five 10 thirty years OF
| age aud unmarried. They have accumult"d means
enough % get Ia Dakota. They enter piece or iaui
break five ten acres or hare II broke, build clhm
cabin 10 by r. and dig well and then their means are
| exhausted LARGE numbers ~ these have teams.
Trey cannot work the prlrics with their hands and
so they seek work elsewhere, living their claims all
they can. and eventually making them their actual
homes In all such cases. whore the existence of good
faith &. established think the policy ~ the Government
should De- and is To favor the calmans They are just
the % r-ons In whose interest the law was pIsscd. But
the great difficulty ~ I'm determining who arc the bI"r
nd, settlers or the amount and value OF improve
mcnts afford some test; but the man of means who
scarcely ever his claim put on more improve
mcn. in thirty days than the s ysng settler can In dr
months or five years.
| now THE DEPARTMENT l. UAMPTHTD.
.Tn the last Congress voted for the repeal OF IN"
present law hut not sure 81 tho -oundnes >
Of that policy know the Acmric1n method, n not maxim
OF legislation IS: II law does not operate exactly Ia
| suit yon repeal H. annlulac II utterly. Hence, you
want everything absolutely perfect and a. consequence
hove nothing at all Every possible guarantee should be
thrown around both the prcempon and homestead laws
and II was possible some better method 81 testing final
proof should be adopted than the pure andlys PR,
| sentcd al the local offices.
"Yct what can the Interior Department, the Land
Commissioner or the local Offices dot We here in Water
| town are dlsposIng OF final proofs al the rate Of
| twenty n dav To investigate would be equivalent
! 70 dlsposnr Of that number OF small lawsuits. But
we can do nothing OF the kind All do /. 10 cX
anime the face Of the papers The policy Of sending ont
special agents 10 20 upon the land necessary f. move
in the right direction. Yet docs the Department
ATTEMPT TO sy-tcinatze the force and make IL effective
than the cry Of economy raised. and the work OF
posing fraud and protecting the Government f. crippled
The mos, striking Instance IL ale economy anywhere II
! I'm the amount Of money voted Tor the use OF
! the General Land once At Washington II IA
and must he with the best OF management
about a year behind In much Of hs work
never realized the great ininslce thus done until came
where poor settlers can be seen ON tho same claim
both making Improvements, yet not knowing whether !"
stop go ahead waiting for decision m the matter q"
title. IT, meantime all tho available land IN the
dehhui hood IL being taken by others Tie Government
intcnds To- give them lle boon on hnn', pu' NHlsu
gives Law 'uit hut with the means nj hand II IA
! fnposs bile for more speedy relief To be had.
THE WORK or SPECIAL AGENT.
1.-THE spocia agents sent out should be Of expert
encc and capacity Under these pare Investigations
| the grosscst injustice may be done. The man who
comes into this country impressed with the belief that
every he meet, IL land thief IA scantly equipped
! for his work. It requires thorough knowledge Of
men and good capacity not Ia De imposed upon either
side. Not unrcqucntly Tie very men VINO are raising the
uproar against their nell bors the very who III
'e to 70 't S an e of laid to which one man shond he
entitled, don't think that $50 acres II too much for
| Gde settler. In country where capitalists and
spnculaors acquire ten twenty fifty Thousand in
body do not regard II had policy 10 help the honest
settler TO possession Of three hundred four hundred
| or even i've hundred acres. which TO fOrtify
and battle against these large estates, for In my
oDinon this Territory Is destined hold the largest
| landed Estates In North America. TO
! extent, OF course, these small holdings will he
| bought up Ivy the larger owners but with prairie
running p 20 four, eight and twelve dollars II
Il fast doing this part Of Dakota aud with the natural
keenness aud thrift OF the settler not apt 10
have a pnched poverty strcken pcasantry ut these
prices ,
recom OF better guards and guarantees rather than re-
Think that instead OF settlement before Hing
niug should before settlement IN presumption ~ In
homestead else the act of settlement should he