Omaha daily bee., 1884-07-24
WEST or THE MISSOURI.

" AN1& VI LIZ
The failure Of congress to pass the bill
repeating the timber culture and pre.emp.
ton laws AMI amending the homestead
law is the greatest boon Of the year TO
speculstors in public land. 1t is a fact
easily proven that the timber culture
law was particularly beneficial to specu-
lstors and productive OF enormous frauds,
Where one settler went TO WORK to hon.
esily carry out the provisions Of the law,
one hundred swindlers took advantage OF
it to u a crooked penny BY false oaths
and forged documents. The law has
been a practical failure from the outset,
1t WAS easily enough to carry out the
letter OF the law for the FIRST three years
but the succeeding FIVE years doubled the
labor and eventually overwhelmed the
settler Of limited means. The speculs.
tor, however, finds no trouble in com.
plying with the Law for q year or two,
and hen sells his claim for q good round
sum.
The fact that congress has taken steps
to repeal the law has resulted in the for.
nation Of numerous parties in cities and
towns in the west with the sole object Of
taking timber claims in Nebraska and
ad joining states and territories. The
usual method of the spectators is to
send an agent in advance to select the
sections In which the claims are TO be
msde, and after complying with the pre-
~llminaries Of the law, employ a man u
take care OF the claims. the expenses to be
maintained jointly by the party. II the
bill repeating the Law should pass at the
next session Of congress these claims
would Immediately double in value, and
sell readily, giving the holders a hand
some return for their time and expenses.
The negotiations for the sale and trans.
fer Of the Blair system OF roads in Ne
brAska 10 the Chicago & Northwestern
stopped the work Of extending the main
line beyond Valentine. The change of
ownership having been fully completed
there is E good prospect that work will
be resumed st an early day. The Sioux
City journal has good authority for the
statement that 100 miles Of the road be-
yond Valentine will be graded this year
and the iron laid early in the spring.
The certainty that the line would be
built has encouraged a large number OF
Intending settlers to push on ahead OF
the road. 1t is said thst all good land
contiguous to the line in Cherry county
has been taken and the tide OF immi-
grants has pushed far into Sioux county.
The grading Of the road-bed the present
year will be a great boon TO settlers IN
the neighborhood, IS it will furnish en-
%ployment TO a large number, and aid
them in diminishing the usual hsrdships
0: the hrst year ID a new country.
The Union Pacific land department re-
Gently closed 3 sale Of 10000 acres of
land in Wyoming to the Swan Land and
Cattle company, g corporation which is
Low considered the strongest and wealth
lest in the west. This land nbraces all
the railroad land north, TO the twenty
mile limit, from a point near Niser sta
ton, and west tothe Platte river near Fit.
Steele. By the provisions of the sale the
present settlers on the land can purchase
what they now occupy al a "reasonable
price"
Another company has been formed in
Laramie, called the Albany County Land
company. This company, The Boone
rang says, is composed of local capital
lists, whose main object is to benefit their
neighbors and help them retain ranges
no~ occupied by lease. This corpora
ton has purchased about6c0, 900 acres and
will sell the lands to actual present set
tiers, and parcel out those not already
applied for TO be sold to small purchss.
ers with a view to settling up the country
and developing her resources If this
company acts in in good faith, says the
Boomerang, and disposes Of these lands
only to such as will cultivate and utilize
them to the best advantage, the
result will prove a means of
material advancement. The peo-
pie of Albany county do not
wish to be placed in a like situation with
those Of our neighbor, Laramie, on the
east, where every rood Of railroad land
has been already gobbled up by four
giant corporations, to be used solely for
the further enrichment of a few wealthy
stockholders. Among the gentlemen
forming the Albany County Land comp.
any are Balch & Bacon, Sargent. Homer
& Evans, j. w. Donnellan, Douglas,
william d. Sartoris, G. III. Hutton, A.
Trahing, Charles Hecht and Colonel s.
W. Downey.
The agent of the land department at
Cheyenne says; another Syndicate is be.
ing formed to purchase a large body of
land south of Albany county, in Colora-
do. This too, will oe composed of pres
emit occupants, who, by pooling their
means, can secure the land on lower
terms than if purchased in small tracts.
The railroad company is DESTROYS of sell.
ing all those lands in a compact body,
and the presen. holders urged to act at
once, if they desire to secure them on ad-
vantageous terms.
The railroad company evidently in
tends to dispose of all lands IN the terri
tories as rapidly as possible, either in large
or small quantities. There is a double
incentive for this:-the certainty that
congress will compel the company to take
out patents for the lands, making them
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