The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-08-01
MORE LIGHT WANTED.

Ed. RCgister:-
In the Humboldt Union of July II
we find: During the last session of
Congress the House has passed bills
providing for the forfeiture of nearly
10000, 900 acres of land granted to rail-
roads," The editor of the Union would
bestow great favor OH his readers, as
well as on the tax paying citizens of
Allen county, just now, that so much
interest is manifested in those land
grants, to state fully in what States,
from what railroad companies, and the
reason for such forfeiture, etc., etc.
This county has been the loser by
thousands of dollars through this
cursed land trouble, and is losing daily
by it. We should like therefore, for
newspapers to come frankly out and
state facts, and not try. by uniting
hints and sinister articles, TO remain
in favor of both sides and keep the
strife up. The above named article
is plainly intended to mislead a certain
class of people. The status of the AL
len county lands is quite different from
other lauds that have been forfeited.
These lands have all been sold under
patents from the government to the
railroad company, and, therefore, cam
not be forfeited. The Government has
for years raised taxes from them, and
cannot possibly reclaim them !;
and these people who unlawfully occu-
py them under the pretense of expect
ing them to come back as homesteads
know too well they are doing wrong,
for they have often tried to file on
them, but have always received their
filings and deposit money back with
the remark thereon: Gland patented
to railroad company But they still
persist in occupying these lands and
taking claims, causing thereby great
loss to the rightful owners. Their sole
aim is to keep this county in a state of
anarchy and vandalism, and to scare
people from coming here. And what
hope have these leaguers of getting
the land? For the last fifteen years
or more they have kept up this law
lessness, committing sundry depreda-
tons, spending thousands of dollars at
law; and how much further are they
to-day? They are worse off, for they
have lost their best man as well as the
sympathy of all law-abiding people.
The land trouble in Allen county is
sure to be settled as all cases have
been before this. See Judge Law
rence's brief, page So: Is to persons
who have purchased from, and paid the
railroad company and taken deeds of
conveyance, they will in any event be
protected"
After it was decided that the railroad
company had no claim on the Usage
Coded Lands. Congress, in providing
for sale of the lands to settlers, pro-
tected the rights of those who had in
good faith bought and paid for lands.
AS to any lands which these railroad
may have improperly sold,
a decision against the validity of their |
title would give purchasers claim for
the refunding of purchase.money paid,
and their titles would be fully protect
ed besides.
The Anderson bill, Sec. 4, repeats
the same Internationally. But the
Leaguers, stumbling block is Sec. 5,
Of said bill. 1t has reference to home
stead claims, and is right. OF course
no person can homestead more than
l6O acres, and if Sec. was intended to
express the same quantity it certainly
would have stated this. But it does
not state any quantity simply Glands
bought" One person can homestead
,nly once in his or her life 100 acres of
and. but any person ON buy and hold
IS much land as his parse will allow
him to, Sylvester Wi!oox's opinion to