Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-28
SoarnaI anS Gourisr.
EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY
SINGLE COFFEE TWO DENTS.
Wednesday, May 2s. 1884.
THN PUBLIC LANDS.

II
 The manner in which the public lands have been dealt with is attracting attention now, and it is high time that some notice was taken of it. Although the public domain 1 seems large it is rapidly diminishing. Last year IS, ,43o O32 acres were taken up in one i way and another, an increase of 5000, ,o0O acres over 1882, and nearly 5000, GOO in l 1881. Of this vast area a trife over 5000, 900 was in homestead entries, but the latter l are increasing so fast that by themselves they | are making large threads yearly into the lands still belonging to the government. Under the law as it is, one person may ob- tain 160 acres of government land by pre- emption at $1.25 an acre and short settle- ment, 160 acres by five years' actual residence thereon, and 16o acres by breaking up five acres and planting it with trees. Under this law. according to the Public Lands commit tee of Congress, whole townships of the pub- lic domain have been acquired by capitalists who do net reside within hundreds. of miles of the land, and never did. They have se- cured them through paid agents in their em- ploy, who receive so much for their services when they make the proof necessary to en-
 
 and assign their claims to their employers. This is done, of course, through perjury and subornatiou of perjury. for each one of these agents or claimants is required to make set- clement on the preemption claim under the law, and he must make oath before the regis ter or receiver of land in the district that he has not settled upon and impro ved such land to sell the same on speculation, but in good faith to appropriate it to his own exclusive use, and that he has not directly or indirectly made any agreement or contract in any way or manner with any per son whatsoever by which the title which he might acquire from the government of the Uni ed States should inure in. whole or in part to the benefit of any person except him self. And yet it is well known that this oath is duly taken by parties who make it under contracts such as are referred to above They file with the register of the proper land district their declaration making their proof affidavit, and payment re quired by the law, Rad receive their title, and transfer the same to the parties with whom they made the con- tract before they Attempted to make pre- smption. It is also believed that the major ity of entries under the timber-culture act are made for speculative purposes, and not for the cultivation of timber
 The committee will recommend a change in the law so that no one can get over 150 acres of the public land, and that only upon the rigid conditions that every homesteader shall make final proof by two credible wit nesses that he had resided upon and cuItiva- ted and permanently improved his home- stead for four consecutive years. If no con- test is filed or notice given charging and specifying fraud in the entry or proof before the expiration of that time, then the patent shall issue. This it will be seen. gives time between the filing of the proof and the issuing of the patent to detect fraud, if there is any, on the part of the ap- pIicant, and is a wholesome change of the present law. The law, as it stands, only re- quires notice to be published in newspaper for thirty days of intention to make this proof.
 This is much needed and encouraging move. The public lands are not for specula- tors, but for those who need them and will use them as it is the intention of the law that they should be used. It is late to begin reform in this matter. but better late than