Omaha daily bee., 1884-06-05
THE pUBLIC LANDS.

some days ago in favor of repeating tn
timber culture and presumption laws
The committees recommendation wa
made after a careful investigation, the re
suit of which was the discovery that i'm
mense tracts of lands are being obtaine
under the law for eastern and foreigI
CAPITALISTS. Under the law as it is, on
person may obtain 100 acres by pre-
emption at $1.25 per acre and a shor
settlement, and 160 acres by goinI
through the farce of breaking five acre
and planting it to trees, and 1G0 acres BY
five years actual residence thereon
Speaking of the working of the pre-
emption law the committee say:
Whole townships of the public domain
have been acquired under this law b,
capitalists who do not reside within hun
dreds of miles of the land, and never did
They have secured them through paic
agents in their employ, who receive &c
much for their services when they make
the proof necessary to entitle them to &
patent from the government, and assign
their claims to their employers. This il
done, of course, through perjury and
subornation of perjury, for each one oI
these agents or claimants is required to
make settlement on the presumption claim
under the law, and he must make oath
before the register or receiver of land in
the district that he has not settled upon
and improved such land to sell the same
ON speculation, but in good faith to ap.
propriate it to his WI exclusive use, and
that he has not directly or indirectly
made any agreement or contract in any
way or manner with any person whatso.
ever, by which the title which he might
acquire from the government Of the
United States, should insure in whole, or
in part, to the benefit of any person ex-
cept himself. And yet it it is well known
that this oath is daily taken by parties
who make it under contracts such as We
have indicated above. Their file with
the register of the proper land district
their declaration making their proof, aft,
davit, and payment required by the law,
and receive their title, and transfer the
same to the parties with whom they
made the contract before they attempted
to make q presumption.
Secretary Teller, in his report upor
the timbsr culture act, says that his in
formation leads him to the conclusion
that a majority of entries under tina
act are made for speculative
purposes, and not for the cultivation Of
timber. Compliance with law in these
cases is a mere, pretence, and does mo-
result In the production of timber. Or
the contrary, as one entry in a section
exhausts the timber. culture right in tina
section, it follows that every fraudulent
entry prevents a bona-ide one lin any
portion of that section within which the
fraudulent entry is made. Secretary
Teller's information is that no trees arc
to be seen over the vast regions of coun
try where timber-culture entries hav,
been most Numerous.
1t is proposed by the committee tc
hereafter give only 1G0 acres to any
one, and that only upon the rigid condi
tions that every homesteader shall max,
final proof of two creditable witnesse
that he has resided upon and cultivate,
and permanently improved his homestea
for four consecutive years. Other pre-
visions are to be made against fraud, Il
securing public lands. Although tn
public domain seems inexhaustible, it j
rapidly diminishing. Last year 19,430,
O32 acres were taken up in one way an,
another, an increase of 5000. 900 acre
over 1882, and nearly 1000, 900 in 1881
OF this vast area a triie over 5000, OO|
acres were in homestead entries, but tn
latterare increasing 80 fast that by them
selves they are making large inroads year
ly into the lands still belonging to tn
government.