The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-06-05

The Orde, of Commissioner Sparks on the
Subject Explained by That Conference.-The
enlargement for Settlers.
Washington special: The order issued by
the commissioner of the general land office,
dated April 8, declaring that final action upon
all entries Of the public land, except private
cash entries and such scrip locations as are
not dependent upon settlement and culliva-
ton, should hereafter be suspended in Colo
RADIO, Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Washington terri
tory, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Ne
vada and a small part of Kansas, Nebraska
and Minnesota, and also declaring that final
action should be suspended upon all timber
entries throughout the country, has caused
great controversy in the territories named and
decided opposition from the agents and attor-
neys at Washington and elsewhere, who arc
engaged In the business of securing patents
for claimants. 1t is claimed that the order in
question is paralyzing land business i'll all
parts of the country aud doing gre at injury to
settlers who wish to prove up ON their claims
so that they can borrow money to go on with
the improvement of their lanis. Commits
sioner Sparks said, when asked for his opinion
upon this point:
That order was intended to cover what l
term infested districts. have written num-
Der Of letters to people WHO are complaining
about 1t, and wantit thoroughly understood
that there is no disposition on my part to do
honest settlers an injury. 1t is only the
knaves and thieves that | am after have
dozens of letters from persons living in these |
districts who approve OF the order They say |
that in many regions not one entry in titty is |
bona fide; that it is business practice to do
false swearing to get title to land. Timber
entries are almost universally fraudulent Now
i is to catch these people that l have said
that we would suspend final action on claims:
This whole office, including the assistant
the law clerk and the various
Chiefs. are in harmony as to the
necessity and wisdom of that order. We
;alked it all over and thought of various means
20 be employed for the end desired. One was
o close the local land offices; but in that
went settlers arriving in the district would
ind themselves unable to locate. That pan
would not work. Then 1t was suggested that
We close the land office here, but that would
,e obviously unadvisable. So there was moth
rot ask the secretary of the interior nor the
PRESIDENT to approve and sign patents when l
believed that fully one-half of them were
fraudulent. l this way believe have saved
h public domain fully million acres of land
ince April g. The charge has been made that
he order was political and geographical in its
haracter, that the south was excepted. There
re but four states In the south where the !
United States has land offices-Florida, Ala ,
ama Louisiana and Arkansas. Texas owns :,
err own lands. fancy there is some fraud in !
florida. In due time | will reach that. 1t !.
annot be said that the south is excepted be- |
ause Secretary Lamar is a southern man. :
he south was excepted because the bulk of
raud is not in the south. There is five times '
S much territory in the north that is not in {
Dwa, nearly all of Minnesota, Nebraska and l
ansas are not included, and in two of these II
ates-Michgan and Wisconsin, know p
lere is fraud that we ought to look after. 1t
as not the intention to PROSTATE the land Ii
us ness all over the country. Nothing of the o.
nd has been done What We are really q
ter is TO prevent the public domain n
ON going into the hands of ranchmen and p
eculators. The bona fide settler can bor- F
W just as much money on his certificate of h,
try or his duplicate papers as he can upon az
e patent. All the first class loan and trust h;
mpanies of the east desire to know is that h.
G borrower should be bona fide settler and -
at he will be entitled to patent. 1t is the 81
ave who wants his patent rushed through in ~ ~
enty -four hours. You will find that to-day T.
Illinois forty out of every one hundred ~
trymen have never gotten their patents. w
ey lie here in this office, and The settlers IL
re satisfied TO have simply the duplicates ~
t you will find that the Louisiana backbone ue
tents were taken out of this Office promptly, ne
st as you will find patents have been taken lis
all cases where there is fraud. When | am bl
listed there is good faith on the part Of the lai
tier, there will be no difficulty in getting no
tent. l shall satisfy myself by means of m,
cal agents and detectives whom | can an
roughly trust, and upon them shall put off
n checks and counter detection as will
Ike it absolutely certain that no false swear in
or fraud can secure patent l see that IL,
fight Is begun upon me from the land Of NO
lawyers here and all over the west, and 1T
t the newspapers largely interested in the no
ole subject of land office business have ~
med fire upon me; but have determined 11 S
stand by the order. Meanwhile bona fide ny
tiers all over the vest pick out their land, re'
their entries upon it, and 90 on with their e.
,rovements. The land is theirs just as Ma
cb during the five years which the law re- pre-
res them to stay upon it as it ever can be- rat
if they are worthy people there will be no VIC
iculty In their borrowing money, if they cor
d to do so. l cannot see that, in order to the
eve these people of some anxiety, should tur
w thieves aud rascals to take millions OF DIRE
public domain by false swearing. q