Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1885-12-10
THE TAXING OF SPARKS

Mr.. Sparks is being educated at I'll:
public expense. The process is not q
pleasant one for the pupil, and net pro
ftabls for the instructors; but it promises
before completed, TO be very thorough
He has got fax enough in his studies tie
have learned there is such a section as
the northwest, that some hundreds oil
thousands of settlers live there, and that
their rights have been invaded and ,hei,
possession endamaged by the unnecessary
and idiotic rulings of the land office. S.
much seems to have been brought to Mr.
Gparks' comprehension by the near APP
proach Of meeting Of congress, and the
imminent probability that he will be call
ed to reckoning for the Injury he has
done. 1t appears now that he has been
giving some attention to the land laws,
with not wholly Improbable result Lit
lie fault can be found by his ruling that
: person who has taken up homestead
and committed it for cash cannot after
wards secure claim under the pre-. emp
lion law. As to the fereshadowed rul-
M that no settler can take lands under
both the presumption and homestead laws,
it would puzzle anybody but Mr.. Sparks
to know how it is to get rid of a law dis
tinctly permitting the settler to do exact;
y that thing. But triAe like this does
rot disturb Mr.. Sparks or arrest his tu-
multuous course. 1t is probable, deed,
that the whole subject Of the land laws
will get an overhauling at the next SEES
mon Of congress. Attempts to reform
hare been made again and again without
success. When the public domain was
practically Unlimited, the nation could
afford to be prodigal with its possessions
Now, the rapid disappearance OF public
lands, with the increase Of population and
the settling Of unoccupied territory, has
shown the need Of an economy that
should have been practiced earlier.
There is no inherent wrong in permit
ting single settler to take $50 acres.sf
land as he is now unable to do, under the
pre- emption, homestead and timber cul-
ture acts. Farms are larger in the
northwest than 10 the cast, and different
methods Of cultivation seem to require
greater crea. Nor, in the majority of
easrs where lands have been SO taken,
was it done probably SO much with an
Idea Of getting large individual posses
sion as for the purpose Of providing for
the members Of family not yet grown
to manhood But all these wants can no
longer b grati6ed. 1t is necessary to
conserve our disappearing land resources,
and to restrict the laws, to see that they
are faithfully executed, and to part with
public lands henceforth only to those who
intend to settle upon and thoroughly
cultivate them. For this reason some
charges made BY congress and not by
ruling, will probably be
found advisable. Meantime Mr.. Sparks
would exhibit more satisfactory mental
if he were to show less an
xious consideration for the prospective
Bettler Who may be injured in the future,
md more for the actual settler who is
injured at tho present moment by the
arbitrary, useless and imbecilc ruling sus-
pesdisg the issue Of fnal patent. He
Ril1 no doubt know still more by the time
hat congress gets through with him.
dr. Lamar has already found it neces.
lary to take him in hand and override
NO Of his arbitrary and illegal decisions.
In spite Of his picturesque crusade for
fleet, and his demagogue protestations
# eternal ennity to corporations, the
,eoplc Of the northwest have hope that
'efore these matters are final passed upon
new commissioner, who combines hon
'sty and intelligence with zeal, will be in i
'harge Of the affairs Of the general land
'6ce.