The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-05-29
THE SUSPENSION OF LAND ENTRIES

THE SUSPENSION OF LAND ENTRIES.
Commissioner Sparks Explains Why the Order
Was Issued, and Assures Honest Loca-
tons Eventual Title.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, Nay %.
The order issued by the Com missioner of
the general land Office, dated April 3, de-
claring 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 cultivation, should
hereafter be suspended in Colorado, Dakota,
Idaho, Utah, Washington Territory, New
Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada and q
small part Of Kansas, Nebraska and Mime
sofa, 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
attorneys at Washington and elsewhere, who
are engaged in the business Of securing pat
ents for claimants. 1t is claimed that the
order in question is paralyzing land business
in all parts Of the country and doing great
injury to settlers who wish to prove up on
their lands, so they can borrow money to 20
on with the improvement Of their lands,
Commissioner Sparks said to day, when asked
for his opinion upon this point:
"That order wss intended to cover what
term infested districts. l have written q
number Of letters to people who are COM
planning about it, and want it thoroughly
understood that there is no disposition on
my part to do honest settlers an injury. It
Is emily the knaves and thieves that | am
after. l have dozens Of letters from persons
living in these districts who approve Of the
order. Trey say that in many regions not
one entry In fifty is bona tide that 1t is .
business practice to do false swearing to get
q title to land. Timber entries are almost
uniformly fraudulent. Now 1t ls to catch
these people that / have said we would sus-
pend final action on claims. This whole
Office, including the Assistant Commissioner,
the law clerk and the various chiefs, are in
harmony as to the necessity and wisdom of
that order. We talked 1t all over and thought
Of various means to be employed for the end
desired. One was to close the local land
Offices but in that event settlers arriving in
the district would find themselves unable to
locate. That plan would not work. Then
taA ~ al - Ian oNB
here, but that would be obviously unadvisa-
BILE. So there was nothing for me to do ex-
cept to say that would not ask the Secre.
tary Of the Interior nsr the President to
fully one.hslf Of them were fraudulent. In
this way believe have saved the public
domain
FULLY MILLION ACRES
Of land since April 8. The charge has been
made that the order was political and geo.
graphical in its character; that the South
was excepted. There are but four States in
the South where the United States has land
offices-Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and
Arkansas. Texas owns her own lands. /
fancy there is some fraud in Florida. In
due time will reach that. It cannot DO
said that the South is excepted because Sec
rotary Lamar is Southern man. The South
was excepted because the bulk OF fraud is
not In the South. There 10 Eve times IS
much territory In the North that Is not inclu-
ded In the order. Michigan, Wisconsin, To-
va, nearly all Of Minnesota, Nebraska and
Kansas are not included, and in two of these
States-Michigan and Wisconsin, know
there is fraud that we ought to look after. II
was not the intention to PROSTATE the land
business all ever the country. Nothing of
the kind has been done. What we are really
after Is to prevent the public domain from
going into the hands of ranchmen and spec.
ulators. The bona .fde settler can borrow
just n much money on his certificate of
entry or his duplicate papers As he can upon
the patent. All the frst-class loan and trust
companies Of the East desire to know Is that
the borrower should be bona .fde settler
and that he will be entitled to . patent. It
Is the knave whs wants his patent rushed
through In "a hours. You will find that to-
day In Illinois 10 cut Of every 100 entrymen
have never gotten their patents. They lie
here In this Office, and the settlers were sat-
isded to have simply the duplicates. But
you will find that the Louisiana backbone
patents were taken out Of this Office promptly,
just as you will find patents have been taken
In all cases where there Is fraud.
ENCOURAGING TIE SETTLERS.
When am satisfied there Is good faith on
the part Of the settler, there will be no diff
Guilty in his getting patent. shall satisfy
myself By means Of special agents and de-
tectives whom can thoroughly trust, and
upon them shall put such checks and coun-
ter detection Is will make It absolutely GER
tain that no false swearing or fraud can
sscurc-A-patent. / see the fight 10 begun
upon me from the land ofiics lawyers here
and ell over the West, and that the nswsps-
pers largely interested In the whole subject
Of land Office business have opened fire upon
me; but | have determined to stand by the
order. Meanwhile, bsna .jfde settlers ell
over the West pick out their land, file their
entries upon il, and 60 on with their i'm
provements. The land Is theirs just as much
during the five years which the Law requires
them TO stay upon II As 1t ever can be, and If
they are worthy people there will ba n, dim
Guilty In their borrowing money, II they need
to do SO. cannot see that, In order to
relieve these people Of some anxiety, |
should allow thieves and rasca,s to take
millions Of acres Of the public domain by
false swearing.