Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-11-26
Withheld Land Patents.
AS IMMENsE NuMRER.

There have accumulated In the office Of
the recorder for the general land oiliceiorty
thousand patents to entities In what is
known as the injected districts" embraced
in Commissioners SPARKS famous order of
April3 3. The work ofissuing patents has how
ever, except for a few weeks been going on as
usual Maj Clark, the recorder, says the
Office has sent out between i,OoOa and 1, 900
a. month right along, and this month, ut
the present rate, viii issue 5000. Patents
have been iTSHed regularly to claimants in
the infected ~istriets who do not make en-
tries under the presumption, homestead
or timber claim la Wa where an oath il re-
CURED. Commissioners Sparks said in re-
gard TO the order: . . @ u
] am in hopes that we may soOn be able
to rcseiad IL. The necessity for il was such
that nothing else would meet tho purpose.
] took the ady vice OF all the old officials in
this Office, and they considered the matter
IN all It's lights md phases. Their only
and unanimous conclusion was that the or.
der should be issued. The problem was how
TO sift the fraudulent from the genuine
claims. We hesitated at the idea of
intlicting any harm or inconvenience upon
the bona hde settlers, but there a a large
number offraudulcnt claims. Ifyou should
look over the reports Of our special agents
IN the field, you would find, as ! have stat
ed ia my annual report, that from rs to
% per cent. OF all the claims OF this class
whsroan oath can swear them through are
fraudulent. | have letters from Dakota
and elsewhere daily that confirm this.
To-day / had one from u prominent Dako.
Ia gentleman fully sE~bstantiating the fact.
Now, ! am pot going TO certify to tho pres
ideut that patents should be issued when I
am not sure they should be. | shall not
certify, in other words, to n lie. We hope
TO be able to have means OF telling whether
entries are bona fde or not.
Several plans have been considered for
the proper inspection OF claims, but IL is nun.
derstood that the onethat commends itself
bestis To have an official designated TO each
locaibtnd office, who with his deputies win be
able to visit claims aud report on the
amount OF improvements and the evidence
Of bona fide settlement. This oficial
would serve as s check on the local land
officers and enable the general land office,
to whom he would be directly responsible
to know whether patents should be certi-
He'd or not, The cost Of such ~ set Of OH.
cials would me Blight compared with the
saving 20 ~settlCrs OF land that would 9TH
erwise fall into the hands OF spectators
and cattlemen. The recorders force OF
clerks has hriefed up an abstract Of most
Of the 10, O0O suspended entries nov wait
ing for patents, and the abstracts
are being sent out TO special agents. A
large number OF cases nave been
looked up and patents will doubtless
be issued to honest settlers in a
considerable portion oithe infected districts
before long. Commissioner Sparks action
is not entirely personal IL hasths endorse.
meut of Secretary Lamar and the president
and they both claim their share Of respon.
sibiity Tor II. The reports rom the specia!
agents and local land officers do not indi.
cate any great amount OF suffering
among settlers. Maj. Clark says that he
has 900, 600 patents that have never been
called for. settlers have usually been able
to borrow MONEY on their claims without
their patents, but cannot secure as large
loans on second mortgage without them.
This Is the commissioners side cf the mat.
ter. There will be II lively time In congress
next wiater in regard to the policy OF with.
holding patents,