New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-05-27
rHEuonxsr SETTLERS SAFE.
Commissioner Sparks Explains the Scoops
Of the Late Order suspenddng Final 40
ton on Land Entries.

Commissioners Sparks Explains the ocoPs
ofthe Late Order suspending Final Ao-
ton on Land Entries.
Washington Specialize 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 moi
dependent upon settlement and cultivation,
should hereafter be suspended in Colorado, Da-
kota, Idaho, Utah, Washington Territory, New
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 attorneys at Washington
and elsewhere, who are engaged In the busl-
ness of securing patents for claimants.
1t is claimed that the order in ques-.
ton is paralyZing land business IN all
parts Of the country and doing great injury to
settlers who wish to proveup on their claims
so that they can borrow money to 60 on WIN WIN
Sparks said recently, when asked for his
opinion upon this point:
That order was intended to cover what term
infested districts. have written a number OF
letters to people who are complaining about 1t,
and want it thoroughly understood that there
tiers an injury. 1t Is only the knaves and
thieves that am after. have dozens of let
tiers from persons living in these districts who
approve Of the order. They say that in many
regions not one entry in fifty is bona fide: that
it is business practice to do false swearing to
get.a title to land Timber entries are almost
uniformly fraudulent Now it is to catch these
people that l have said that we should 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 it 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
close the land Office here, but that would be
obviously unadvisable. So there was nothing
for me to do except to say that l would not ask
the secretary OF the interior nor the president
to approve and sign patents when | believed
that fully one-half of them were fraudulent. In
this way l believe | have saved the public
domain,
FULLY MILLION ACRES
of land since April 3. The charge has been
made that the order was political and geograph-
ical in its character, that the south was ex-
copied. There are but four states in the south
where the United States has land offices-Flor-
ida, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas. Texas
owns her own lands. l fancy there is some
fraud in Florida In due time will reach that.
1t cannot be said that the south is excepted be-
cause Secretary Lamaris southern man. The
south was excepted because the bulk of fraud is
not in the South There is five tines as much
territory in the North that is not included in
the order. Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, 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 TWAS not the intention to
<1o1, y
Nothing of the kind has been done. What we
are really after is to prevent the public domain
from going into the hands of ranchnen and
spectators The bona tide settler can borrow
just as much money on his certificate Of entry
OF his duplicate papers as he can upon the pat
emit All the tirst-class loan and trust COM
panies of the East desire to know is that the
/ borrower should be bona tide settler and that
he will be entitled to patent. 1t is the knave
who wants his patent rushed through in twenty
four hours. You will find that to-day in I'LL
nois forty out of every one hundred entrymen
have never COTTON their patents. They lie here
Ill this Office, and the settlers were satisfied to
have simply the duplicates. But you will find
that the Louisna 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 THE SETTLERS.
WhenI am satisfied that there is good faith
on the part of the settler. there will be no diff
| fculty IN his getting patent l shall satisfy
myself by means of special agents and detec-
tives whom can thoroughly trust and upon
them shall put such checks and counter de-
lection as will make it absolutely certain that
no false swearing OF fraud can secure a pat
tent. see that the fight is begun upon me
from the land Office lawyers here and all
over the west, and that the newspapers large
ly interested in the whole subject of land
| office business have opened fire upon me;
Meanwhile, bona fide settlers all over the west
pick out their land, file their entries upon it.
and so on with their Improvements. The land
/ is. theirs just as much during the five years
which the law requires them to stay upon it as
it ever can be, and if they are worthy people
there will be no difficulty in their borrowing il
they need to do SO. I cam OF see that, in order
| to relieve these people of some anxiety,
should allow thieves and rascals to take NIL,
lions of the public domain by false swearing.