The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1885-11-26

There have accumulated in the office OF
the recorder for the general land office forty
s Thousand patents to entries in what in
known as the INFECTED districtsp embraced
in Commissioner Sparks, famous order Of
April 3. The work ofissuing patents has how
ever, except for q few weeks been going on as
usual. Maj. Clark, the recorder, says the,
Office has sent out between A, O0Oand 5, 900
q month right along, and this month, at
I the present rate, will issue 5000. Patents
have been issued regularly to claimants in.
4 the infected districts who do not make en-
tries under the presumption, homestead.
OF timber claim laws where an oath is re-
%quired. Commissioner Sparks snid in re-
gard to The order: ~ r s! ~
1T am in hopes that we may soon be able
to rescind it. The necessity for twas such
that no thing else would meet the purpose
! took the advice Of all tina old officials in
this Office. and they considered the matter
in NIL its lights and phases. Their only
and unanimous conclusion was that the or!
der should be issued. The problemwasho how
to sift@ the fraudulent from the genuine
claims. We %hesitated at the idea OF
inf1icting any harm or Inconvenience upon
the bona fde settlers, but there was d large
number Of fraudulent claims. Ifyoushonld.
look over the reports Of our special agents
in the field, you would find, as I have stat
ed in my annual report, that from 75 to
90 per; cent. OF NIL the claims OF this class
where an oath can swear them through are
fraudulent. have letters from Dakota
and elsewhere daily that confirm this
To-day had one from q prominent Dako-
to gentleman fully substantiating the TACT.
Now, Z am not going to certify to the pres
sident that patents should beissued WhenI
am not sure they should be- SHIN mot
certify, in other words, to a lie. We hope
to be able to have means OF telling whether
entries are bona fide or not II, m, a.
Several plans have been considered Tor
the proper inspectionof claims, but tits un-
derstood that the one that commends itself.
abestis to have an official designated to each
localland Office. who with his deputies will be
able to visit claims and report on the
amount OF improvements and the evidence
OF bona fde settlement. This official
would serve as ! check on the local land
officers and enable the general land office,
ito whom hetwould be directly responsible
to know whether patents should be certi.
fed or not. The cost Of such q set OF Off
Gals would be slight compared with the
saving to settlers OF land that would 9TH
zerwiss fall into the hands OF speculators
and cattlemen. The recorders force Sof
clerks has briefed mp nm abstract OF most
aof the 40, 600 suspended entries now wait
ing Tor patents, and the abstracts
are being sent out to special agents. "a
large number OF cases IL have been
looked up and patents will doubtless
be issued to honest settlers In a
considerable portion Of injected districtsa
before long. Commissioner Sparks, action
~ not entirely personal. It has the end orae.
ment 81 Secretary Lamar and the president
and they both claim their share 81 respoI,-
sibility Tor il The reports from the special;
agents and local land officers do not indi-3
cate any great amount Of suffering
among settlers. Maj. Clark says that lie
has a00, 600 patents. that hll}H 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 commissioner side Of the mat
ter. There win be q lively time in congress
holding patents. 55 81
IS Gios ~ blood n Moo ullougl ~ Brain.
KS Number Of leading pHysicians 81 Phila-
5delphia examined the braino thelate John
fTv t. -