The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1885-08-22
NORTH LOUISIANA HOMEsTEADS.
mo. Times-Democrat.1

port and Pacific Rairsad runs, there
are hundreds of prosperous places cult
waited by energetic and industrious
farmers who have, as it were, the sword
of Damocles hanging over their head
and who need the aid and protection
of the government to guarantee them
in the possession OF their own farms,
the creations Of their toll and industry.
II is to be hoped that the Secretary of
the Interior, in arranging with the ",
S. and p. Railroad in regard to its
claim to public lands, will SO guard
and define it that the owners of these
farms, bona .fle homestead settlers,
will be we'll protected and have moth
ing TO fear from the road, and it Ger
tainly will be the duty of the Louisiana
congressman to see that that protection
is given.
In these parishes many persons have
homesteading the lands; they have
paid the required fees and hold receipts
from the receiver of public lands, at
Monroe, which were issued at time
when it was generally supposed that
the railraad grants had been forfeited
and that the road would never be built.
The farmers making the entries were
in perfect good faith and have devoted
themselves since to improving the
places. The lands were cleared, houses
and stables built, cotton gins erected,
and orchards planted. Through that
region are now hundreds of pretty and
fourishing places, where there there
was formerly a wilderness. These set
tiers were assured that they were safe
in their titles that the land was sub
iect to entry, as the railroad had not
been built. And the chosen agent Of
tho United States, the United States
Land Agent, whose special duty it is
to deal with citizens purchasing home
esteads, gave his advice and consent to
these entries and assured the settlers,
under the government seal, that they
were obtaining good title to the farms
they had created.
Hundreds of these farms, it so hap
pens, arc located within the reserve set
apart for the railroad, and these home
steaders are now denied patents because
the road claims these lands under
grants made by Congress.
There can be little doubt rs to what
is fair and proper under these circum-
stances, what the Congressman from
Louisiana ought to insist on, and what
we hope tho Secretary of tho Interior
will do. We sincerely trust that he
will give this matter his serious attcn-
ton before signing away the homes OF
these people, who have built and inn
proved them in the midst of the forests.
The railroad need not suffer by this il
should, in fact, neither suffer nor he
enriched by tho labor and cncrgy of
these people. If it should be decided
quantity of land granted the farms
occupied by and improved by bona
fide settlers should be excepted, and
they should DO permitted to homestead
them under such rules and negotiations
as tho Secretary of the Interior may
establish for tho protection of the gov
eminent against fraud; while the rail
road should receive in receive in return
an equivalent number of acres, to be
patented by it elsewhere. 1t would get
all it is entitled to, every acre of land
it deserves, but without disposscssing
and running these farmers.
TO drive these people from their
homes, or to patch up q compromise by
which they will be compelled to buy
back their own farms from the railroad
1t 50 or SO an acre, will not dot is all
wrong. Tho lands are worth 81 now |
it is true, but it is only because their
present occupants have made them so
at the expense of their labor, by cultiv-
ating and Improvement. They who
have done the work deserve the benefit !
of this Improvement, and not the rail
road, which has done nothing. They |
have acted in thorough good faith in
this matter, made entries which they
believed were good which the United
State land agent believed good also,
and which would have proved good
under nearly any other circumst
ances.
AS for the railroad VIC hope that il
will be satisfied with an arrangement |
of this kind, which would give il all
it is entitled to-all it has ever claim
ed. 1t would be a grave mistake for il
to begin war against these settlers
and attempt to GUST them.
In this case justice and policy go to- |
gether: and the road will find it polite
to establish the the most kindly rcla-
lions with a class of people who will
contribute largely to- its prosperity,
who will be lis friends and patrons if
this good turn is done them.
From every point of view such AN
arrangement as this, which will rcCog
niZe these bona fide settlers in their
homesteads, will be the best. III en-
tails no hardships on the railroad, or
burden to the government NJ tho Same