, 1885-09-01
PATENTS TO GOVERNMENT
LAND

order suspending final action in the gen
eral land Office, upon proofs made before
registers and receivers, of actual residence.
cultivation and settlcmeu ui claims en-
tered under the several land laws, is 10
seriously Inconvenience, aud peihaps in
some cases, even to Cypress the honest
settler who has faithfully fulfilled all of
the legal conditions for obtaining title to
his claim Observe, we do not intimate
that the honorable commissioner of the
general land office is designedly and ar
bitrarily issuing orders for the purpose of
harrassing honest settlers in getting their
patents, for we are confident that he is
actuated solely by a sincere desire to do
all in his power to prevent the illegal ac-
QUESTION Of the public domain. The
commissioner is cogu.zaut Of the fact that
immense quantities Of public land have
passed from the control of the govern
inent By reason OF the !iandu!en, repre-
sentatlons and pe1uries of pre-emptors
and their witnesses; and that this evil is
expanding to such alarming proportions
as to threaten the loss to honest settlers of
the remainder of the public domain with
in n very short term of years.
But the question arises right here, is
the obie;t sought to be effected in any
name accomplished by the issuance Of
the order OF suspension and, upon the
other hand, is it not true that the real,
and probably the only effect Of this order
Is to annoy, inconvenience and most sed-
ouslY embarrAss the very persons in whose
interest it is presumable the order was
issued.
For instance, it is not the man of cap
ital who pre- empts a quarter section of
land with a view to establishing for him
self a home, but ii is the poor man who
thus cndeayors TO gain possession of a por-
ton of America free soil, and he is anx-
ious and willing to honestly carry out all
Tie provisions of law relating to settle
ment In most cases such men have but
little money with which to purchase lum-
Der Tor building and implements and tools
for tllIng the soil Being, for the most
part situated On the outskirts Of c~iyiliza-
ton, they are too remote from market to
dispose of their produce, and are there
fore obliged to wait for the extension of a
railway or some other facility for reaching
a market. In the meantime very many
Of these settlers borrow money with which
to make final proof before the register and
receiver of the district land office, and also
for the purpose of making needed i'm.
provements upon their claims, for which
money they execute their note secured by
mortgage upon their claims and buildings.
Many cases occur where it is impossible to
sell crops 50 rs to meet ,bligations when
due, the result OF which is the foreclosure
of the mortgage and the financial ruin Of
the settler.
At tins iuncturc the Spectator appears
and for a sum ,quivalei to about one
third Of the actual value, secures all the
rights OF the original settler, who is COM
PEELED tby the terms of the mortgage
granting to parties Of whom he borrowed
the money the right to sell the premises
at public a%ucuon) to part with his home;
simply because Of delay in the issuance Of
patents by the general land Office
How can delay in getting a patent facil-
itate against a settlers chances of meet
ing his final obligations is a question that
is often asked, and Que that ought to be
thoroughly studied by government Off
Gals 1.-THE patent vera issued 10 a Z
tier within a short time Of his proving
up on his claim, he would be able. in
ease Of necessity, to sell his land at its
market value, or to borrow from other
sources a sum sufficient to liquidate an
obligations and still retain possession of
his home.
Any quantity OF people are anxious to
loan money upon land. the title to which
rests upon a United States patent, but a
comparatively small number are willing to
advance anything upon a claim which
they think may be classed as a frsudu-
lent entry.
Again. some might think that the spec
ulator was running a risk in purchasing
the rights of the settler at public auction;
but the Spectator is generally sufficiently
astute to know that the requirements of
law have been fully met. add that event