Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-02-27
small improvements, and 20 out to work

sisted In, this movement will divcst thou.
sands Of their only home and throw
them on the world destitute without q
dollar and without shelter.
The fraud which it is claimed is hcing
up"oted by this arhitrary and uncon-
stltutional procedure is what has given
Dakota, within short space Of time,
$4,000 separate farms, 4l5,00O people
and an annual wheat crop of 2O 900 600
bushels, and for the past twenty years
has heen bringing immigration from tho
Mississippi westward, and opening set.
tlement. cultivation and independent
homes for the poor at 4 most wonderful
rate and heretofore it has never been
discovered that the policy Was not most
beneficial to all concerned, and accom-.
pllshing all th.t could he desired.
Tho people living between the Missis-
Hippi river and the Pacific coast, between
Texas and Manitoba, regardless uf party,
are believed to he quite unanimous in
denouncing this cancelling Of old proofs
by rules established after proofs were
completed, and the three or four mill.
ions OF people who inhabit this region
have, we believe, knowledge much SUI
perior to congress, the president, or the
department. Of what is required and best
for them, as the people Of the colonies
had a knowledge Of their wants superior
to King George the Third and the Brit.
tsh parliament; and this belief, held by
every western member Of congress,
every western legislative body, every
western newspaper, and by men who
live here and wh.se interests are here
people who are as honest and intelligent
.,s any three millions Of people who can
be found in any portion Of the globe
should not be discnrded forthe reports
Of u few detectives dependent on color
ing things for their retention in Office.
These three millions of people huve
their relatives i'll the east. You can't
brand them by tho wholesale as perjur-
ers and frauds without branding our
whole nation rs such. You can't rob
them Of vested rights without their
friends in the east, i'll Il very short time
thereafter, learning Of it aud avenging
the wrong, SO far rs their votes 20. Prl-
vate letters from frien 10 west to friends
east cannot be overcome by eastern
newspaper falsel,oods.
Promises, inducements, tho practice
Of the department, held out to induce
settlement and privation on the frontier,
with certificate Of compliance issued
by the governm cnt Itself through every
local land Office from the Mississippi to
the Pacific coast, from Texas to MAnto.
ba, should be Ms sacred ;ls II government
bond, and not vacated in thousands Of
instances as they hayo been without any
proof Of fraud fixed OF alleged.
1t matters not that these inducements
and the practice then would n,t have
been permitted by this administration
They were the act Of tho government
itself, atd therefore bind this and all ad.
ministrations that are to follow.
These proofs were in fact not only
within the spirit and letter uf the law, us
made originally by congress, with the
rules, regulations and practice Of the de-
pArtn,cnt attached thereto az O. part Of
this law by the express authority of the
law itself, but by nearly fifty local land
courts, established by tho government,
they were 20 decided to be, and there
fore were accepted and title conveyed
prior to tho mortghging and conveying
that has since followed to other limo.
cent investors, and .ll prior to the change
Of rules that are now Used 10 invalidutc
these things.
1t appears to US TO be as futile for tho
department now to attempt to 9acate
these conveyed titles on rules since Gre
uted rs it would for congress itself to
pass a special law to repudiu,e them,
after residence. proof, paymentnnd con.
vcyance by the government !lself. The
new rules on old proofs are used retro.
actively, making them er pest fgcto as
we'll az void, because they strike ut ex-
isting obligations and veated rights.
(Sce tho decision Of the United Statcs
supreme court in tho low, bond case,
wherein the supreme court Of Iowa, by
a change in it's decision, could not inval-
idate existing bonds held to be valid by
that court when delivered to rallway.)
/. THE REMEDY.
Let the rules and practice est .blshed
i'll April, 1885, be revoked, and the en-
tries cancelled on the face Of accepted
proofs without any allegations Of fraud,
charged or proved, 10 restored. The
settlement laws should be 20 amended
as to prevent the department in the fut-
ure from attempting TO create rules To
destroy completed proofs and conveyed
titles heretofore made, and Il. the Unit
ed States IS sovereign and cannot oe sued
directly without the coneen, Of congress,
let congress pass short law permitting
any settler to enter the court at onco,
where the land ia, at his own expense, to
establieh title after the department has
refused patent.
In conclusion We arc sorry that Corn
missioner Sparks has been led into this
great mistake, for the writer knows inm
personally, and also knows tha. no
mother il more loyal to her child than
he strives to bc to the best interest OF tho
people in all that he does He is incap.
able Of being associated with any job.
Further, instead Of signing this anony-
mously We subscribe our real name and
place Of residence, and requcs, any one
who shall doubt the correctness of the
above statement to mail them to some
friend he has living on the frontier ard
ask his views Of 1t, or ask any frontier
settler Or member Of congress about it..
VIZ. H. SrAHplsH,
BARTLETT, Ramsey Co., D.kota.
Coming to Dakota.
One OF the rustling merchants OF a